Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip report)

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gohike
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Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip report)

Post by gohike »

I had a great ten days on the ground with polar bears...I left Montana on Saturday, November 4 and made it back home on Sunday, November 18, 2012. I took 12,120 photographs and 60 video clips; I drove 1656.3 miles; and I absolutely fell in love with my new 400/2.8L IS II.

The trip report is over 3,200 words, so I'll just link to it:
http://blog.shumwayphotography.com/2012 ... -2012.html

The photos are online here:
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... 046_qP4Pw7
Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I really do appreciate any comments/criticism you leave; you can even give your favorites a simple thumbs up, so I can get your opinion on the winners...thanks and enjoy.

As always if you have questions, ask... I have published the camera information with each image and added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

Now it's time for the teasers:
Image
A willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) forages as snow falls on a cold November day near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II + 2.0TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/800th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3541 XLS with an Arca-Swiss Z1sp ballhead and a Wimberly Sidekick.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... X&lb=1&s=A

Image
A Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) walks along a snow covered landscape as more snow falls near Wapusk National Park in Canada. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II + 2.0TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/320th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... F&lb=1&s=A

Image
Two Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) play in the light of the setting sun along the shore of Bird Cover near Wapusk National Park. These bears (one male and one female) are likely four or five-year-old siblings who recognized one another and decided it would be a great time to come together and play as they wait for the ice to form on Hudson Bay. Captured with a Canon 5D and III 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO800, f/6.3, and 1/640th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... 2&lb=1&s=A

Image
A Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) walks along the ice edge in Bird Cove, near Wapusk National Park, as the last moments of sunlight paint the scene with hues of purple. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II + 2.0TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO800, f/7.1, and 1/250th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
A dark spot was cloned out of the image.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... K&lb=1&s=A

Image
Two male Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) spar just after sunset near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 2/3 at ISO3200, f/2.8, and 1/800th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... F&lb=1&s=A

Image
A Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) sits on the ice at the flow edge along Hudson bay, near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II + 2.0TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 2/3 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/1000th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... g&lb=1&s=A

Image
The winter sun sets behind a grove of black spruce (Picea mariana) at the edge of the Boreal Forest (or Taiga). Captured with a Canon 5D III and 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 1/3 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... Z&lb=1&s=A

Image
A female Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) shakes off the afternoon's accumulation of snow as she emerges from her day den in the willows as the sun sets, near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/4.0, and 1/500th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... L&lb=1&s=A

Image
A Cross Fox, a colour variant of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), bounds across the ice on Hudson Bay. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO16000, f/4.0, and 1/250th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... 2&lb=1&s=A

Image
A male Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) walks over a frozen lake as the rising sun reflects off the ice. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/4.5, and 1/1000th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... 4&lb=1&s=A

Image
A male Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) looks around as the rising sun breaks through the clouds illuminating the world with its colorful glow. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO400, f/8.0, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... 5&lb=1&s=A

Image
A male Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) walks across a frozen lake as the wind violently blows snow. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/4.0, and 1/800th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... v&lb=1&s=A

Image
Ice
Captured with a Canon 5D III and 24-105L IS in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 2/3 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... H&lb=1&s=A

Image
The top of a Black Spruce (Picea mariana) sticks out of a snow drift as light plays across the surface of the snow. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 2/3 at ISO400, f/11, and 1/250th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... X&lb=1&s=A

Image
Northern Lights (Aurora borealis) dance in the night sky over Cape Mary. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 17-40/4.0L in manual mode at ISO1600, f/4.0, and 15 seconds. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3541 XLS with an Arca-Swiss Z1sp ballhead.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... 7&lb=1&s=A

Image
An Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus) runs through the tundra along Bird Cove, near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D and 400/2.8L IS II + 1.4TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 2/3 at ISO200, f/7.1, and 1/500th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... c&lb=1&s=A

Image
Strong winds blow snow across the barren lands (tundra) near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 24-105/4.0L IS in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/11, and 1/500th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... w&lb=1&s=A

Image
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) tracks in the snow atop a frozen creek near Wapusk National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of 0 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/1600th of a second. The camera was handheld.
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/galle ... X&lb=1&s=A
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by toddnick »

Awesome!!! Great photography!!! :D
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by Jay w »

Dave,

Great stuff. Just about any one of those bear pictures I'd be proud to have shot. I went through, copied a half dozen links to this page, and when I came back to put in the comments and [img] [/ img] bit, the page turned to donating money. A hint? Maybe. Anyway, I think your picks were a pretty good slelection of the best. The sparring bears are great, but you also have some nice moody and artsy stuff.

Thanks for sharing.

Jay
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by gohike »

Thanks, but no clue about donating...sorry.
I know that getting links from my site, to actual images, is suppsed to be near impossible without being me (and logging in).
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by Selkie »

I enjoyed the photos tremendously, and all that snow hit the "Northern Forest" gene in me.
The photos are also a priceless record of bears behaving. Such details as how close polar bears allow an unknown bear versus a familiar, and whether they spar right- or left-handed, contribute important information to the larger picture of this magnificent animal. Their relaxed interactions are a joy to behold!
Congratulations on a successful expedition!
(I liked the birds and foxes and bearded walrus, too! :D )
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by ND »

Great series!
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by Jay w »

Dave,

I was going to do something like this. Hey, I like this picture:

Image

and then say why I liked a few pictures that didn't make your teaser list. After reading your post, maybe you wouldn't like that much of a "hands on" approach.

Jay
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by gohike »

Thanks :)

No problem with it...more of stating that it takes me a few seconds to get real links that I can post :)
Jen

Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by Jen »

I like to scroll through here when I am having a bad day. These photos make me very happy to be alive. :)
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Re: Canadian Arctic, November 4-18, 2012 (photos & trip repo

Post by Heff936 »

Gorgeous photos. It must have been quite an experience, particularly in such close proximity to that many polar bears. Thank you for sharing
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