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In early April 2022, I ran my Svalbard Spring Light Expedition. This was my first expedition to Svalbard since 2019 – pre pandemic; and it was absolutely brilliant to return to this incredible archipelago. As I have written before, Winter and early Spring have become my favourite time of year to visit Svalbard.  The low angle of sun, snow and ice covered landscape draped with stunning ethereal light make for wonderful photographic opportunities and unlimited potential. We certainly experienced some really incredible light and landscape during this expedition. We also had some wonderful wildlife encounters.

This year I decided to include a daily itinerary of our travel and experiences – included below: The map below shows our GPS track fo the expedition.

Day 1 8/4 Departure from Longyearbyen. Isfjorden, searching the ice edge outside Dicksonfjorden and Ekmanfjorden for Polar Bear and other wildlife. We had an absolutely once in a lifetime experience with a Walrus close to the ship communicating with fantastic photographic opportunities. We then anchored in the ice overnight. 

Day 2 9/4 Isfjorden. During the day whilst I was scouting from bridge with my binoculars I spoted a White Arctic Fox very close to the ship on the sea ice in soft overcast light that also provided amazing photographic opportunities. We also had Finwhale in the sunset sailing north.

Day 3 10/4 Fuglefjorden and the pack ice edge. Crossed the 80^th parallel. Cruised through heavy pack ice with many Ivory gulls. Spectacular sea ice as we searched for Polar Bear.

Day 4 11/4 Searching the pack ice north of Svalbard for wildlife. Strong winds and heavy swell from the east forced us to seek shelter in Raudfjorden overnight.

Day 5 12/4 Northeastern corner. Sailing through Norsksundet to Smeerenburgfjorden. Evening in Wijdefjorden. We were the first ship this year to venture into this region. One Polar bear on land and a dead Beluga whale in the drift ice.

Day 6 13/ 4 North of Gråhuken. Two Polar bears on land. Sailed through Woodfjorden. Explored Lilliehöökfjorden and Lilliehöökbreen with its massive glacier front. Cruised through Krossfjorden and Kings Bay. Incredible scenery and landscapes.

Day 7 14/4 Searched the fast ice in Bellsund. Landscapes and ice in Van Mijen and Van Keulenfjorden. A very unusual and incredibly rare sighting of a common crane flying over in Van Mijenfjorden.

Day 8 15/4 Light snow over the landscape in Isfjorden. Cruised the fast ice edge in Dicksonfjorden, Ekmanfjorden, Borebukta and Ymerbukta. Several King eider ducks and many Brünnichs guillemots before returning to Longyearbyen.

My 2023 expedition to Svalbard in Winter is now filling fast with just a few places remaining. If you are keen to photograph in this amazing archipelago in the beauty of early Spring then just drop me an email to express your interest. The remaining places are filled on a first come, first served basis.  If you want to get an idea of what to expect check out the Article – The Art of Polar Bear Photography.

My workshop to the South East of Greenland this September with my good friend and colleague Martyn Lucas is now sold out – thank you. For this trip, we will be exploring a region of Greenland rarely visited. Unlike the majority of workshops and expeditions to the east coast, this photographic trip will be land-based and allow us to work at a slower and more contemplative pace. We will also be using a helicopter to access unique locations and photographs during our time in the field.

If this style and type of workshop appeals to you and you also want to photograph the incredible landscapes and geology of the East Coast of Greenland, please drop me an email to register your interest in a future workshop. No obligation at this point in time.

In some exciting news, I awoke this morning to the news that my Snowy Owl photograph, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ had taken out the silver medal for Australia as well as best of Nation at the 2022 World Photographic Cup in Rome. I had known for some time that the photograph was a finalist, but did not know the final result until early this morning.

I was of course secretly hoping for a Gold Medal (having previously won both a Silver and Bronze medal for Australia in the Nature and Reportage categories) to complete the collection, but these things are totally subjective, and am totally thrilled and honored to win another medal for Australia. Just making the cut for Team Australia multiple times is a massive honor. Winning multiple medals is really the icing on a very tasty cake.

About: The WPC was founded in 2013 as a cooperative effort by The Federation of European Photographers (FEP) and Professional Photographers of America (PPA). Its singular goal is to unite photographers in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. A Governing Committee has been created to conduct the ongoing affairs of the competition, also supported by UAPP (United Asian Professional Photography). The brotherhood and sisterhood of photography is a bond that transcends language, culture, and geography. That’s the foundation behind the World Photographic Cup, a one-of-a-kind international team competition. Sure, there are lots of other competitions, but there is just one World Photographic Cup.

In April next year 2023, I will be leading an early Spring light expedition to the Svalbard archipelago in search of Polar Bears, Walrus, Reindeer, Arctic Fox, and of course spectacular polar landscapes. The Arctic in Winter and Spring is a place of surreal beauty. It is a white landscape bathed in golden light. The main focus of this expedition will be late Arctic winter and early spring light, landscape, and wildlife. In March and April, the light conditions in Svalbard are magical. Usually, winter trips to Svalbard are limited to day trips on snow mobiles quite close to the town of Longyearbyen. With our expedition ship, we will explore a much bigger area including the western and northern areas of Spitzbergen.

We expect to meet wildlife such as Polar Bears, Walruses, Seals, Arctic Foxes and Reindeer. At this time of year, the sea birds will also be returning to their breeding grounds.

This exclusive expedition is for a strictly limited number of just 12 participants plus leader and is dedicated to winter photography in Svalbard. Some places and cabins are already spoken for.

We will be using the ice-hardened expedition ship M.S Freya that will enable us to skirt the edge of the pack ice searching for and photographing landscapes and wildlife. M.S Feya is widely regarded as the best ship in the Arctic for Photography. Our expedition ship is also equipped with sufficient zodiacs (2 x Zodiac MKV models) and crew for all photographers to be shooting simultaneously with plenty of room to spare for camera equipment – So bring what you need!

Meals will be held onboard the ship and shall consist of breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea/coffee and two course dinner (three-course dinner the last evening). Coffee and tea will be available 24 hours a day. The mealtimes shall be held at regular times, but the catering crew has been informed that photography has priority on this expedition and flexibility is necessary. If you have special dietary requirements you will be accommodated – please just be sure to let us know when you make your booking.

If you are excited by the idea of traveling to Svalbard in winter with a small group of dedicated photographers now is the time to secure your place. Once the last places are spoken for that’s it. Drop me an email for further information or to register your interest.

The photograph of the month for May 2022 comes from my Winter expedition to photograph Arctic Fox in the Hornstrandir Nature reserve in the far north of Iceland (Read the Trip Report) earlier this year. We were fortunate that conditions this year were absolutely superb for photography with a heavy blanket of snow draped across the landscape and heavy snowfall and blizzards many days. These sort of conditions are my favorite to photograph in and are really conducive to powerful and evocative image making. With blowing snow and snow sticking to the fox this particular photograph captures the drama of the winter storm for me and tells the story of the harsh conditions these animals endure during the long winter months.