Churchill, Manitoba

Northern Manitoba offers decent opportunities to photograph big polar bears. It is the one known location in the High Arctic where close encounters are virtually guaranteed. The flat, frozen tundra may not have the contextual splendour of Svalbard, or indeed Kaktovik’s bear concentration, but the shoreline to the east of Churchill fills up with bears from about Halloween until the Hudson Bay freezes over in late November. Many good-looking big bears return to this icy coastline year after year and therein lies the opportunity.
Travelling to Churchill in early November is logistically straightforward and there are a range of guides to work with. An experienced guide who knows the bears and their behaviour is a vital part of the team up there because the best work is done on foot, not in a car. The younger the guide, the more skittish he or she will be and the ability to react calmly and smartly to bear movement will be compromised.
There are going to be two or three minutes every day up on the shores of the Hudson when the cameraman and guide must react quickly. It is these moments that the relationship between the two parties will be tested to the full. Polar bears are dangerous, and head-on, immersive portraits like this can only be taken if the partnership is strong and trusting.
I think camera work is somewhat irrelevant with polar bears. It’s more about who you are working with and their desire to help you. We were very fortunate to partner with Kelsey Eliasson, who has worked with bears as long as anyone in Churchill and speaks and behaves with authority. He has even written the definitive guidebook on bears in Churchill.
The low afternoon sun gave me the “GoldenEye” and allowed for a James Bond title. It’s appropriate, as big polar bears carry the same kind of presence that we demand from all our 007s. They are seemingly without fear and when they are as large as this, there is a palpable sense of awe.