At a younger age, wildlife photographer and Pelican consumer 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 Individuals’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 designer, whereas his father was a graphic designer and photographer. After the household moved to Vancouver, Canada in 2004, Gregus discovered the essential guidelines of composition whereas watching his father {photograph} his mom’s latest trend designs. Baffin Island, Nunavut “From a really younger age, I used to be utterly fascinated watching my father work with a digital camera,” Gregus says. “I saved up small quantities and was in a position to purchase a fundamental 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 keep in mind 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 children my age have been taking part in video video games, I used to be spending 7 hours within the mud on the lookout for owls to {photograph}.” Northern Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada In 2010, shortly after his father gifted him the hand-me-down Nikon, Gregus gained 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 “Once 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 at the present time, I’ve stayed in contact, and generally photographed wildlife, with lots of the photographers that I’ve met on the occasion through the years.” Polar Bears and Fireweed Gregus has spent numerous hours rigorously packing up his Pelican instances together with his pictures tools and touring to distant places searching 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 challenge referred to as Thank You, Canada for the One 50 Canada Society. To seize content material for that challenge, 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 onerous to achieve location, the pictures of polar bears residing 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 likelihood. “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 a neighborhood clothes shop that knew I needed to {photograph} polar bears in the summertime, and so they had a ship that I might use for a couple of weeks. After 13 days of residing 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 robust situations earlier than. We have been really residing among the many polar bears, in a particularly distant location. I used to be decided to get the story although, in order quickly as I returned dwelling, 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 In the course of the summer season of 2021, Gregus started making ready for his second expedition to seize polar bears among the many arctic wildflowers. “I had discovered rather a lot in the course of the first expedition,” he describes. “I felt extra comfy with residing 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 tools and survival provides. We have been decided to come back dwelling with an unbelievable story of survival and resilience.
Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus and Goodman would reside on the boat that Gregus piloted to the distant location for 20 days. “Essentially the most harmful a part of this expedition really isn’t the polar bears. The unpredictability of the extreme climate could be lethal, particularly in relation to the boat. Making an attempt to navigate the frigid waters of the arctic in a extreme storm is extremely difficult, and for those who don’t learn even one storm wave accurately, the outcomes may very well 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 induced our boat to drift out into the Hudson Bay.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Against this, Gregus explains, the polar bears will not be practically as harmful as most individuals would count on. “Polar Bears are solely harmful for those who give them a motive to be harmful. In the event you ignore all of the indicators of them being aggressive in direction of you, then you definitely’re in hassle. For essentially the most half, nevertheless, they’re simply curious, and for those who respect their curious nature, then they often don’t pose any hazard.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada When Gregus returned dwelling, his household went via their annual pastime: choosing which photos he would undergo the Wildlife Photographer of the Yr competitors. “I had come dwelling with nearly 70,000 photos, so it was extremely overwhelming,” he describes. “I used to be dreading having to undergo that many photos, nevertheless, my mother and father have been instrumental in motivating me. All of us would sit in entrance of my pc and undergo 1000’s of photos, choosing our favorites. Finally, we settled on those that we needed to submit, and apparently, we selected correctly as I wound up successful the competitors.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Whereas Gregus has lastly achieved his dream of photographing polar bears residing among the many fireweed, he nonetheless plans to return. “It’s such an unbelievable sight, it’s one thing that you just simply wish to witness over and over. Whereas I plan on taking extra private expeditions, I’m additionally guiding a couple of fellow photographers on a 7-day expedition in the summertime of 2025. Challenges of Photographing in Distant Areas Luxurious is a phrase that Gregus continuously refers to when describing what it’s prefer to reside 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 bathrooms or showers is simply the tip of the iceberg. It makes me recognize what I’ve at dwelling much more.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus explains that, on this a part of the arctic, the acute situations are continuously altering. “I may very well be photographing the polar bears below blue skies one minute, solely to get hammered by sideways rain in 50 mph winds the subsequent,” he says. “I discovered the onerous manner the earlier yr, so for the second expedition, I added numerous new Pelican instances to my already massive assortment. I had plans to spend 3 weeks photographing and filming the polar bears, generally as much as 20 hours a day. With the cruel situations, it was essential that we stored our costly pictures gear protected and dealing. With the big monetary value and the rarity of the expeditions, even one damaged piece of kit can wreck the artistic course of.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus depends on a mess of Pelican instances in his wildlife pictures adventures to distant, harsh places. “My foremost hardcases that I exploit 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 instances serve a unique function. Due to its lid organizers which have zippered compartments, the 1615TRVL Air Journey Case is ideal for maintaining my digital camera batteries, Pelican micro reminiscence card instances, cables, and numerous different equipment organized. The 1600 Protector Case is nearly 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 far lighter than the opposite instances, so I’ll put the gear that I would like for the day on this case. The sunshine weight of the Air case makes it a lot simpler to hold, whereas nonetheless defending my precious tools.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Gregus explains that his information of Pelican merchandise began in his youth. “My dad had Pelican instances for his pictures tools,” he says. “On the time, I didn’t perceive why he would journey with that massive, heavy case. After all, after 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 tools. “I can’t depend what number of instances our boat has taken on a good quantity of water,” he describes. “Because the Pelican instances are air-tight, fortunately, the water has by no means broken the tools within them. There have been a couple of instances 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 tools could be secure.” Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Gregus’ Pelican instances weren’t solely used to guard his cameras and lenses, however he used a Pelican case as a digital camera lure whereas photographing polar bears within the arctic. Gregus describes that he lower a gap within the entrance of the Pelican case, large enough for a glass dome that he had taken from an underwater housing unit. “Wanting again on it, which may have been considered one of my greatest 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 tools gained’t be broken, opened a world of prospects. We captured some unbelievable pictures 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 great change within the Arctic panorama, particularly in relation 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 ought to be ice.” Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica Gregus describes what he has seen within the Canadian Arctic in recent times. “In the summertime, there was ice within the Hudson Bay by Churchill, which isn’t regular. And in Quebec, the place there ought to be ice within the winter, there wasn’t any, as a result of the winds didn’t behave like they’re presupposed to and moved the ice westward. This led to the ice being dispersed and made twice as thick correctly, 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 rising and turning into extra excessive, Gregus says. “This was evident in 2020 when the fireweed bloomed in August as a substitute of July. That’s not 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. Nevertheless, the instances 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 1000’s of years, nevertheless, we’re forcing them to adapt faster than they’re used to.” Baffin Island, Nunavut Gregus highlights one other side of human exercise that worries him in relation to polar bears. “Identical to people, some polar bears have specialty abilities that aren’t inherent to all polar bears,” he describes. “You might have a polar bear who could be very expert at searching beluga whales. When that bear hunts the belugas, different bears can watch and study the talent. A lot of these traits being ‘taught’ throughout the species generally is 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? All of the sudden, having that beluga searching talent taken away from the species can have dire results for hundreds of years to come back.”
Local weather Change within the Arctic Simply 10,000 years in the past, Hudson Bay was below a sheet of ice in the course of the planet’s final ice age. Because the ice receded, the land has largely seemed the identical within the centuries since, though Gregus says that is perhaps coming to a change. Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada South Georgia, Sub Antarctic Islands “The temperature modifications over the previous couple of a long time have been drastic,” he explains. “Within the winter, the temperature could be -40 to -60 levels Celsius, whereas in the summertime it could be 10-15 levels Celsius. On a latest expedition, nevertheless, 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’ll have lasting results on the polar bears and all the fauna that decision the arctic dwelling.” The Narwhal Mission As Gregus and his enterprise associate, Thomas Gasior, work on modifying their movie of the polar bears within the arctic, they’ve undertaken a brand new challenge to doc the results that local weather change is having on the arctic narwhal inhabitants. “In Might of 2023, we traveled to Baffin Island, a big piece of untouched land between northern Canada and Greenland. I had been desirous to doc the narwhal’s since I used to be a baby, 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
Regardless that Gregus traveled to Baffin to doc the narwhals, he discovered rather a lot 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 increase their weight-reduction plan,” 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, nevertheless, are nonetheless depending on feeding from the ocean, and the shifting ice and marine animals have disturbed their routine, making life far more troublesome.” Northern Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Baffin Island, Nunavut Gregus explains that via his a number of expeditions into the arctic, he has discovered particular person character 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 really witnessed polar bears dimension every up, growling at one another, nevertheless, to at the present time, I’ve by no means seen a polar bear combat. Oftentimes, they may stand down after which eat aspect by aspect. There may be nonetheless a lot that we don’t perceive about polar bears, nevertheless, what we do know is that they’re one of the crucial distinctive, sturdy, and resilient species on the planet and we as people ought to do the whole lot we will to find out about them and shield them. And that’s what I hope my work conjures up others to do.” Suggestions for Photographing Wildlife in Excessive Areas Get to know your topic Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Baffin Island, Nunavut Gregus’ most necessary tip in relation to photographing wildlife in excessive environments is that pictures isn’t an important side. “It’s unattainable to get pictures of your topic for those who can’t discover your topic,” he explains. “That’s the reason it’s critical to get to know your topics and their behaviors. It’s worthwhile to perceive that animal, you have to perceive their surroundings, and you have to perceive how they work together with it. In the event you do your homework and study from expertise, it is possible for you to to anticipate their strikes, which can result in having the ability to get the shot that you’ve got envisioned.
You’ll be able to’t be in each spot. Somewhat, be in a single spot very well Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada So usually, Gregus says, photographers attempt to seize the whole lot, which may result in capturing nothing. “Continually taking part in a recreation of cat and mouse is a assured technique to miss the shot,” he says. As an alternative, he recommends doing all of your homework and placing your self within the place to succeed, as a substitute of being reactive and continuously chasing your topic. Do Not Be Discouraged When Nothing Occurs Gregus explains that wildlife pictures is tough. So onerous, in reality, which you could spend days or perhaps weeks making an attempt to seize a shot solely to come back up empty handed. “That is the character of wildlife pictures,” he says. “It’s worthwhile to have the mindset that wildlife pictures isn’t a assure. This can assist 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 study out of your expertise and implement these classes for the subsequent try. Finally, your entire onerous work will repay, if in case you have the endurance 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 needed 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 endurance 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 endurance 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 just some meters from a polar bear or a narwhal is indescribable. I stand in awe as I view these creatures which have been on this unforgiving land for hundreds of years. Once I take 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 biggest combat is but to come back, nevertheless, figuring out the polar bear’s resilience, I’m hopeful that they’ll 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 pictures by Martin Gregus
