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New York Times photographer Chang W. Lee is currently sailing on an icebreaker into Antarctica — and he’s brought a lot of gear with him.
In a recent video shared to the Times’ social media channels, Lee details what he’s taken with him for the two-month expedition aboard Araon, a South Korean ship.
“I’m very used to traveling,” explains Lee, who spent five and a half months in Iraq during the war and covers global sporting events.
But even the most well-traveled of people have rarely been to the world’s most remote continent, Antarctica.
“It will be one of the highlights of my career,” says Lee. “I’m really fortunate to be able to do what I love to do.”
@nytimes “I have a lot of gear.” Our photographer Chang W. Lee describes how he plans to capture a reporting trip to Antarctica from every angle, including with a long-range drone and a sound-triggered camera he hopes to use to capture a calving glacier. Video by Chang W. Lee, Raymond Zhong, Christina Thornell, Kassie Bracken, Sutton Raphael, Leila Medina and Adam Hogan #photography #shiptok #travel #nytantarctica ♬ original sound – The New York Times
In the video, Lee lays out his impressive equipment. While he uses the Sony camera system, he talks mainly about the drones and remote cameras he’s using on the trip.
“I’ll be using the [DJI] Mini 5 pro around the icebreaker because I don’t need to go far away,” says Lee. “But when I’m on the ice, the wind will be stronger so I need to use the Mavic 4 Pro.”
Lee also has several smaller cameras, such as the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, which he uses to capture “blind spots” — areas he physically cannot reach.
The Times photographer also used sound triggers for his cameras, which he leaves around the ship in case an iceberg splits from a glacier and causes the camera to record something incredible.
Nearly 40 scientists are aboard the Araon, which is heading for Antarctica’s fastest-melting glaciers. Lee is traveling with reporter Raymond Zhong, hoping to unearth crucial data about rising sea levels.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.