Wildlife Photographer Has Very Close Encounter With a Polar Bear

Photography News  •  Wildlife Photography

In this short little snippet, a BBC photographer has set himself up in an animal-proof chamber in the middle of an arctic tundra, when a polar bear catches sight (or smell) of him and tries to investigate. Before long, the bear becomes more aggressive than the photographer is comfortable with:

The video doesn’t give much information, but it the photographer may well have been sitting in that little glass box for several hours before this incredible encounter happened. He shoots his own video, presumably having the box stocked with equipment for just such an occasion. When the bear becomes threatening, he keeps his head and continues on with the report, until an unexplained cutoff at the end.

Wildlife is probably the area of photography that demands the highest degree of patience; and in cases such as these, when the photographer is venturing into unknown and hostile territory, it also takes a lot of bravery, which this guy has in aces. Nature can be a terrifying place, and only the most determined artists can look at it face to face, even when it’s dangerous, because that’s how to get the most awesome shots.

There aren’t many people who would follow in these snowshoeprints. For fellow wildlife photographers, the best advice you can take away is to always protect yourself from the elements. Appropriate clothing, a sturdy tripod, and in some cases, an all-encompassing plexiglass cage can be your best friend, as you embrace the meditative thrill of waiting in silence for these once-in-a-lifetime shots.