AntArctic

Elephant seal pup (c) Michael Poliza

Photographer Michael Poliza took on the enviable task of traveling to the poles to take a series of stunning photographs for his book ANTARCTIC, produced by teNeues Books (www.teneues.com), and we were fortunate enough to receive a copy to review. The book is hard to describe except to say that if you have functioning eyeballs you will like it. It includes page after page of breathtaking, funny, and even touching photographs of the animals and landscapes of the polar regions. You'll probably have to tear yourself away from pictures of king penguins fighting over a female, fur seal pups with the tips of their tongues impishly protruding from their mouths, and petrel feeding frenzies. The images make the case for conservation of polar regions far better than I ever could, particularly since the book's large size makes the images seem all the more close and personal. My favorite is the the two-page photo of the yawning elephant seal pup. Poliza has done an excellent job capturing the wide range of Antarctic imagery - from towering icebergs to mundane midday naps - with skill.

The best part is that if you tweet about one of the photos from the book, you could win a free copy! Go to http://teneues.com/poliza/contest/. The book is truly amazing and I only wish I could give one to everyone who doesn't see why we need to worry about such faraway places.