Polar bears in Arctic Alaska, Brooks Range mountains in the distance. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105mm f/4L IS, (73mm), 250 @ 5/5.6, ISO 800.
The Romanzof mountains of the Brooks Range mark the northwest edge of Alaska’s mountains. From there, the arctic coastal plains flatten out, leading to the edge of the Beaufort Sea. And this is the home of the polar bear, in my eyes, one of the most fascinating animals to watch and photograph. In the short span of a few months, the sea ice melts which brings the polar bears on land while they wait for the chill of late October to freeze the ice again so they can return to daily job of hunting for seals. Much of their life on the ice is spent in winter darkness, and they roam and hunt for thousands of miles in search of fat rich food. These few bears walk across a bay of calm water that froze over, while the larger ocean is still lapping in waves. Soon it will solid ice and the bears will be gone. The context of the polar bear’s home is often lost because the animal is so interesting in and of itself. But I favor photos that place that magnificent creature it the greater expanse of the Arctic.
