At sea -- seabirds abound

We departed the Falklands and headed for legendary South Georgia. Our birders emerged from the crowd fairly quickly, we had 3, who spent endless hours trying to identify if there was a dot on that bird's chest or if that bill had a slight curve to it, etc. I respect birders, I enjoy looking at birds, but I'm not as particular as these three individuals. That said, I learned a ton from them, and you can't help but respect passion. This was their day, Wandering, Royal, and Sooty Albatross surrounded our ship, along with some prions, petrels and shags. A bit of advice... even the most expensive equipment won't do you any good if you don't know how to use it. If you have your camera on the automatic setting you're doing it wrong. If you can't quickly adjust your settings without looking you haven't practiced enough. Antarctica is not the time or place to read your manual, so practice practice practice! Beware there will always be people who judge photographers, citing the need to just enjoy the experience. My take on the debate? If you're quick and know the shot you want and how to get it, you can snap and then put it down and enjoy the view for a bit. It's not an exclusive choice. Don't miss the rainbow or the whale cause you're trying to shoot the small bird in the distance! Also don't judge others for enjoying their vacation in whatever way they choose... we're all different, that's what makes us interesting!