Cindy Miller Hopkins
Imagine a polar bear and her cubs approaching, moving closer and closer until she sits down and starts nursing the cub. Alert but seemingly unconcerned by your presence. You have a long time to photograph her and savor this amazing moment. This actually happened, on Mother’s Day no less, to Cindy Miller Hopkins, a travel and nature photographer, long-time NANPA member and current Trustee of the NANPA Foundation (she was also a past president of the Foundation). “We parked the ship in the ice. We let her come to us when she was comfortable, and she had two tiny, tiny cubs—the smallest cubs I’ve ever seen—and sat right in front of the ship and nursed her cubs for an hour. That was special.”
These kinds of experiences are one big reason that photographers and adventurers sign up for Arctic and Antarctic tours, mostly by cruise ships. How better to see polar bears near the North Pole or penguins in Antarctica? Cindy saw the polar bears on a cruise with Ponant, a French cruise ship operator based in Marseille (and exhibitor at NANPA’s 2025 Summit, May 15-17 in Tucson, Arizona), for whom she is North American Photo Ambassador. In that role, she teaches digital photography classes and workshops and also serves as the pro-photographer lecturer on expedition ships. Don’t speak French? Not to worry, the ships are bilingual.
Down at the other end of the world, in the Antarctic, Cindy says, “we watched killer whales for about an hour and a half while the orca parents were teaching their youngster how to hunt. They just hung around the ship and kept catching a fur seal and letting it go and catching it and let it go. I feel sorry for the poor seal—he’s probably going to need therapy! We were all waiting for the moment when they finally just grabbed him and ate him but, in the end, it was just a teaching session and they let the seal go. He looked around and then left and that was it. People sometimes think that killer whales are just these mean hunters and they kill everything for sport and fun. It wasn’t like that at all. I think everybody on board looks at killer whales much differently now because of this experience.”
It’s not all polar bears and killer whales, so what else happens onboard? After all, you may be spending a lot of time on the water without bears, penguins or whales up close and personal. Most photography cruises feature various onboard educational activities—lectures and demonstrations on photography or about the animals, landforms and ocean life of the area. What makes Cindy Miller Hopkins’ recent trips unique, though, is the ship she’s on. Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot is a very different kind of icebreaker/cruise ship.
Magnetic North Pole on September 13, 2024. 85° 51.2 N 139° 28.5 E. Science team out on the ice taking ice core samples with Charcot in distance.
Ponant touts it as “the world’s only luxury icebreaker,” but it’s much more interesting than that. The ship was designed with science in mind, so departures offer the opportunity for up to 20 scientists to be onboard, depending on the destination. As passengers are out photographing or learning about the local wildlife, those scientists may be measuring the distribution microplastics in polar ice, how thick that ice is, or what algae are present in the ice, to name just a few of the research projects. Individual scientists might speak to passengers about their work in lectures or as part of a panel of researchers. A photographer might even photograph some of the scientists at work. One time a scientific team from the UK invited Cindy and some interested passengers on their Zodiac to observe their work.
Antarctica, Weddell Sea. Emperor penguin colony at Snow Hill. Emperor penguins.
The focus on science also played a big role in the design of the Charcot, itself. As nature photographers, we want to be responsible travelers and minimize our impact on the environment. The popular idea of a cruise ship—one of those behemoths carrying 5,000 passengers, with a virtual amusement park on deck, burning marine diesel—doesn’t sound very responsible. But that’s not the Charcot, which hosts a maximum of 245 passengers (most of whom are not photographers), including the scientists. The ship is the first of its kind, built with a hybrid electric power plant that uses batteries and liquified natural gas. It recycles heat from the engines to heat the cabins and hot water. The ship bottles its own drinking water and eliminates single-use plastics by using stainless steel bottles. The PC2 polar class hull was built to reduce the ships impact on polar ice by directing ice along the hull in such a way that it easily reforms after the ship passes—“kind of like a zipper,” says Miller Hopkins. “It’s purpose-driven, purpose-designed for giving passengers a luxurious, scientific, and green experience. Even the propeller design, as I understand it, includes an extra blade to reduce underwater noise and the noise’s impact on whales.” The bilge and ballast water, notorious sources of maritime pollution, are filtered and treated.
Another measure of eco responsibility prospective passenger can look for from Ponant, or any cruise line, is whether they have attained any of the various certifications from groups attesting that the ship follows best practices for sustainable tourism and wildlife interaction. Ponant’s ships follow the IAATO (the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) and AECO (the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators) standards for protecting the environment, passenger safety protocols, maximum numbers of people allowed ashore and minimizing impact on wildlife. The Charcot, for example, is also Green Globe Certified (sustainability), CLEANSHIP certified (ecological impact), and Ocean Approved (environmental practices), among other programs and awards.
Antarctica, Ross Sea near Franklin Island. Killer whales.
An important thing for photographers to consider is where, exactly, the ship can go. Some larger cruise ships carry too many passengers for everyone to disembark in ecologically sensitive areas where tourist numbers are limited. Some of the larger ships can only go to the most popular and crowded sites, joining the scrum of ships already there. One place this often happens is at the Antarctica Peninsula. The peninsula is big, and hosts several research stations but, as tourism increases, is starting to see lots of ships.
“When most people think of the Antarctic, they think of the peninsula,” says Miller Hopkins. “They go on a 10 day cruise, they get their last continent, they get to see some penguins and some cool whales, and that is certainly a lovely trip. South Georgia and the Falkland Islands are sometimes added as a bonus. My favorite place on the planet is South Georgia. Absolutely spectacular! Tens of thousands of king penguins and species that you won’t see on the peninsula.”
The Charcot is unique because of its size and ice breaking capabilities. “We can go into the Weddell Sea for emperor penguins—I have three trips to the Weddell Sea this November/December specifically to go see the emperor penguins and their chicks.”
“And in 2026, we’re going to circumnavigate Antarctica. That’s a very long trip, so it’s broken into two separate trips. One of the big draws of a Ross Sea trip is a visit to historic polar explorers’ huts (think Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott), preserved and looking as if the expeditions were just there. Because they left in a hurry, in Scott’s Hut, there are socks hanging from the rafters, the original sleeping bag, Scott’s boots, the newspaper that was on the desk, it’s all there!”
Taking a cruise ship to photograph exciting and remote destinations or wildlife is a lot more luxurious than the conditions endured by polar explorers more than 100 years ago. With a little care and research, you can find cruise lines and specific ships that act responsibly and strive to preserve sensitive habitats while not sacrificing passengers’ comfort. With companies like Ponant and ships like Le Commandant Charcot you can enjoy remarkable sights and experiences while feeling good on your voyage, and feeling good about all the efforts to minimize the voyage’s impact on the environment.
And don’t forget to check out Ponant’s along with all the other great vendors in the exhibit hall at NANPA’s 2025 Summit, May 15-17 in Tucson, Arizona!
Antarctica, Weddell Sea, Snow Hill. Emperor penguins with Charcot in the diatance. Guests walking on ice.
