Advice For Photographing Polar Bears In Canada’s Arctic

February 19th, 2012 | admin | Travel, Vacation

Getting great photos of polar bears is not as tough as you might think. It is simple to dream up images of photographers with huge lenses and tripods as large as scaffolding getting that totally ideal “National Geographic moment”, but with today’s electronic cameras and easy access to these fetching bears on a polar bear tour, just about anyone can come away with a photograph deserving of hanging on your wall.

There are many reasons that explain why getting polar bear pictures is easier than you believe (and fun). First, you need to get yourself to a destination like Churchill, Manitoba, polar bear capital of the world, and join one of the polar bear tours run by several tour operators each fall. Most use massive tundra vehicles holding up to 40 travelers to get you securely and comfortably out into the bear-viewing area. Some trips offer lodge-based accomodations where you can actually walk on the ground with the bears!

Once you are there, you’ll discover that polar bears, being at the top of the food chain, are fearful of almost nothing including you (), and the density of bears in the Churchill area during the summer and fall months is reasonably high.

While longer, stronger telephoto lenses do give you more chances to shoot polar bears at a larger (not to mention safer) distance, the bears often come extremely closely on any of these polar bear tours. And, bear in mind that it isn’t necessarily the extraordinary close-up that yields the best shot but frequently a way more provoking shot simply contains the polar bears in a beautiful landscape.

In the 25 years I have been guiding polar bear tours to the Churchill environs, I get asked all of the time about “What lens should I pack?” for taking pictures of polar bears. For those with cameras with interchangeable lenses, the simple and most comprehensive answer is, “everything you have!” It’s a given among photographers the lens you do not have is the one that you will want.

For close-ups, manifestly, longer lenses in the 400mm to 800mm range will give you the most alternatives. Polar bears can appear on the horizon or within 10 feet of your tundra vehicle, or 30 feet if you are on foot, as on one of the lodge-based tours. I have settled on a Canon 100-400mm zoom lens for almost all of my work and find that it covers almost every shot I come across. It’s a great compromise with weight and size and is simply handheld or rested on a stable surface, as it is image-stabilized. Any lens in this focal range will be more than adequate.

But do not forget the wider-angle lenses either. The frozen tundra and broken sea ice can make for some notable landscapes, and if a polar bear is in them, so much the better! And, wide prime and zoom lenses are light, tiny and easy to pack.

Tripods are a excellent idea for longer lenses in early or late low light, as well as for shooting the northern lights. Be advised that you may not have too much room on board your tundra vehicle. In this case, a simple bean bag on the window will help to steady your shot.

Follow these suggestions and you’ll come away with some striking photographs of polar bears!

Randy Green is a founder of the Churchill polar bear trips that have become terrifically well-liked among wildlife fans in recent years. His site covers all aspects of planning a polar bear trip to Churchill.