At a younger age, wildlife photographer and Pelican person Martin Gregus Jr. found a ardour for documenting the connection between nature and the animals that inhabit pure locations. At simply 11 years previous, Gregus’ White on Blue picture was specifically recommended on the Pure Historical past Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Yr competitors in London. As Gregus matured, so did his wildlife pictures, leading to being named Folks’s Alternative Award Wildlife Photographer of the Yr in 2022. Full disclosure: This text was delivered to you by Pelican At a Look Martin Gregus was born right into a household of creatives in Bratislava, Slovakia. His mom was a dressmaker, whereas his father was a graphic designer and photographer. After the household moved to Vancouver, Canada in 2004, Gregus realized the essential guidelines of composition whereas watching his father {photograph} his mom’s latest style designs. Baffin Island, Nunavut “From a really younger age, I used to be fully fascinated watching my father work with a digital camera,” Gregus says. “I saved up small quantities and was in a position to purchase a primary level and shoot digital camera, which allowed me to imitate what my dad was doing. It was an unbelievable bonding expertise, and I turned obsessive about pictures.”
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica When his father upgraded his digital camera, Gregus inherited his previous Nikon. “I do not forget that my favourite lens was a telephoto, because it allowed me to seize images of my different ardour: wildlife,” he explains. “Ever since I used to be little, I used to be fascinated by wild animals. Whereas different youngsters my age have been enjoying video video games, I used to be spending 7 hours within the mud searching for owls to {photograph}.” Northern Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada In 2010, shortly after his father gifted him the hand-me-down Nikon, Gregus received the highest award within the 11-14 yr previous age class from the Wildlife Photographer of the Yr awards. That second, he says, is when he turned decided to make a profession out of wildlife pictures. Northern Hudson Bay, Canada and Baffin Island, Nunavut “After I went to London for the awards ceremony, I actually loved spending time with the opposite photographers,” he describes. “I immediately felt a reference to the neighborhood, in order that made me love wildlife pictures much more. To this present day, I’ve stayed in contact, and generally photographed wildlife, with most of the photographers that I’ve met on the occasion over time.” Polar Bears and Fireweed Gregus has spent numerous hours fastidiously packing up his Pelican circumstances together with his pictures gear and touring to distant places looking for wildlife. Maybe none of these journeys modified the course of his life greater than when he visited the arctic. “In 2015, my father and I have been engaged on a mission referred to as Thank You, Canada for the One 50 Canada Society. To seize content material for that mission, we went to Churchill, Canada in the summertime. I had seen a photograph of a polar bear surrounded by wildflowers, and I used to be decided to seize my very own story of this unbelievable scene.”
Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Sadly, due to its distant and exhausting to achieve location, the images of polar bears dwelling among the many wildflowers that Gregus had dreamed of wouldn’t materialize on that journey. It wasn’t till 2020 that he would have one other probability. “Because the world got here to a standstill in 2020, I made a decision to lastly make the years of planning a actuality,” he says. “I partnered with an area clothing store that knew I wished to {photograph} polar bears in the summertime, they usually had a ship that I may use for just a few weeks. After 13 days of dwelling on a ship within the distant arctic, we once more didn’t seize the polar bears with wildflowers. It was the primary time in years that the flowers bloomed in mid-August as a substitute of late July, so we have been a bit early.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada “After 5 years of dreaming, it was irritating to be so shut, and never come away with the pictures I had envisioned,” he continues. “I had by no means camped in such powerful situations earlier than. We have been really dwelling among the many polar bears, in an especially distant location. I used to be decided to get the story although, in order quickly as I returned house, I began planning for yet one more try the next summer season, and that’s when it lastly got here collectively.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Through the summer season of 2021, Gregus started making ready for his second expedition to seize polar bears among the many arctic wildflowers. “I had realized loads in the course of the first expedition,” he describes. “I felt extra snug with dwelling among the many bears, and I had confidence within the security measures that we had enacted the earlier yr. My assistant, Josh Goodman, and I made a decision to make a movie along with a photograph story, so we had greater than doubled the digital camera gear and survival provides. We have been decided to return house with an unbelievable story of survival and resilience.
Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus and Goodman would dwell on the boat that Gregus piloted to the distant location for 20 days. “Essentially the most harmful a part of this expedition truly isn’t the polar bears. The unpredictability of the extreme climate will be lethal, particularly relating to the boat. Making an attempt to navigate the frigid waters of the arctic in a extreme storm is extremely difficult, and if you happen to don’t learn even one storm wave accurately, the outcomes might be catastrophic. As soon as, we even misplaced our boat whereas it was tied up and performing as our on-shore camp. We returned after a day of taking pictures, solely to discover a storm had prompted our boat to drift out into the Hudson Bay.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada In contrast, Gregus explains, the polar bears should not almost as harmful as most individuals would anticipate. “Polar Bears are solely harmful if you happen to give them a motive to be harmful. In case you ignore all of the indicators of them being aggressive in the direction of you, you then’re in hassle. For probably the most half, nonetheless, they’re simply curious, and if you happen to respect their curious nature, then they often don’t pose any hazard.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada When Gregus returned house, his household went by way of their annual pastime: deciding on which photographs he would undergo the Wildlife Photographer of the Yr competitors. “I had come house with nearly 70,000 photographs, so it was extremely overwhelming,” he describes. “I used to be dreading having to undergo that many photographs, nonetheless, my mother and father have been instrumental in motivating me. All of us would sit in entrance of my laptop and undergo hundreds of photographs, deciding on our favorites. Finally, we settled on those that we wished to submit, and apparently, we selected properly as I wound up profitable the competitors.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Whereas Gregus has lastly achieved his dream of photographing polar bears dwelling among the many fireweed, he nonetheless plans to return. “It’s such an unbelievable sight, it’s one thing that you just simply need to witness time and again. Whereas I plan on taking extra private expeditions, I’m additionally guiding just a few fellow photographers on a 7-day expedition in the summertime of 2025. Challenges of Photographing in Distant Places Luxurious is a phrase that Gregus continually refers to when describing what it’s prefer to dwell within the arctic. “Even the straightforward issues that I take with no consideration each day are such a luxurious within the arctic. Not having functioning bogs or showers is simply the tip of the iceberg. It makes me respect what I’ve at house much more.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus explains that, on this a part of the arctic, the intense situations are continually altering. “I might be photographing the polar bears beneath blue skies one minute, solely to get hammered by sideways rain in 50 mph winds the subsequent,” he says. “I realized the exhausting means the earlier yr, so for the second expedition, I added numerous new Pelican circumstances to my already giant assortment. I had plans to spend 3 weeks photographing and filming the polar bears, generally as much as 20 hours a day. With the tough situations, it was crucial that we stored our costly pictures gear protected and dealing. With the massive monetary price and the rarity of the expeditions, even one damaged piece of kit can wreck the inventive course of.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus depends on a mess of Pelican circumstances in his wildlife pictures adventures to distant, harsh places. “My essential hardcases that I take advantage of to guard my digital camera gear are the 1626 Air Case, 1600 Protector Case, and the 1615TRVL Air Journey Case,” he explains. “Every of those circumstances serve a special objective. Because of its lid organizers which have zippered compartments, the 1615TRVL Air Journey Case is ideal for conserving my digital camera batteries, Pelican micro reminiscence card circumstances, cables, and varied different equipment organized. The 1600 Protector Case is sort of indestructible, so that’s the place I’ll retailer the costliest and delicate cameras and lenses. The 1626 Air Case, whereas additionally extremely protecting, is way lighter than the opposite circumstances, so I’ll put the gear that I want for the day on this case. The sunshine weight of the Air case makes it a lot simpler to hold, whereas nonetheless defending my beneficial gear.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Gregus explains that his data of Pelican merchandise began in his youth. “My dad had Pelican circumstances for his pictures gear,” he says. “On the time, I didn’t perceive why he would journey with that huge, heavy case. After all, once I grew up and began my very own pictures enterprise, I understood straight away why he valued his Pelican case a lot.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Within the Arctic, Gregus has to fret about greater than rain and wind damaging his digital camera gear. “I can’t depend what number of occasions our boat has taken on a good quantity of water,” he describes. “Because the Pelican circumstances are air-tight, fortunately, the water has by no means broken the gear inside them. There have been just a few occasions the place we’d have needed to briefly swim to catch as much as a floating Pelican case, however we knew if we caught it, the gear can be secure.