I have been working in the Arctic to document polar wildlife and environments since 2008, travelling there every few years. As a photographer it requires focus and attention, as well as a decent preparation:
"The poles are the attic and basement of the world - large-scale starting and ending points of ice and snow. They are home to some of the last pristine regions on Earth. Where else do reindeer herds walk through the snow, do penguins splash in the icy water and will polar bears wander far inland and then swim more than 150 kilometers? [...] Photographers must brave unimaginable elements in this ominous landscape. The light can be as elusive as a harp seal, batteries as lethargic as a slumbering bear, and cameras sometimes fail due to the cold. [...] But rain or shine: the best photographers don't give up. In this way we can see this changing and unknown world from out of our comfortable armchair. "
National Geographic - The best 100 Wildlife Photos. Collectors Edition. Translated to English from the edition Nederland•België (2005)
I truely recognize and support this! Even in the field, adaptation is crucial. Like too heavy equipment taken in a huge backpack boarding in a zodiac is something I couldn't work with. I didn't have the flexibility and I was constantly in fear my gear would be knocked overboard. I decided to use my belt as a means to cling my lenscases on and keep my camerabody with one lens in my hand covered in an extra thick sleeve while on a zodiac. It was a golden solution to me!
I created this photograph of a polar bear mother and her 1 year old cub from a zodiac, with a hired 500mm lens. A friend and I had stacked coats and tripod bags to lean the lens on in the zodiac (he carried the big lens to the zodiac, so having a companion is also an advantage!). The cold was average, about 0 °C in June.
Do you LOVE this polar bear mum and cub in Liefdefjorden, Northern Spitsbergen (Svalbard)? It is now available in my Fine-art print collection! YESSS!!! If you want to know more, there is a special package-deal till August 31st, 2020. Please go to https://www.orbica.nl/fine-art-shop/fine-art-print-collection/
