The six shots
01
A bear on the pack ice (environmental)
The signature frame — the bear small on an endless sheet of ice. The scale is the story; shoot wider than instinct says.
02
The bear portrait
A tighter frame when the ship drifts close. Expose carefully — white fur on white ice fools the meter into grey.
03
A walrus haul-out
A pile of tusked giants on an ice floe or beach. Low angle from the zodiac, expose for the wet hide.
04
The Arctic fox
Small, quick, in summer coat among the tundra flowers. Patience and a mid-tele.
05
The seabird cliffs
Alkefjellet's thousands of Brünnich's guillemots. A wide frame for the wall of birds; a fast shutter for flight.
06
The Arctic icescape
Glaciers, blue ice and light — with or without a bear as a speck for scale. The land as subject.
Gear: a 100-500 / 200-600 for the wildlife, but a 24-105 or 100-400 earns its place for the environmental and icescape frames. Weather sealing and a rain cover; expose +1 to hold white fur white.
Before you go
The settings and kit decisions this trip will ask of you.
Before you goExposure for Backlit and Rim-Lit AnimalsHow to meter and expose when the sun is behind your subject: keep the face off the shadow wall, or commit to the rim and the silhouette. A scenario table plus recovery in the raw file.Read the write-up →Before you goThe Best Lens for a First African SafariFor most first safaris, one versatile telephoto in the 100-500 / 200-600 / 180-600 class covers it, and a 150-600 does it on a budget. How to choose by reach, weight and money.Read the write-up →
Common questions
When is the best time to photograph Svalbard?
Jun–Aug: the pack-ice edge is accessible and there is 24-hour daylight
What is the best light in Svalbard?
The low-angle "night" sun (around midnight) gives the warmest, most raking light
What gear should I take to Svalbard?
a 100-500 / 200-600 for the wildlife, but a 24-105 or 100-400 earns its place for the environmental and icescape frames. Weather sealing and a rain cover; expose +1 to hold white fur white.
Your own brief
Plan your own Svalbard brief
Ten shots, the conditions, the gear and the questions to ask your guide — built for your dates, your kit and your subjects.
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