Certainly do not wait to prepare your trip until the last month, start as soon as you can to think about what you will be seeing and testing if your photo equipment can deliver your expectations.
Are you going to focus on the wildlife, the places you will visit, the beauty of the ever-changing light?
Will you be needing images once the trip is over to deliver a presentation, for example?
What to expect?
Lenticulair cloud formations may not catch your eye if you have never heard about the phenomenon.
Read as much as you can about plants and animals that live in the region.
I have reviewed a couple of guides and reference books that are interesting lecture to start with.
To access the reviews, select (on the left menu bar) Books on Antarctica.
All animals display specific behaviour: defending their territory, welcoming a retruning partner, feeding the young. While taking a picture, you can only anticipate an animal's behaviour if you are familiair with it.
The more you know, the more you will see: lenticulair cloud formations or the small Antarctic Hairgrass (plant) could have gone unnoticed if you had not read about it before. Of course your nature guide is a good source too to ask.
Study the area or the route to get an idea of the sites you'll be passing by, or where you will (probably) make landings. Try to find out what's there to see, what elements are unique. Keep in mind that the travel schedule is always subject to changes due to weather. While some animal species are guaranteed (colony breeders), others (cetaceans) are only spotted with a bit of luck.
Which period will you be travelling?
The summer season runs from November until March on the Antarctic peninsula. Within this limited timeframe, animals must find their partner, mate, breed and raise their young. The moment of your visit determines what you will be able to photograph:
Early in the season penguins are building their nest, or are sitting on their egg.
Around February, penguin chicks have gathered in so-called creches and many parent birds are foraging at sea.
As the season progresses, the penguin colonies become more and more empty; parents and youngsters have left to return to the sea. Many guides claim this time is perfect for whale watching, but whales can also be seen in the early season.
Pictures of others
You may want to get inspiration from Antarctica photographs that were taken by other people (internet, books, lectures) and determine what sort of photographs you would like to make, and what sort of photo gear you need to pack. For example:
General travelling pictures of fellow-passengers, landing sites.
Panoramic pictures and landscapes
Action photography (birds in flight, bowriding dolphins)
Macro photography (of lichens, spilt crustaceans)
Once you have an idea of what you want, it's time to go and test if you can do it, and how.
Know your equipement - and test it
Read all manuals once or more at home and experiment with different settings and scenarios.
Know you gear, its possibilities as well as its limits. In case you purchase new equipments, make sure you test it long before you leave. If you intent to make pictures of seabirds in flight, then simply try to take pictures of gulls in your own neighborhood. It will give you and idea of the results you can expect.
Attach straps to all cameras, binoculars, carrying bags, or see that they can be attached to you in other ways and try it out at home. Realize that you'll be wearing a thick layer of clothings (sailing gear) and a live jacket (while crossing in zodiacs). If you take a rucksack with you while landing, then you should be able to fit in a thermal blanket (so-called TPA) and some snacks in case of an emergency.
Test if all cables, adapters, connectors from cameras and tripods fit like they were meant to. Sometimes telelenses do not fit on tripods, you cannot secure the lens onto the tripod.
Leave at home all accessories that you are sure you will not be using.
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