Untamed Planet

While on assignment in Churchill, Manitoba, we didn’t have much snow that fell during my time there. Most of the days we spent on the tundra, we were surrounded by muted tones of grey, brown, black, auburn, gold with subtle hues of reds and a hint of green. Depending on the day and the weather patterns these colours would change their tones to match the mood of the sky overhead. If there was any form of precipitation and a little sun it made for very poppy and vibrant rich colours. Other days were more muted, and the tundra appeared to be draped in pastels.  On this day, while out on assignment and onboard Buggy 1 - Polar Bears International’s tundra buggy we woke up to a winter wonderland. The evening prior the tundra received a light, but fresh dusting of snow. It was the hoar frost though that made this day so special to wake up to! Hoar frost is a grayish-white crystalline deposit of frozen water vapour formed in clear still weather on vegetation, fences, etc. It turned the land for as far as the eye could see into what looked like a big, beautiful snow globe, as the frost caked itself to anything and everything.

My eyes were like big silver dollars in anticipation of finding some polar bears to photograph in this magical landscape. We thankfully had no shortage of bears, which I am grateful for. The two bears here size one another up as they prepare to engage in a friendly sparring match out on the tundra.