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus’ Pelican circumstances weren’t solely used to guard his cameras and lenses, however he used a Pelican case as a digital camera entice whereas photographing polar bears within the arctic. Gregus describes that he minimize a gap within the entrance of the Pelican case, sufficiently big for a glass dome that he had taken from an underwater housing unit. “Trying again on it, that may have been considered one of my finest concepts of my profession,” Gregus says. “To have the ability to get a digital camera simply inches in entrance of a polar bear, whereas feeling assured that the gear received’t be broken, opened a world of prospects. We captured some unbelievable images and video clips of the Polar bears interacting with the Pelican case that we will’t wait to share in our upcoming movie.” Wildlife Conservation As a wildlife photographer, Gregus’ ardour for the animals that he images, particularly polar bears, is unmatched. “After we documented the polar bears within the fireweed, we have been making an attempt to inform a narrative of change and resilience,” he describes. “Clearly, we’re all the time listening to about local weather change, and as a photographer who works within the Arctic, I see it firsthand. Local weather change is inflicting super change within the Arctic panorama, particularly relating to climate extremes. There are catastrophic storms the place there shouldn’t be. There may be ice forming the place there shouldn’t be, and ice disappearing the place there needs to be ice.” Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica Gregus describes what he has seen within the Canadian Arctic lately. “In the summertime, there was ice within the Hudson Bay by Churchill, which isn’t regular. And in Quebec, the place there needs to be ice within the winter, there wasn’t any, as a result of the winds didn’t behave like they’re alleged to and moved the ice westward. This led to the ice being dispersed and made twice as thick appropriately, which was nice for the polar bears within the Western area of the Hudson Bay, however it was devastating for the polar bears in Quebec, who had no ice all winter.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada These climate anomalies are growing and turning into extra excessive, Gregus says. “This was evident in 2020 when the fireweed bloomed in August as a substitute of July. That isn’t regular. This shift in schedule can have a profound impact on the polar bears. For hundreds of years, the polar bears have been hardwired to know when to go away the ice in summer season, and when to return to the ice as winter begins. Nonetheless, the occasions hardwired into their brains aren’t correct anymore, so it throws off their routine. Having a routine is paramount to polar bears’ survival, so despite the fact that they’re adapting, local weather change is having profound results on the arctic’s polar bears. That is the story that I’m making an attempt to inform. That these animals are, above all, resilient. They’ve been adapting for hundreds of years, nonetheless, we’re forcing them to adapt faster than they’re used to.” Baffin Island, Nunavut Gregus highlights one other facet of human exercise that worries him relating to polar bears. “Similar to people, some polar bears have specialty expertise that aren’t inherent to all polar bears,” he describes. “You will have a polar bear who may be very expert at searching beluga whales. When that bear hunts the belugas, different bears can watch and be taught the talent. Some of these traits being ‘taught’ throughout the species could be a stepping stone that may save the species. Sadly, since trophy searching of polar bears remains to be authorized in Canada, what occurs if that bear is hunted by people? Out of the blue, having that beluga searching talent taken away from the species can have dire results for hundreds of years to return.”
Local weather Change within the Arctic Simply 10,000 years in the past, Hudson Bay was beneath a sheet of ice in the course of the planet’s final ice age. Because the ice receded, the land has principally appeared the identical within the centuries since, though Gregus says that is likely to be coming to a change. Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada South Georgia, Sub Antarctic Islands “The temperature modifications over the previous couple of many years have been drastic,” he explains. “Within the winter, the temperature can be -40 to -60 levels Celsius, whereas in the summertime it will be 10-15 levels Celsius. On a latest expedition, nonetheless, we have been hit with a sweltering warmth wave the place the temperatures exceeded 30 levels Celsius. Together with the rise in temperature has come a rise in moisture, resulting in extra plentiful flora. We’re at a precipice the place the arctic of chilly and ice is now not a actuality. We don’t know what the brand new arctic will seem like, however we do know that it’s going to have lasting results on the polar bears and all the fauna that decision the arctic house.” The Narwhal Mission As Gregus and his enterprise accomplice, Thomas Gasior, work on enhancing their movie of the polar bears within the arctic, they’ve undertaken a brand new mission to doc the results that local weather change is having on the arctic narwhal inhabitants. “In Could of 2023, we traveled to Baffin Island, a big piece of untouched land between northern Canada and Greenland. I had been eager to doc the narwhal’s since I used to be a toddler, and Nationwide Geographic’s unbelievable work within the area impressed me to make it a actuality. The 2 weeks that we spent documenting the narwhal’s habits was fascinating.” Baffin Island, Nunavut Baffin Island, Nunavut
