Photographic opportunities on Svalbard
Photographic opportunities on Svalbard
To have some great photographic opportunities on Svalbard we want to enhance 13 important things to think about. This information is based on Arctic Wildlife Tours guides with long experience on beeing in the field on Svalbard. There are many other things to think about and do to achieve great pictures as well - this is a guide for the most obvious factors.
1. The must-have basics: wide-angle lens, standard lenses 70-200 mm or 100-400 mm and a 600 mm fixed
The basic set-up most photographers take along to the far north is a good DSLR body, preferably two, along with a standard 50mm lens, a wide-angle lens 16 – 35 mor 14 mm even and a 200 (minimum) or 400 – 600 mm zoom or fixed. This basic kit will enable you to capture the startling beauty of the Arctic landscape and its incredible wildlife from afar and, in some occasions, close-up. Onboard a ship in the ice northeast of Svalbard it is common to have wildlife close where a wide angel or standard zoom is very useable. The wildlife up north lives their lives like they want and if they want to come close to a ship in the pack-ice they will, or if not they just walk away. A telephoto lens is always good to have, and we recommend a 600 or 800mm fixed lens with aperture f4.0. Today new and better lenses are becoming accessible and a zoom range of 300-600 mm could work. For increasing the chances to get the best out of every photographic opportunity its good to keep updated on the tools, but its also about using what you have.
2. Onboard photography techniques
The Arctic is one of the most unique and maybe challenging photographic destinations on earth, the excessive glare is maybe the main issue for most inexperienced photographers. The light can be challenging but even in the Arctic, with 24 hours of daylight in the high summer, we can plan what we do according to the light situations. Bright sunshine in mid-day is not what we prefer, and we rather look for clouds and time of the day which provide a better photo light. In early season and later season this is not the biggest challenge. Filters are not something we believe will solve these challenges, but of course a polarizer could be used. The most important thing for good onboard photography techniques is handholding your camera and lenses. Using tripods is rarely a good choice onboard a moving ship. In main season it is plenty of light for fast shutter speeds and modern cameras also allow you to use higher ISO settings. Photographic opportunities on Svalbard comes either onboard a ships, cruising the areas around the islands, or by snowmobile in winter. Arctic Wildlife Tours find its best to use a vessel to cruise around and only bring small groups.
Moreover, we will provide advice and help for everyone onboard if requested. Most of our Arctic expedition guides are experienced photographers of their own, so don’t hold back on asking questions and seeking guidance during your journey.
3. Practice handheld photography
Tripods can be very unpractical to bring to the Arctic and Svalbard, and can seriously restrict your movements onboard the ships or a smaller boat. It could be useful on land when photographing walruses, landscapes or maybe arctic foxes. It’s a lot to carry and most of the time we do handheld. If you really want to do a proper job on your photography a tripod could be useful no matter what. Especially in early season and late season with more time during the days with low light. In late autumn or winter a tripod is a necessity, perhaps to capture wildlife in low light, landscapes or to catch the Aurora Borealis with long exposure shots. Anyway, try to practice your handheld photography as much as you can. It is like a rifle shooter competing, the more he or she practice the better you will be at it.
4. Protecting your gear from the Arctic elements
On an Arctic expedition, your main priority will be to keep your gear (and yourself) protected from the harsh elements. Bring some UV filters to save your precious lenses and include some silica absorption pads in with your gear to avoid a build-up of condensation. Flexibility is a key to doing photography in an efficient way in the Arctic. You don’t want to miss out on good situations because your equipment is “super packed away” with the main purpose of protecting it from damage. You should pack it in a good and responsible way but keep it accessible. The biggest danger in the Arctic is water – either from sea spray or rain. Yes, sometimes it rains even in the High Arctic! Bring a back-pack of good size with a rain cover sewed on in case you need it. Try to use a bag so you can access cameras one by one without opeing the whole bag. This will protect them better. Anyway, sometimes you need to risk something to get a great image.
To avoid condensation, you should not leave equipment outside over longer periods in minus degrees and then suddenly take it inside and expose the equipment for former inside temperatures. This could easily lead to condensation inside cameras or lenses.
5. Batteries and memory cards
Very cold temperatures can drain camera batteries faster than you can say ‘OMG is that a polar bear?’ Always pack more than you think you’ll need. Keep batteries warm in pockets inside your clothes if possible. Keep them dry. Given you will take an insane number of photos, it’s safe to say you can never bring too many spare SD cards either. You’ll have plenty of downtime onboard the ship to download images and recharge batteries every day. Nevertheless, it’s great to know that you don’t have to, in case of a particularly active day out.
