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In Antarctica anything can happen. But for Max Seigal, one of the most shocking encounters he had while exploring the continent involved a fearless group of penguin chicks.
Seigal was lingering near a Gentoo penguin colony when suddenly, several babies shuffled up to him. They started looking him up and down, as if he was the weirdest thing they had ever seen. Their spunk and curiousity inspired Seigal to take a photo. It might not have been the most magnificent sight he'd witnessed—while passing through the island of South Georgia he came across an endless horizon of penguins—but it certainly was memorable.
While in Antarctica, Seigal learned an important lesson on photography. He realized that just by sitting still for 10 or 15 minutes, he could draw birds to him. "They will mirror your actions," he says. "You simply have to pay attention."
This image was a Top 100 photo from the 2013 Audubon Magazine Photography Awards. To see all of the photos, click here.