Page 108 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

INSIDE THE IMAGE

POLAR BEARS SVALBARD

The remote, rugged
archipelago of Svalbard is
home to a variety of Arctic
wildlife, but its most famous denizen
has to be the polar bear. In winter the
large ice floes surrounding the islands
provide vital hunting grounds for the
species’ key food source: seals. If the
ice doesn't form, the animals become
marooned on the islands where they
risk starving to death.
CLOSE FOR COMFORT
While our ship was anchored off
Duvefjorden, we suddenly spotted a
female with a two-year-old cub. The
pair became aware of our presence and
started to walk towards us, driven by
hunger and, perhaps, curiosity. As they
approached, the bears were distracted
by a nearby leak from the ship’s
kitchen, which had stained a patch of
snow. They paused to lick it, pressing
their legs together and adopting 1
synchronous, almost identical positions.
Initially, the bears were a significant 3
distance away, giving me time to
mount a 200–400mm lens and
photograph them as they wandered
towards us. The animals eventually
came so close that even the minimum
focal length of 200mm was too tight to
include any of their surroundings.
This, however, allowed me this
unexpected close-up, which I came to
call Polar Pas de Deux. I chose black
and white to symbolise how pollution
casts its shadows on immaculate
natural environments.

DATA FILE

CAMERA Canon
EOS-1D X
4
LENS 200-400mm, f4
FOCAL LENGTH
200mm
EXPOSURE 1/640 sec,
f/9, ISO 6400
EXPOSURE
COMPENSATION +0.67

108 BBC Wildlife February 2018