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Polar BearsChurchill, Manitoba...2006
I participated in a " Shoot The Light " instructional photographic workshop guided by my good friend Charles Glatzer. Charles or "Chas" is world renowned for his outstanding images and photographic talent. The workshop was 7 days of pretty intense shooting with 4 of those days on a tundra buggy from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. The tundra buggy was a kind of 4 wheeler on steroids!! It was an awesome ride and amazing to experience what they can go through!
The nice thing about participating with a group is that the tundra buggy was exclusive only to us. This was a huge advantage! The tundra buggy can hold up to 40 people, but with only eight of us, we each had a window on either side of the bus to shoot from. Which allowed everyone an equal chance at the bears when the opportunity arose. Shooting from the tundra buggy was fairly easy, everyone used a bean bag and shot out the windows. One could also step out onto the back deck for a better view but had to battle the wind and cold.
Having the opportunity to observe the Polar Bear in their own environment was priceless. It was as interesting to learn their behavior by watching them as it was trying to photograph them. I would encourage anyone interested in Polar Bears to make a trip to Churchill and take in this incredible experience. For the best photographic experience...contact "Chas" at " Shoot the Light" instructional workshops. It was definitely one of the most exciting photographic trips I've ever taken thus far!!
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MichiganNature.com
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The highlight of the fall of 2006 was traveling to the "Polar Bear Capital of the World" to photograph what I think is one of the coolest (no pun intended) animals on the planet!
The first few days of shooting were snowless with the temperatures in the mid 30's. By the end of the week the weather changed dramatically dropping the temperature to almost zero and providing us with the snow we all hoped for. The bears were as anxious for the cold as we were because they were waiting for the ice to form on Hudson Bay to enable them to hunt for their main source of food...Seals.
Using a long lens to capture the bears such as a 500 or 600mm worked great because it gives the impression you shot your subject from the ground. Which of course couldn't happen, because if you did...you would be munched. These bears were looking for food and were serious about their mission. Staying on the buggy was mandatory for your safety! At times the bears would come up close to the buggys and check us out, the Canon 70-200 and a wide angle lens worked great for those kinds of shots.