Antarctica Expedition:
Photography at the Edge of the World
Overview
Viking Cruises needed a library of authentic, expedition-grade photography to launch
and sustain their Antarctica product — one of the most remote and logistically complex environments on earth. Stock photography wasn't an option: the brand required imagery
that was genuinely immersive, visually distinctive, and true to the experience Viking
guests would have.
I was sent on a 3-week expedition at the bottom of the world to direct the shoot on location.
Role: Creative Director, Photo Art Direction
Client: Viking Cruises — Expedition Product Line
Scope: 3-week on-location expedition shoot, Antarctica
Output: Campaign advertising · Brand/hero imagery · Social · Web · Print & Direct Mail
Team: Production crew of 26
Disciplines: Destination & architectural photography · Video · Drone · 360° Staff & Crew · Cuisine · Models · MUA/Hair
The Challenge
Directing a photo shoot in Antarctica isn't just a creative undertaking, it's a production and logistics challenge. Extreme weather, unpredictable light, remote locations, and a moving ship as your base of operations all demand a level of preparation and adaptability that most campaigns never require. At the same time, the images had to work across every channel: as hero brand imagery, in performance ads, on the web, in print, and on social: meaning they needed to hold up at full-bleed scale while also functioning as small-format digital crops.
Pre-production
Developed the full shoot brief before departure, defining the visual language, shot list, mood references, and creative intent for each planned output. Coordinated logistics with Viking's production team and the expedition crew to understand access windows, safety constraints, and timing relative to the ship's route.
Creative Approach
On Location
Art directed across a range of environments — open ice, shipboard life, zodiac excursions, and wildlife encounters — balancing scripted hero shots with responsive, documentary-style capture. Worked closely with the photography teams to maintain Viking's visual standards while staying open to the unexpected moments.
Post-Production
Oversaw editing and retouching to ensure the final library was consistent, on-brand, and formatted for deployment across every channel. Built a master image library organized for long-term use across marketing, with clear guidelines for how each image was intended to be used.
How the Images Worked
The Antarctica imagery became foundational to Viking's Expedition product marketing — appearing across the full channel mix from performance ads and social to hero placements on the website, print brochures, and direct mail. Because the images were art directed with channel flexibility in mind from the start, the library served campaigns consistently without requiring reshoots.
Campaign advertising: hero and supporting imagery across paid digital and display
Brand/hero: full-bleed flagship imagery representing the Viking Expedition product
Social media: cropped and sequenced for organic and paid social storytelling
Web: homepage and product page placements
Print & direct mail: brochures, direct mail, and collateral
Outcome
The imagery established a distinct visual identity for Viking's Expedition product, setting it apart from the River and Ocean lines with photography that felt genuinely immersive and otherworldly. It gave the marketing team a library they could draw from across channels for sustained campaigns, without the visual inconsistency that comes from sourcing imagery piecemeal.
