For me to leave Alaska in the summer for a chunk of time is rare. I did so in July, in part, to serve as photography guiding staff on a voyage in Svalbard. On this wonderful trip I accrued a few very notable nature encounters. One in particular ranks up there in what I have…
Male Walrus, Svalbard During my recent visit to Svalbard, on the Polar Pioneer icebreaker with Cheeseman’s Ecology Safaris, I logged some amazing lifetime wildlife encounters that will last as unforgettable experiences. One of them was some interaction with a curious group of male walrus that swam over to our small group along the shoreline. They…
I photographed this Atlantic puffin along the shores of the Island of Spitzbergen in Svalbard, on a sunny, calm evening. I’m familiar with the horned and tufted puffin that inhabit Alaska, but this was my first sighting of the Atlantic puffin. They are bright and colorful like the other gregarious puffins. As is often the…
This male polar bear had been swimming from island to island in a glacier fjord along the northern coast of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago. I shot this frame just as the bear was about to swim to another nearby island. I took a lot of pictures of this animal, in many different situations, but…
Perfectly calm weather and overcast skies created conditions ideal for capturing reflections of floating icebergs in a glacial fjord on the northern coast of Spitsbergen, the main, and largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. This particular capture was actually a drive by shooting, which is why I had the shutter speed up to 1/160. Landscape…
The polar bear ranks up there as one of the most intriguing and amazing animals. To watch it move and live in its extreme environment is an experience I wish all people could have. This particular polar bear approached our ice breaker ship while we paused for a moment in the sea ice. The snow…
The creature I was most intrigued to see on my trip to Svalbard was the walrus on ice. I got half of my hoped for scene, which was the walrus itself, but not hauled out on ice. Still, I had quite an up-close encounter with these giant animals, who exhibited great curiosity and humorous behavior.…
I just concluded a wonderful journey on an icebreaker ship cruising the island archipelago of Svalbard in the high arctic. Having spent the bulk of my time in Alaska’s arctic, it was a treat to explore other regions, in particular a place where mountain relief is evident, and the flora and fauna slightly different. Of…