Tips For Photographing Polar Bears In Canada’s Arctic
Getting great photos of polar bears isn’t as difficult as you may think. It is simple to conjure up images of photographers with huge lenses and tripods as massive as scaffolding getting that perfect “National Geographic moment”, but with today’s digital cameras and easy access to these fetching bears on a polar bear tour, almost anyone can come away with a photograph worthy of putting on your wall.
There are a few reasons that explain why getting polar bear pictures is simpler than you believe (and fun). First, you need to get yourself to a destination like Churchill, Manitoba, polar bear capital of the Earth, and join one of the polar bear tours provided by several tour operators each fall. Most use enormous 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 even walk on the ground with the bears!
Once you are there, you’ll find that polar bears, being at the very top of the food chain, are afraid of little, including you (), and the concentration of bears round the Churchill area during the summer and fall months is quite high.
While longer, stronger telephoto lenses do give you more chances to capture polar bears at a greater (not to bring up safer) distance, the bears regularly venture extremely close on any of these polar bear tours. And, bear in mind that it isn’t necessarily the tight close-up that yields the most aesthetic shot but frequently a more impressive shot simply contains the polar bears in a gorgeous landscape.
In the 25 years I’ve been directing polar bear tours to the Churchill region, I am asked all the time about “What lens should I carry?” for taking shots of polar bears. For those with cameras with interchangeable lenses, the easy and most comprehensive answer is, “everything you have!” It is a given among photographers the lens you don’t have is the one you will want.
For close-ups, obviously, longer lenses in the 400mm to 800mm range will give you the most options. Polar bears can appear on the horizon or within 10 feet of your tundra vehicle, or 30 feet if you’re on foot, like on one of the lodge-based holidays. I actually have settled on a Canon 100-400mm zoom lens for almost all of my work and find that it covers almost every photograph I come across. It is a great compromise with weight and size and is simply hand-held or rested on a stable surface, as it is image-stabilized. Any lens in this focal range will be more than satisfactory.
But don’t forget the wider-angle lenses either. The frozen tundra and broken sea ice can make for some outstanding landscapes, and if a polar bear is in them, so much the better! Plus wide angle prime and zoom lenses are light, tiny and simple to pack.
Tripods are a excellent idea for larger lenses in early or late low light, as well as for capturing 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 photograph.
Follow these suggestions and you’ll come away with some spectacular photos of polar bears!
Randy Green is a founder of the Churchill polar bear trips that have become terrifically sought-after among wildlife fans lately. His site covers all aspects of planning a polar bear trip to Churchill.
canon 100-400mm L series EF IS USM lens test
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