BROAD HORIZONS

Geologist Doug Thost is a finalist in The Australian Antarctic Festival’s Photographic Competition

It’s a vast, alien landscape that most of us can only dream of visiting. Tasmanian scientist and photographer Doug Thost has been to Antarctica 23 times throughout the past three decades and is still astounded by the icy continent’s power and beauty.

“It’s like what I imagine going to another planet would be like,” says the 56-year-old from Clifton Beach, who is one of the finalists in the Australian Antarctic Festival’s photography competition.

“It’s so different to your at-home, everyday experience. It makes you think outside the square a bit.”

The geologist and glaciologist has worked in Antarctica as a tour guide, a watercraft operator, a voyage leader on the research and supply vessel Aurora Australis and more recently as a drone operator, demonstrating the ability of a drone in shortrange ice reconnaissance missions. Which means there’s never a shortage of amazing things to photograph.

“When I first went down [to Antarctica] I tried to take people out of the landscape,” he explains. “But the more I go, the more I want to include people. People are pretty aware of the wildlife and the seals … but Antarctica is this vast ice desert and it’s almost featureless – and that is powerful in itself.

“I try and focus on creating a sense of scale. There’s no frame of reference, no trees or buildings … it’s just endless white. The majority of the place is desolate. It’s very hard to describe that in an image.”

After finishing high school, Thost pursued his interest in geology at university, and then worked in mining for a while but didn’t love it. So he returned to university to complete his doctorate, inspired by the promise of some Antarctic field work.

“My first trip down I thought I’d better take a decent camera,” recalls Thost, who borrowed his dad’s camera at age 12 and neglected to give it back.

“So I lashed out as a student and bought a good camera. And from that, instead of being an advanced hobbyist I started becoming more professional. It’s such an awe-inspiring place to go, it just encouraged me to be more creative with my photos.”

That first trip he went armed with 20 rolls of film and was pleasantly surprised when he got home and had the film developed. “I got some OK and some better-than-OK ones,” he says.

“Some of them ended up on postage stamps. That’s what encouraged me to crack on and keep going with photography.”

Thost’s image, Horizon, will be exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in coming days alongside the work of the other 23 finalists in the competition, which celebrates images from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

The competition attracted entries from 84 photographers as far afield as the Ukraine and China. Winners will be announced on Thursday, with a $5000 first prize and a $2000 second prize.

Visitors can vote for the People’s Choice Award, announced when the exhibition ends.

Photography conditions can be challenging – Antarctic summer temperatures average at zero around the coast which Thost says “is not really that nasty” provided you are dressed appropriately.

But heavy snowfalls and strong winds mean this can change rather quickly.

“On my early trips, when I was out in the field, I kept reminding myself that I was a long way from help and if something does go wrong it’s not going to go well,” he says.

Despite his multiple trips to Antarctica, Thost admits the landscape – and the ever-changing light conditions – still captivates and inspires him.

“I’m still quite passionate about going there,” Thost says. “I’m less overawed seeing my first iceberg. But I get great delight in watching other people get blown away by going there.”

And Thost expects to see a few more penguins and icebergs in his future. “I’m not sick of it yet,” he says. “Hopefully I’ll have more trips coming up.” The Australian Antarctic Festival starts on Thursday and runs until Sunday, August 5. There will be ship and aircraft tours, lectures, history walks and open days at Mac 2 TasPorts Cruise Terminal, Princes Wharf One, the CSIRO and IMAS. The photography exhibition runs from August 2-19 at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s Bond Store Basement. Open 10am-4pm daily (closed on Mondays). Entry is free. antarcticfestival.com.au