Matt Sharp's long-term Wild Hope project seeks to document the progress that has been made by conservation efforts in Antarctica.
While coverage of climate change tends to highlight the negatives, there are positives – some whale populations are recovering from the impact of industrial whaling practices in the 20th century, which caused numbers to fall to just two or three per cent of what they were beforehand.
It shows why conservation initiatives matter, and one of the most effective ways of keeping conservation in people's minds is raising awareness of it through storytelling.
Storytelling like Wild Hope, of which Footprints in Ice is the latest element. Matt Sharp is due to return to Antarctica in 2027, to add to the body of work created in 2025 and which he has been editing for the last year.
This was all captured on a medium-format Fujifilm GFX100S II camera, which boasts a 102-megapixel sensor for outstanding image quality, a wide dynamic range for managing high-contrast shooting situations, and faithful colours produced by Fujifilm GFX lenses paired with Fujifilm's celebrated colour science.
The power of the GFX100S II belies its dimensions: it is comparable in size to many full-frame cameras, and the wide range of GFX lenses is designed to balance perfectly with the camera body.
So whether you're a photographer shooting tethered in a studio, or with the camera in an underwater housing, this high-resolution imaging solution won't weigh you down.
Ahead of Matt returning to Antarctica, he explained why the Fujifilm GFX system is the perfect creative tool for his nature and documentary photography needs…
What attracted you to the Fujifilm GFX system, and the Fujifilm GFX100S II in particular?
I came to the Fujifilm GFX system via Fujifilm X Series cameras. A friend of mine was shooting on a Fujifilm X-Pro2, recommended the X Series to me, and I started with an X-T2. I really enjoyed the experience of shooting with it, and it just grew from there.
When the Fujifilm GFX50R was released, I switched over to that. I shoot a lot of high-end property photography, so its dynamic range and larger sensor was ideal for delivering commercial 3x4-inch prints.
As I didn't need fast burst rates for that type of work, the GFX50R made my process more deliberate, which I think is important in these times where everything has gone to the other extreme.
When I became so used to shooting larger-format images, I moved away from using smaller cameras, then made a full switch from the GFX50R to the GFX100S and then to the GFX100S II. The whole experience has been thoroughly enjoyable.
With the GFX100S II, Fujifilm made a series of improvements, so your current shooting experience must be the best so far.
Yes, 100%. I had a GFX100S as my backup body for going underwater in 2025, and there was a big difference between it and the GFX100S II.
I thought I was going to leave a GFX100S in my Nauticam housing the whole time and switch the GFX100S II in and out, but there's a big difference in the focusing so I actually took one GFX100S II underwater and predominantly shot everything on that, because it's substantially quicker.
I also like the lossless compressed RAW files. These are great to process, and using this format saves me a few megabytes on each shot – I don't hit the limits of the buffer as quickly when shooting bursts underwater.
Which are your go-to lenses for shooting Wild Hope?
The GF20-35mm F4 R WR is an absolute must for underwater photography. For general photography, I love the GF55mm F1.7 R WR, which I hardly ever take off my GFX100S II bodies.
What key specifications of the GFX100S II do you appreciate most when using it?
Its dynamic range, which helps keep the colour science intact. In some of the underwater shots of penguins, captured in natural light with the mountains above, the contrast between dark and light is huge – even on a dull day.
Trying to recover that without making the file look awful is something I couldn't do with any other camera I've used.
The GFX100S II keeps the colours correct, which is the heart of the image – they look great and there's no distortion. For me, that's the most vital quality of this camera.
And the excellent image stabilisation [up to eight stops] was extremely helpful in Antarctica, when I was working from boats and underwater.
When I'm shooting still-life in my commercial work, I hand-hold down to around one fifth of a second, or even lower, and still get a tack-sharp image. And it's really obvious, because the GFX100S II's files are so detailed.
The larger-format aspect of the GFX100S II is also part of the appeal for me. It ties back into historical photography of the Antarctic, when glass plates were used – these were either 10x8 inches or close to 4x3 inches, a format that's slightly square. I really love that style of image, where you can capture a little more 'verticality'.
So the Fujifilm GFX100S II is a tool that helps realise your creative vision?
I would struggle to produce my work on another camera system. I love the colours that Fujifilm cameras produce, and the images from the GFX100S II are of such high quality.
When I send my photos for printing, which I do a lot, I don't have to do anything to the image files. They don't need to be upscaled or resized.
Do you find the GFX100S II works well for video?
My trip to Antarctica was very much about still images and any video was a bonus, but next time there's going to be more of an emphasis on gathering footage for a documentary film.
And loads of this will be filmed on the GFX100S II.
Read more…
Find out more about the Fujifilm GFX100S II camera and GFX lenses at:
www.fujifilm-x.com/global/products/cameras/gfx100s-ii/
Nature, documentary and commercial photographer Matt Sharp is a Jersey-based photographer whose long-term Wild Hope project documents Antarctic conservation. A marine biologist by training, he works across commercial, documentary and expedition photography, returning to Antarctica in early 2027.
mattsharp.co
Instagram: @mattsharpshooter