6. Use the landscapes
Arctic Svalbard wildlife and landscape are seriously oversized except that when photographed without anything relatable with which to compare. Using the landscapes as a backdrop or a part of your image with the wildlife positions in it will sometimes give you a unique photograph. Some professional photographers we have brought on our trips see the landscapes before they have the animal in it. If it’s a polar bear, arctic fox or some other animal is not said, but this concept holds a great potential. Use the light, landscapes with shapes, forms and colors and the animal in all this to create something exceptional. Also try to use scale to make the impression of the animal or the landscapes even greater. If you can portray how big the animal/waterfall/iceberg is, relative to something else, the photo will be all the more impressive. The landscapes on Svalbard is definitely a great photographic opportunity for those who look for it.
7. Don’t stress about the horizon
It can be difficult to take a straight photo when you’re bopping around on a kayak, cruising on your ship or zooming away on a Zodiac. Expert photographers know that time is of the essence in these situations so they don’t even waste time trying to photograph with a straight horizon. Instead, they take a much wider photo than they’d like to, intending to straighten and crop upon editing.
8. Practice patience
From the dancing Aurora Borealis to a breaching humpback, a waddling penguin slipping on its belly or a sleeping polar bear in the ice: some of the most amazing wildlife action shots in the Arctic are captured by using patience. The photographer stood his/her ground and practiced the art of patience, predicting a possible and unforgettable moment. In cold weather, snow or maybe rain this takes some will; waiting for situations is one of the most important things we do on our expeditions. When that pays off – it’s just great!
9. Keep your expectations in check and enjoy the journey
Even the most professional and experienced Arctic photographer will go home with literally thousands of photographs, knowing well that just a handful will end up being ‘poster quality’ shots. This is the reason every expert will tell you to shoot with abandon, given that digital photography allows us to do just that, nowadays, quickly and inexpensively. Above all, however, they’ll also tell you to simply enjoy the amazing adventure and the process of photographing this mesmerizing destination – even if none of your photos end up being ‘National Geographic quality’. The most important thing is to have fun with what you are doing during a journey like this. Look for the photographic opportunities on Svalbard which will teach yourself something about Svalbard and which will trigger you to look for opportunities in a new way.
10. Stay warm in Arctic
The right clothing is important for any visitors to the Arctic, but for photographers expecting a less-active experience, it’s even more crucial. It depends on what time of the season you are traveling. Winter season is more challenging of course when it comes to clothing and how to stay warm. Summer can also be challenging, mostly because the temperatures are changing a lot.
We recommend dressing in insulating layers, and ensure you have warm mitts and water-resistant boots, to keep warm and dry. For experiences that have periods of little movement (like waiting for the perfect polar bear shot!), ski jackets and pants designed for sports and high activity just won’t cut it in the changing Arctic climate. Based on years of experience Arctic Wildlife Tours has gathered lots of experience about how do stay warm in the Arctic. We will share our lists about that if you travel with us on one of our expeditions.
It’s a good idea to keep a thinner pair of gloves in your pockets for setting up your gear and changing camera settings. This can be tricky in thick mittens. We will have more information about this in our Svalbard informations.
11. Adjust for snow
One of the challenges of shooting in the Arctic is the amount of white. Often, cameras will underexpose the vast, harsh whiteness of snow and white animals, turning it grey in the photo. There are a few ways to adjust your camera to avoid this including adjusting the Exposure Value by +1/3 to +1 1/3, compensating the exposure by slowing the shutter speed, using a gray card, or bracketing
12. Be ready
The Arctic is home to unique wildlife. Popular animals to photograph include polar bears and Arctic foxes. You need to be alert and ready. Situations can occur fast. Staying out on deck being prepared is the best way catching some unique situations. Maybe a walrus swimming buy, maybe a bird. Try to rest in open waters when the chance for wildlife is slim. Or sleep during the time of the day when the light is less appealing for good pictures.
Anticipate their movement and have patience. Let the guides work on what they are doing. Ask them about what they think will happen and try to position yourself at the best spot possible. Be ready for changes and improvise – the wildlife move fast sometimes.
13. Don’t forget the landscapes
Frozen tundra, majestic icebergs, glaciers and mountains make for dramatic photography with or without wildlife. For capturing the impressive vast landscapes of the Arctic, we recommend packing a wide-angle lens. A standard 70-200 mm is also useable in many situations catching parts of landscapes far away.
When visiting the Arctic there are amazing Arctic photography opportunities at every turn. Following these tips and the advice of your guides will help you capture incredible and unique shots to be proud of.
Upcoming Svalbard tours
Drift Ice extreme safari Svalbard
Into the drift ice
Into the pack ice
Late August wildlife expedition
Late Autumn expedition
Svalbard extreme late Autumn Expedition
Svalbard winter landscapes
