Ponting's lab - Scott's Hut

Herbert Ponting was the photographer on Scott's final expedition. He was only there the first year however , leaving Antarctica to fulfil prior commitments about half way through the expedition. In a time of large plate cameras and  wet chemistry, Antarctica's cold temperatures and the freezing of photographic solutions added a whole extra level of difficulty for the relatively new art form and proponents such as Ponting. It makes the pictures gained all the more valuable.

Picture courtesy of Mike Usher - Mike went on a Ross Sea expedition on board the Kapitan Khlebnikov in 2005.
You can purchase a selection of Mike's pictures here