This photo embodies one of the compelling lures of Alaska’s Arctic for me-its huge, wild, and expansive spaces. The wildlife that roam this region often have a diverse range. It is a sparse landscape and population densities are much lower than other areas on the globe. Polar bears are normally solitary animals and will roam…
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…
Having just returned from a fantastic photo tour in Alaska’s Arctic, I’m off for another duplicate journey. I was co-guiding the trip with my friend and colleague Hugh Rose, and all 8 of the tour guests came back with great pictures of the aurora borealis, arctic wilderness, polar bears, caribou and more. I wanted to…
If there is one excellent feature among the new genre of super telephoto lenses, i.e., the Canon 500mm in this case, it is the Image Stabilization technology. In many situations, I end up photographing without a tripod. It is counter-conventional wisdom for many, but when an effective method and style is learned, there is a…
A young polar bear walks along a barrier island in Alaska’s arctic. To the south is the Alaska mainland and to the north is the expansive Beaufort Sea and the north pole. This bear straddles those two environments and soon will head northward as soon as the sea ice freezes solid. I use a variety…
Off the far north arctic coast of Alaska lies the Beaufort Sea. On windy days the surf pounds the outer barrier islands which are inhabited by polar bears waiting for the sea ice to form. The broad sky in this composition hints at the wide open space that goes on for miles and miles beyond…
Polar bears embody a beautiful blend of power and elegance. This is one reason they are so interesting to observe and photograph. And there are few mammal species that move so fluidly both on land and in the water. This bear rested along the shore of an island in the Beaufort Sea, along Alaska’s eastern…
The polar bears are abundant along Alaska’s arctic coast as they wait for the ice to form on the Beaufort Sea. Warm weather has kept the snow at bay, at least at this point. This curious polar bear stood up for a better view and I’ve learned by their posture when this is about to…
Polar bear cub, late evening light. While it can be easily argued that most of the best photos have defined and dramatic light, the new high ISO performance of today’s digital SLR’s have produced a whole new genre of low-light images that simply could not be captured previously. Certainly not in the same quality league.…
Polar bear symmetry While her cubs were off playing, this female polar bear curled up on the snow and dozed off occasionally. The posture makes a beautiful, symmetrical pose. It is a cropped version of an image taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm + 1.4x extender, which translates into a focal length of…