Introducing the Photo Ambassador Program

In this Insta-photo culture, it’s easy to take picture after picture in search of that perfect image for social media. Yes, at their most basic, photos are meant to chronicle your journey so you can look back and reminisce. But we want to offer you more—we designed our Photo Ambassador program to help you discover photography skills you never knew you had.

PONANT takes you to some of the most breathtaking corners of the globe. In many of our destinations, so far from the modern world, you and your fellow travelers might be the only human beings seeing a pristine landscape or breathtaking wildlife just as it is – in one fleeting second. As you can imagine, our guests always have their cameras dangling around their necks or their phones tucked away in their pockets so they can snap a shot of that perfect vista at a moment’s notice.

Of course, every guest brings their own photographic skill and desire to our luxury explorations. There are those who never leave their camera behind, as well as the more “purist” explorers who prefer to let their experience wash over them without being distracted by the urge to snap a picture. Camera-toting type or not, we love them all!

That said, a PONANT exploration provides the perfect opportunity for amateur and experienced photographers alike to refine their skill, hone their artistic eye, and even sharpen their vision. That’s why we’ve invited Photo Ambassadors along for your journey. 

Photo Ambassadors Help You See the World Through a New Lens

Our Photo Ambassador program has a clear mission: We want to give you the chance to look through your lens—to look at the world—a little differently, with more meaning and more depth. 

From the up-close glint in the eye of a curious polar bear to a wide panorama of soaring coastal peaks, we’ve met many photographers who want to chronicle life-changing voyages such as ours with a more intentional eye. Our onboard photography mentors help you capture perspective and scale, light and motion, in a way that freezes a moment in time with immediacy and detail. 

And when our guests return home and show off their newfound skills, we hope they inspire others to see a beauty in the world that’s worth preserving.

Ian Dawson: From the Royal Family to the Polar Reaches

“PONANT’s Photo Ambassadors work closely with guests who have a keen interest in photography,” says Ian Dawson, who indulges his love of the polar regions by sailing with us on Le Commandant Charcot in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. “But we also enjoy sharing our wider experience and love of these remarkable places with guests throughout each day.”

Ian knows a thing or two about photography. In previous careers, the Scot and recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal snapped photos of the royal family, celebrities, and news events around the world. With such varied expertise, he and his fellow Photo Ambassadors do more than provide photo tips. Throughout any journey, they deliver lectures on introductory and advanced photography, share their work from previous voyages, and even offer private sessions. There’s also a friendly onboard photo competition in which they encourage guests to enter. 

Of course, you never want to spend too much time behind the camera. If you do, you risk overlooking what Ian calls, “…something deeply life-affirming about immersing yourself in these icebound worlds.” But when you view these incredible vistas through a lens, you often see details you might otherwise miss; the frame literally focuses your view more tightly.

Cindy Miller Hopkins: Helping You Bear Witness 

Cindy Miller Hopkins, a California native and Colorado resident, brings more than 30 years of travel photography to her Photo Ambassadorship. She has worked with several expedition and tour operators and has been leading photo safaris around the world for decades. Even after three decades, she hasn’t lost her love and passion for her subjects – particularly those in the Arctic. 

“Even though I’ve been lucky to see hundreds of wild polar bears,” she says, “the first bear of the season still makes me cry! I know it’s sappy, but they are such stunning creatures to see in the wild. When I look around the decks of the ship and see guests with big smiles on their faces and their mouths agape, I know they feel the same as I did when I saw my first bear.” It all makes for the perfect photo opp. 

“Once you have that shared experience,” she continues, “you always have a bond of ‘being there’ together to witness something special.” It’s this idea of bearing witness that’s central to our Photo Ambassador program – and each of our highly experienced and accomplished shutterbugs will help you do just that.

We invite you to sharpen your photo skills with PONANT’s Photo Ambassadors during our luxury explorations to the Arctic and Antarctica.