Although Gregus traveled to Baffin to doc the narwhals, he realized loads in regards to the variations in southern and northern polar bears. “Within the south, particularly with local weather change, the polar bears have been in a position to broaden their food regimen,” he explains. “Whereas they was once strictly marine animals who hunted different marine animals, now, these polar bears are in a position to eat vegetation and small foxes and land animals who’ve arrived off of the shores of Hudson Bay. The northern polar bears in Baffin Island, nonetheless, are nonetheless depending on feeding from the ocean, and the shifting ice and marine animals have disturbed their routine, making life rather more tough.” Northern Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Baffin Island, Nunavut Gregus explains that by way of his a number of expeditions into the arctic, he has realized particular person persona traits the extra time he spends with the polar bears. Some bears solely hunt sure animals, whereas one other has defied all odds and lives into maturity with solely three-legs. “Whereas many consider polar bears as solitary animals, I’ve truly witnessed polar bears measurement every up, growling at one another, nonetheless, to this present day, I’ve by no means seen a polar bear battle. Oftentimes, they are going to stand down after which eat facet by facet. There may be nonetheless a lot that we don’t perceive about polar bears, nonetheless, what we do know is that they’re one of the distinctive, robust, and resilient species on the planet and we as people ought to do all the things we will to study them and shield them. And that’s what I hope my work evokes others to do.” Ideas for Photographing Wildlife in Excessive Places Get to know your topic Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Baffin Island, Nunavut Gregus’ most vital tip relating to photographing wildlife in excessive environments is that pictures isn’t an important facet. “It’s unimaginable to get images of your topic if you happen to can’t discover your topic,” he explains. “That’s the reason it is important to get to know your topics and their behaviors. You should perceive that animal, you want to perceive their atmosphere, and you want to perceive how they work together with it. In case you do your homework and be taught from expertise, it is possible for you to to anticipate their strikes, which is able to result in having the ability to get the shot that you’ve got envisioned.
You possibly can’t be in each spot. Relatively, be in a single spot rather well Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada So usually, Gregus says, photographers attempt to seize all the things, which might result in capturing nothing. “Continually enjoying a recreation of cat and mouse is a assured option to miss the shot,” he says. As a substitute, he recommends doing all of your homework and placing your self within the place to succeed, as a substitute of being reactive and continually chasing your topic. Do Not Be Discouraged When Nothing Occurs Gregus explains that wildlife pictures is tough. So exhausting, in reality, that you would be able to spend days or perhaps weeks making an attempt to seize a shot solely to return up empty handed. “That is the character of wildlife pictures,” he says. “You should have the mindset that wildlife pictures isn’t a assure. This may also help you keep away from turning into discouraged when the moments that you just envision don’t occur. The one factor you are able to do is be taught out of your expertise and implement these classes for the subsequent try. Finally, your entire exhausting work will repay, if in case you have the persistence to attend your flip.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus factors to his final expedition to seize the polar bears within the fireweed. “All we wished was polar bears and their cubs within the fireweed,” he says. “As the times went on, we stored capturing the grownup bears, however by no means the cubs. After over two weeks of persistence and sticking to our plan, the second lastly got here when the cubs joined their mother within the fireweed. I’ll admit, I used to be discouraged for a very long time, however that second turned out to be considered one of my favourite reminiscences of my life, and it wouldn’t have occurred with out having the persistence to let nature take its course.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus concludes that, whereas his way of life of photographing arctic wildlife isn’t simple, he wouldn’t change his ardour for something. “The sensation that I get when I’m standing only a few meters from a polar bear or a narwhal is indescribable. I stand in awe as I view these creatures which were on this unforgiving land for hundreds of years. After I have a look at them, I can see all of the years of combating that they’ve needed to undergo to outlive. However they all the time have. Their best battle is but to return, nonetheless, understanding the polar bear’s resilience, I’m hopeful that they will but once more prevail in opposition to all odds.”
See extra from Martin Gregus on his web site and Instagram. Baffin Island, Nunavut Full disclosure: This text was delivered to you by Pelican Picture credit: All images by Martin Gregus
