PODAS Photography Workshop with Drew Altdoerffer

Our very own PODAS instructor, Drew Altdoeffer, took over our Instagram account with some of his pictures from some of his PODAS photography workshops. At the workshops he’s providing you with a first-class education, using the world’s best equipment in breathtaking locations.

Giant Icebergs

“When you’re fortunate enough to have equipment like the XF IQ3 100MP and the Schneider Kreuznach 35mm LS f/3.5 Blue Ring with you for a landscape shoot, the last thing you would think about doing is hanging off the side of a zodiac in sub-zero waters. But sometimes the last thing you would think about doing is the only thing you can do to get the shot.”

“These giant icebergs were just begging to be photographed from the water’s surface so I ignored the sensible part of my consciousness and got as close to the water as I could. With the Waistlevel Finder on the XF IQ3 100MP it was a breeze to get the composition I needed and with the 35mm lens providing me astounding detail and contrast, these ship-sized ice cubes really came to life.”

“The 35mm lens ensures that the water’s surface and the iceberg in the background are all captured in great detail. The internal focus of the 35mm lens also allows for flexibility with filters and no complications when you’re holding a camera in a rather precarious position.”

Western Australia

“From our May 2016 PODAS workshop in Western Australia with Peter Eastway, Tony Hewitt and Christian Fletcher. We had set out in the hot afternoon weather to stay in a valley amongst the Boab trees through sunset, with plans to stay for some star trails into the evening. A small brushfire in the distance put an early end to our late night photo session but the beautiful clouds and even light of the afternoon still yielded some fantastic results.”

“This image was taken with the 110mm Blue Ring lens, one of my absolute favorite lenses. Versatile to use for almost anything, fast aperture and compact size mean that it’s always in my camera bag whenever I travel, and when I have to surrender the more exotic lenses to a participant I know it’s there to get me some incredible shots. Although my skill at capturing these trees pales in comparison to our instructors, or even some participants, the subject is still one that serves as a fantastic memory of the trip we had and the great people we shared it with.”

King Penguins

“Now technically you’re not allowed to get within 15 feet of the wildlife. However, the wildlife doesn’t follow directions so they seem to violate that rule all the time. These King Penguins were a bit curious when it came to all of us photographers and came over to investigate while we waited for our zodiac back to the ship.”

“With a 35mm, you can imagine just how close these guys happened to be, and I couldn’t have been more pleased that they decided to come over and pose for me. Although Instagram doesn’t do the image justice, every feather of this King Penguin is perfectly sharp. From his weathered and scaly feet to his smooth and shiny bill… even down to the beads of water that covered him from head to toe.”