The problem with so many photo tours that go to see the polar bears around Churchill, Canada is that the bears are viewed from huge tundra buggies that place a photographer at least 10 feet above the ground. If you stand and shoot from an adult height, that raises the angle another 5 or 6 feet. This means you're shooting down on the bears, and a perspective like that diminishes the stature and the power of these incredible predators. The only way to avoid a severe downward angle is to use a long lens -- 500mm or more -- and photograph them far from the vehicle. The lens will then be more parallel with the ground. However, it's much better to find a trip where you can shoot from ground level. A couple years ago I conducted a photo tour in which my group and I were enclosed in a compound protected by an electric fence and the bears were free. In this way, we could shoot through the photographer-friendly fence from ground level. The picture I've attached is an example. I didn't get the entire polar bear in the frame because I was shooting with my 500mm lens, but the massive bear was quite close-- about 30 feet away. I have other shots where I was actually laying on the ground shooting up at a bear! It was an incredible experience, and the images from the trip are so much better than those taken by other photographers from tundra buggies. My settings for this were 1/800, f/7.1, 800 ISO.
7 Comments
Dec 24, 2016, 12:59:32 PM
Jim - Hi Rosemary, Yes, a determined bear can break through the fence. That's why we had two Inuit guards with rifles loaded with rubber bullets. If a bear stays too close to the fence, they shoot it in the butt. The noise and the sting scares it and it runs away. Bears that fear humans are a good thing for the sake of both species.
Dec 24, 2016, 12:42:11 PM
Rosemary Sheel - Yikes. Fabulous shot but I just read "Ada Blackjack" a story of survival in the artic. And I wonder, are you sure that a very determined bear can't break through the fence?
Dec 24, 2016, 12:36:41 PM
Jim - Bill -- I need your email in order for me to let you know about the next polar bear trip. You can send it to: photos@jimzuckerman.com
Dec 24, 2016, 10:34:27 AM
Jim - Hi Bill, Thank you for your note. I am planning another trip to the polar bears now for more ground level shots, and I will let you know as soon as it's set in stone. Do you receive my free monthly eMagazine? If not, you can sign up for it using a link at the bottom of the home page on my website. I always announce my new tours in that.
Dec 24, 2016, 9:35:17 AM
Jim - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too, Bob.
Dec 24, 2016, 8:47:38 AM
BILL BOSWELL - If you are running another trip where you get to be at ground level let me know please.
Dec 24, 2016, 7:31:57 AM
Bob Turner - I agree with you. I have not been to Churchill for that reason. I have been to Kaktovik many times and photographed bears from small boats or on the ground of the barrier island. Each time I visit Kaktovik I hope for snow as the bears get really dirty on the gravel island. Happy Holidays!