“Antony’s presentation at the National Geographic, Tuesday 30 June 2009″:http://www.nglondonstore.co.uk/029.html

I was very proud and excited to have been given the first talk in a series of inspirational talks by explorers at the National Geographic Store in London on the 30th June. The store is fantastic and I was deeply moved to have been invited to present my photographs in such a venue.

Above is a slide show of some of my pictures used in the presentation. It starts off looking at who the Inuit people are of Baffin Island and what there life is like in this frozen wintery waste land. The Inuit people are very much connected with the sea and land around them, which they rely on for survival. Imagine living in a community of just 500 people and hundreds of miles from the next community, the only access is by plane and there are no roads. Basic food for the shop has to be either flown in by plane or shipped in during the ice free summer, making food very expensive.

Hunting is not only a necessity but also a cultural identity for the Inuit people in a rapidly changing time. I hope to show this in my photography and give an impression of what it is like in such an hostile but beautiful environment.

There are also photographs of my previous training and preparation expeditions; swimming in the sea whilst the air temperature was -45′c, hauling my sledge over buttresses of pressure ice and the ever lurking danger of frost bite.

I then go on to share my experiences of traveling across the Island solo to the next Inuit village. Often the temperature would be as low as -30/-40′c and I would often be checking over my shoulder for the danger of seeing a polar bear, oh but what a journey. I hope you enjoy the slide show.