True North - The Story Behind Antarctica
For years, Antarctica lived in my imagination as one of the last truly wild places on Earth. A place of ice, weather, silence, whales, penguins, leopard seals, and a kind of beauty that still feels almost untouched.
I have photographed wildlife on all seven continents, both above and below the water, but Antarctica felt different. It was the edge of the map. The kind of place that calls to you not because it is easy to reach, but because it is not. I had been in the water with humpback whales in Tonga as they prepared for one of the longest migrations on Earth, and I wanted to follow that story south, to the feeding grounds, to the ice, to the place where so much life depends on a fragile and changing ecosystem.
This journey began with a bigger idea than just making photographs. My friend and filmmaker James Cooper and I wanted to document Antarctica in a way that felt raw, personal, and close to the truth of being there. Not from the deck of a large cruise ship. Not from a distance. We wanted to cross the Drake Passage by sailing yacht, live with the weather, move with the ice, and get into the freezing water with the wildlife.
The goal was to create a documentary and a body of photographic work that could help people feel what Antarctica feels like before it changes even more.
To help make that possible, some incredible friends stepped forward. Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top, Jimmie Vaughan, Ruthie Foster, Donavon Frankenreiter, and others donated their time and talent by performing at fundraising events. Some supporters donated money. Others bought photographs, showed up, shared the story, and helped push the project forward when it was still just a dream on paper.
That support mattered. Every song played, every ticket bought, every photograph purchased, every person who believed in the project helped get us one step closer to the Southern Ocean.
In February of 2025, we finally set sail from Puerto Williams at the bottom of South America. Even before we left, Antarctica reminded us who was in charge. Weather delayed our departure, and we quickly learned that down there, everything happens on Antarctica’s terms. Wind, ice, ocean, and visibility decide the schedule. You don’t force your way through that part of the world. You wait, you watch, and when the window opens, you go.
The Beagle Channel gave us our first taste of what was coming. Albatross followed the yacht on the wind, and dusky dolphins rode the bow as if they were escorting us south. Then came the Drake Passage, four days of open ocean, rolling seas, long watches, and seabirds gliding effortlessly over the swells while the rest of us tried to keep our stomachs together.
Our first glimpse of Antarctica came through thick fog. Mountains, glaciers, and ice appeared and disappeared like the continent was slowly deciding how much of itself to reveal. I had dreamed about that moment for years, but nothing really prepares you for it. The idea of Antarctica suddenly became real.
Over the next month, we moved through a world that felt almost impossible. We stepped onto islands crowded with gentoo penguins. We floated in icy water as penguin rafts moved around us by the hundreds. We watched humpback whales feeding at sunset, their massive mouths breaking the surface with krill and seawater pouring away from their jaws. We slipped into the water with leopard seals, letting the encounters unfold on their terms. We passed through the Lemaire Channel in glassy conditions, surrounded by mountains and icebergs so large they made our yacht feel small.
Some days were calm and golden. Some were brutal. There were failed landings, blocked passages, snowstorms, numb fingers, leaking drysuits, rough seas, and long nights on watch. That is part of what made the trip honest. Antarctica is not easy. It is not polished. It does not perform on command. But when it opens itself to you, even for a moment, it gives you something you never forget.
The True South Collection is the fine art body of work born from that expedition.
Every photograph carries a piece of what it took to get there: the long crossing, the cold, the uncertainty, the wildlife encounters, the silence, and the people who believed in the project before it ever became real.
This collection was born from those moments.
A penguin cutting through blue water beneath the surface.
A leopard seal staring back with intelligence and curiosity.
A humpback rising through a field of ice.
A mountain range reflected in still Antarctic water.
A snow-covered colony carrying on with life in one of the harshest places on the planet.
Each photograph is part of the larger story. It is a record of what we saw, what we felt, and what we hope people will care enough to protect.
That is the heart of this work.
I did not go to Antarctica just to bring back pretty pictures. I went because places like this matter. Wildlife matters. Wild places matter. And I believe art can make people feel connected to something they may never see with their own eyes.
When you bring one of these photographs into your home, you are bringing home more than a scene from Antarctica. You are becoming part of the story behind it — the musicians who gave their time, the supporters who helped launch the journey, the crew who crossed the Drake, and the mission to use art and storytelling to make people care more deeply about the wild places we still have left.
Purchasing a photograph from this collection helps carry that story forward. It supports the work, the documentary, and the larger mission behind Everwild — a place being built for photography, music, storytelling, conservation, and community.
The people who helped fund this expedition became part of the story before we ever crossed the Drake. Now, through these photographs, you can become part of it too.
