Probably the most spectacular Antarctic subject for wildlife photographer is the Leopard Seal. Antarctica and surrounding waters is the only place in the world where this mammal can be met. It is called a leopard seal due its characteristic spots on skin, but after spending some time with the animal, I found it to be more similar to a dog than to a leopard. There are numerous leopard seals around Antarctica seaside areas, and you may often see them sleeping on small icebergs like on presented picture. Amazing raw environment, breathtaking landscapes, awesome colours, dark and mysterious waters and these unique seals there… They seem to be very lazy and uninterested in jumping into the water, but as soon as they get in, they transform into extremely fast moving and scary monster. However it sounds, with a bit of luck though, you can meet the leopard seal while diving and play with it, making spectacular underwater pictures. This particular shot, called split shot was one of these rare wildlife pictures 100% planned before travel and successfully executed in real life. The story behind it is quite interesting. Years ago, when I was passing Heathrow Airport, trying to get to another terminal, i noticed bank commercial campaign illustrations around using iceberg split shot concept as the creative theme. Pictures were very intriguing, but it was purely photoshop work. I stopped, said WOW and immediately asked myself, could I make it real? Paradoxically sometimes even banks may be source of inspiration for photographers:)… Enjoy! :) https://www.facebook.com/bartosz.strozynski.1 [+]