In This Week’s Post
- Stuck in Oslo with a Puncture.
- 3 Things I Learned in Svalbard.
Read Time: 4 Minutes
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This week I am writing from Oslo airport where I will spend the next 9 hours. Whilst sat on my KLM flight, destined for Amsterdam and then home, an Airplane Tug vehicle missed the coupling link of the aircraft and slammed into the front wheels puncturing both tyres.
As a result of this mishap, I will now arrive home at midnight rather than 2pm. On the plus side, I have lots of time to reflect on my trip to Svalbard, which I am currently returning home from.
3 Things I Have Learned
On every workshop I run, I learn so much and this one was no different. Jonas Paurell and I took 10 photographers sailing around Svalbard for 10 days of wildlife and landscape photography. We were blessed with beautiful conditions, a great ship, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crew and a fantastic group of photographers.
Here are 3 things I learned on this trip.
- Shoot as Low as Possible.
A lone Walrus sat on a floating iceberg. The light was a little harsh and the foreground was messy. My photos of the Walrus were underwhelming and didn’t capture the beauty of the surroundings or the majesty of this 1000kg lump.
I looked to my right and saw Conrad (one of the participants) shooting the same Walrus, except Conrad was hanging over the boat, his lens inches from the water.
Like a naughty schoolboy copying my friend’s maths test, I glanced at Conrad and leant over the boat myself. I saw an immediate improvement in my shot.
With my lens hood scooping up sea water I used my tilting LCD screen to compose, I awkwardly focused and took a few shots. Losing my camera to the sea was a constant threat.
The image I captured was an improvement on my previous attempts. The foreground ice clutter was no longer an issue and the majesty of the surroundings and of the Walrus came through beautifully.
I continued with this low shooting method for the rest of the trip and although awkward to do, the results speak for themselves.
2. Birds Take Off and Land Into the Wind.
I have never had much of an interest in photographing birds, but after this trip I am hooked.
On the ship was Simon d’Entremont, an expert wildlife photographer. I expressed an interest in capturing some compelling images of Guillemots, Puffins and Guls.
Simon offered some advice, most notably that birds fly into, land into and hover facing the wind.
With this simple piece of knowledge, I was able to position myself better and anticipate the bird’s movements, which made getting a good shot far more likely.
3. Patience is Everything and NEVER Choose to Sleep.
Although nobody wants to say it out loud, we were all on that ship for one reason: Polar Bears.
A close encounter with one of these magnificent animals is a rare thing, so if there is a sniff of a chance, take it!
After 4 days at sea, we had our first Polar Bear sighting. A mother and her young cub (approximately 2 years old).
Bears can roam for miles and they can also sleep for days. The latter is not ideal for photographers.
Our 2 Bears were 500-700 metres away, I like to call them Pixel Bears. They were also mostly sleeping. It was nice to know they were there, but on a rolling ship, they were almost impossible to shoot and observe.
After 12 hours, the Pixel Bears had not moved a great deal and a decision had to be made. Should we move on or wait it out?
The decision was an easy one: we wait. This is why we’re here.
The Bears were sleeping, and it was time for us to sleep. At midnight, I retired to my cabin. After getting ready for bed, I clambered under the duvet and allowed the ship to gently rock me into a deep slumber.
Just as I was drifting off, the PA system snapped me out of my half dream.
“Dear passengers, the Bears are now awake and looking active. Get your warm gear on and be ready for the Zodiac launch in 10 minutes”.
I jumped out of bed, opened my blinds and looked out through the porthole. The fjord was like a mirror. Not a breath of wind, and snow was gently falling.
“Oh wow. This could be incredible” I said to myself as I was hopping on one leg, trying to get my trousers on.
I grabbed my camera bag and ran to the Zodiacs. One by one we made our way down the steps and into the inflatable boats. As we set off towards the edge of the fast ice, I did a head count. There were only 9 of us. Who was missing?
Conrad had heard the PA but chose to stay in bed. What a terrible decision that was.
We killed our engines and slowly drifted towards the ice. Silence filled the fjord, only interrupted by the occasional shutter release. I could hear the snow falling on the water. It was one of the most beautiful things I have experienced, but the Bears were still Pixel Bears.
Looking through my viewfinder, it seemed the Bears were getting larger. They were! They were coming this way, curious about what we were.
The next 45 minutes can only be described as surreal. The Bears were calm, happy and playful. The mother Bear sat patiently whilst the youngster played, swam, rolled and jumped, and all within just 30-50 metres of us.
This was my second Polar Bear encounter, and to be so close at eye level was truly a privilege. I will never forget this experience.
I thought about the ships that came and chose not to wait it out and, of course, I thought about Conrad, who chose to stay in bed. I felt terrible for him. But he took it well and showed us his Polar Bear images from previous adventures, which helped ease my guilt. A second, equally exciting Polar Bear encounter with a kill on the final day quashed all remaining guilt I had.
This trip is one I will never forget and one that I am unlikely to ever repeat.
Watch the video below.
Landscape Photography On Location Vol 1 & Vol 2
