Photograph of the Month June 2023 – Polar Bear and Ice Plates

The photograph of the month for June 2023 comes from my April Svalbard Spring Light Expedition (Read the Trip Report) and is of a young male Polar Bear in the landscape at Yoldiabukta. The incredible blue ice plates were far too tempting a subject as a foreground element, which meant placing the bear in the landscape. As such, I switched cameras in the zodiac from 600mm to 70-200mm for this photograph – I always like to photograph with two cameras in case of eventualities such as this. Opportunities like this, with both a Polar Bear and an excellent evocative foreground, do not come along very often. Just as a tease, this photograph will be included in my new book on Polar Bears, which, I hope will be released in time for Christmas 2023.