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Danny shares a selection of images and thoughts from our brace of trips to Svalbard earlier this year. It’s one of his very favourite destinations as you’ll likely know!

During early April I was in Svalbard exploring this wonderful archipelago searching for the Arctic wildlife that you can find there. I have been to this wonderful location many times over the years, and I think it is without doubt one the best places to visit for photography, especially during the winter months. The landscape is just awe-inspiring and the iconic Arctic wildlife that can be found there is just so special. There is not an abundance of wildlife or for that matter subjects. It is a huge area to cover which sometimes means it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack as the wildlife is extremely difficult to find, but when you do find something, it is always in a beautiful setting.

I have been visiting Svalbard at various times of the year for many years now, but I think this place comes into its own during the winter months. The landscape is pristine with all the fresh snow cover and the animals like Polar Bears and Arctic Foxes are in their winter coats so look their best. When I do this trip, I always go in late March and so then as you get into early April the daylight hours start to increase. The sun is still low in the sky in this high arctic latitude and so the light can be fantastic at times for such long periods of time.

If you have followed my work over the years, then it is no secret that I just love photographing in these winter conditions. You can get such clean and simple images by working in the snow and I just love this simplistic approach to photography.  Exposure is the key to photographing in the snow and so you must get that right. I like the snow to look white, but you don’t want the detail in your subject to be lost either, so it is a fine balance.

Like I said, you are not blessed with lots of subjects to work with in Svalbard but the ones you can find are special. This year I was basically running two different trips using two different forms of transport. The first trip we were using snow mobiles to get around. Although this is a hard way to work, and you must cover large distances it just means you have the flexibility of moving over difficult terrain when you find subjects like Ptarmigan and Reindeer. The second trip that I was running was based on a ship which enabled us to cover much more distance in search of wildlife. It is a great way to see Svalbard as it is much more comfortable, but you do need a good slice of luck to find subjects which are close because you are restricted on what you can do from working from a ship.

One of the most iconic subjects to find in the Arctic is the Polar Bear, the King of the Arctic. Svalbard is without doubt one of the best places to see them especially during the spring and summer months as the ice retreats. During the winter it is much harder to find them as they cover huge distances in the winter in search of food. Sea Ice is the home for this impressive predator during the winter months. During late March and into April it is the most important time for them as this is when it becomes much easier to find their favourite food source, the Ringed Seal. This small Arctic Seal forms 95% of the Polar Bears diet and is such an important food source. During the late winter the female Ringed Seals give birth, they make small dens underneath the layer of ice and snow which then acts as protection from the outside elements. The Bears can smell and hear the females and their young pups under the ice, and it is amazing to witness this huge predator quietly move into position and then crash through the ice to trap the seals.

One of my favourite animals to come across in Svalbard is the Arctic Fox and this beautiful little fox looks fantastic in its winter coat. I have seen and photographed this stunning animal in many locations across the Arctic and I have found Svalbard one of the best places to see them. Some Foxes live close to towns and these foxes can be much easier to see as they are much more tolerant of humans. These images that I took this year was along the outskirts of Barentsburg. The Foxes would come and go searching for their next meal. During March and April, it is their breeding season, so they are much more vocal and so easier to spot.

The other big land mammal in Svalbard is the Reindeer. They are not overly common but in certain valleys they can seem very abundant. These Svalbard Reindeer are much smaller than their European cousins that can be found in other parts of Scandinavia. They have evolved to be much stockier with smaller legs an adaption that suits them to survive the harsh winter climate in Svalbard. This year I had the opportunity to work in beautiful evening light and so decided to use a smaller telephoto lens so I could include more of this beautiful environment.

This year was my first time running a winter trip by using a small ship to get around and see this wonderful place. It had its advantages and disadvantages and was very different from my usual snow mobile trip. The disadvantages are that it can be difficult to get close to subjects as you can’t break through the ice to get close to subjects as it is not allowed and so you must hope the subjects will come close to you, so you are relying on a bit of luck. The advantages are you can see much more of the landscapes and see other species too. One species that I really wanted to see was the Walrus and we had so many opportunities along the way. I have seen Walrus before during the summer months but really wanted to photograph them with the winter landscape. They are cracking animals and make great subjects.

I think this last trip that I did this year will be my last to Svalbard during the winter months as the Norwegian Government has brought in some very strict restrictions regarding on how close you can get to the wildlife. I agree with some of the restrictions as this wonderful place needs protecting but some of them are over the top and it feels like they have been drawn up by a few people on the whim. It would be such a shame as I have enjoyed every second up there. You, never know though sometimes these things come and go so will keep a close eye on it. Svalbard needs protecting I agree but it also needs to be enjoyed and seen and I feel there could have been a much more tolerant view.

I will finish off with one of my favourite shots from this year’s trip of this small group of Walrus hauled out on the floating sea ice. How they all got on that piece of ice I have no clue.

Danny