The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott by David M Wilson

An astonishing collection of photographs taken by Captain Robert Falcon Scott during his Antarctic Expedition.  Anyone familiar with the story will understand that not only was it incredible that these photographs were taken, but also that they survived and made it back to England.  I find it amazing that he was able to operate the camera, which lets face it in 1911 was nothing like what we have today, in the harsh conditions, and that he was also committed enough to carry it, when weight was so crucial.  I am fascinated by polar regions and hope one day to go on an Antartic voyage myself, so for me these photos are simply incredible without needing to understand the equipment, techniques, composition and so on.  But adding all those elements in, make the images even more amazing.  The discovery of the photos enabled the crucial periods of the journey to be pieced together, and this is the value of photography: it creates a permanent record of an event through somebody's eyes.  The image on pages 76-77 of Mount Erebus from the Ramp shot by Scott in October 1911 exmplifies the beauty Scott captured.

Scott had not always been a photographer; he was taught by Herbert Ponting, who was the expedition photographer and cameraman.  There are many beautiful images where the sky and horizon merge into one; so essentially the composition relies on the placement of the objects within the frame.  This image of the expedition ponies on the march on pages 132-133 is a great example of this and you can see the ponies disappearing into the blizzard taken on 2 December 1911.  You can see by the anchoring of the ponies, that there is some ground, but you can't see the boundary between horizon and sky.  Sadly, the ponies did not survive many days after this photo was taken.

I have seen some of Scott's photographs first-hand, and indeed Ponting's camera, at the Natural History Museum, running from 20 January - 2 September 2012.  The exhibition explores the Terra Nova expedition focussing on the everyday stories and activities of the people who took part, their scientific work and unforgettable human endurance.  It is an amazing collection of equipment and images, and really brings home that this was not just a trip, for a long period of time, it was a way of life for the men that took part.

Some of Scott's images are shown on the Scott Polar Research Institute website http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/library/pictures/acquisitions/lostscott/