Arctic Wildlife Tours is happy to announce that we will be able to offer another Polar Bear photography workshop in Churchill, Canada in 2023. We did a great trip in…
Svalbard photography - what to expect?
Svalbard, or also Spitsbergen, is the most easy accessible place in the High Arctic to travel to. The settlement Longyearbyen have a airport where regular flights is able to land. The city have hotels, restaurants and everything you need for a comfortable stay.
However, it is easy to forget that you are in the High Arctic when you arrive in Longyearbyen. The weather is cold most of the year. You can have fog, snow storms or strong wind that makes it impossible to stay outside and sometimes even land a plane on the airstrip. Even in summer you need to think about where you are. This is the High Arctic!
Svalbard summer in late June. Canon 5D mk III, Samyang 14 mm. 1/15 sec, f / 22. Tripod.
Polar Bear in front of glazier. Winter. Canon 1Dx, EF800 mm IS, 1/2500 sec, f / 6,3, ISO 800. Tripod.
The contrasts is for sure high. Between the seasons summer, autumn, winter and spring it is huge differences. In temperatures ranging from + 20 degrees Celcius in summer to effective - 50 degrees Celsius in winter. Svalbard photography expeditions is all about these differences during the seasons. Everything is constantly changing. We plan and schedule our Svalbard photography expeditions according to this.
Svalbard Photography in Winter.
The landscape and the light is the surroundings we think about for every expedition we plan into this wilderness. Different seasons and different possibilities. In winter-time from February the sunlight slowly returns, this could be the time to photograph Northern Light in Svalbard, or also in November and December when the darkness is total. In end of February we see the sunrises and sunsets. For a short time the sun rise over the horizon and creates som spectacular light scenes. Usually this is a very cold period of the year and clothing is important together with protecting the gear as you are traveling around there.
Northern light photographed in end of February. Canon 5Dmk III, EF16-35, f / 3,2, 8,0 sec. Tripod.
First light. Canon 5D, EF16-35, f/22, 1/13 sec, ISO 640. Tripod.
Shapes and light. Canon 5D, EF800, f/5,6, 1/1600 sec, ISO 640.
Sunlight returns. The sun was over the horizon for one hour.
Traveling around in Svalbard during winter is kind of extreme. Temperatures down to - 30-40 degrees celsius can occur. Just to illustrate the challenges for photography I use some pictures from one of the winter expeditions we have done.
Sometimes we charter ships also in winter-time. Next year we are chartering the yacht Arctica II for a expedition from April 22. April is not that extreme as February and March, but its still considered as winter.
Strong wind. Early March. Hard work keeping the photo equipment safe.
Keeping warm in -30 celsius.
Svalbard photography in summer
In summertime Svalbard can be like a warm summer day in central parts of Norway one day and like the High Arctic the next day. It is difficult to predict and all activities we decide to do is highly dependent on the weather. In summer it is very rare that we have bad weather that prevent us from doing what we plan, we only adjust the plans according to prevailing weather situation. Mostly because we want the best possibly light and weather for photography and wildlife viewings.
Summer in Svalbard. Still the mountains we sail by can look like this. From Forlandsundet. EOS 1Dx, EF 200-400 IS, 1/1600 sec, f / 7,1, ISO1250.
Depending on the year and ice conditions the situation around Svalbard will be very different from year to year. In June its usually still lots of ice, in July the ice starts open up and in August most of the remote areas around the archipelago will be accessible. Recent years though we have had some seasons when we could sail into areas that normally would be difficult because of the drifting ice. We are afraid this is because of the climate change and in the future it might change the concept for our Svalbard photography expeditions.
Late summer in the drifting ice. EOS 1Dx, EF16-35mm, 1/160sec, f/9,0, ISO400
Landscape in mid August. EOS 1Dx, EF200-400mm, 1/2000sec, f/10, ISO800
You can have everything in Svalbard. All the light, all the situations and all the challenges. The light changes during the seasons and during the day and nights. Even in summer when you have the midnight sun and daylight 24 hours you find the light to change. During our expeditions we usually try to do most of the photography during night because of a softer light.
Already in August the light is changing dramatically and in late August you will have colors on the sky and sunsets and sunrises. The light is still good and its possible to do some of the photography by handheld camera. Because of sailing by ship its usually not possible to use a tripod. That will be only possible when we do landings.
Upcoming Svalbard tours
4 SPOT AVAILABLE
Snow Leopard photography expedition 2024
Arctic Wildlife Tours announces a new expedition. This time to Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary into the Tibetan mountains. We will search for these big cats living in these mountains.
2 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Svalbard winter expedition 2023 by snowmobile
Join Arctic Wildlife Tours for this winter expedition out in the wilderness of Svalbard. The magic light and landscapes are stunning at this time of the year.
SOLD OUT
Svalbard July 17 – 26 expedition 2023 MS Origo
Svalbard photo tours and small vessel cruises in mid summer to photograph and experience the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours, providing great opportunities to see Svalbard's…
1 SPOT AVAILABLE
Svalbard expedition July-August 2023 MS Origo
Arctic polar bear cruises in late summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours but also sunsets and sunrises, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
SOLD OUT
Svalbard expedition August 5 – 15 2023 MS Origo
Svalbard wildlife photography tours in the early autumn to enjoy the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours but also sunsets and sunrises.
1 spot Available
Svalbard August Expedition 2023 MS Origo
Arctic polar bear cruises in the early autumn to enjoy the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours but also sunsets and sunrises, providing more opportunities to see…
3 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Svalbard Masterclass on board 2023
Join our photography masterclass onboard hosted by Nat Geo photographer Stefano Unterthiner and Arctic Wildlife Tours
5 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Svalbard September 04 – 14 2023 Expedition MS Origo
In September we expect to spend days into the drift ice far north and east of Svalbard. We expect to find polar bears and other wildlife close to the ship.
NEW !
Svalbard September 14 – 24 2023 Expedition MS Origo
We do the second "Autumn light expedition" in mid September and we expect to spend days into the drift ice far north and east of Svalbard.
SOLD OUT
Svalbard April expedition 2023 onboard MS Freya
Svalbard travel photography on Svalbard, every day is different, and every year is different. Arctic Wildlife Tours guides leads this August expedition to Svalbard, a remote area we know well…
SOLD OUT
Early spring Svalbard expedition May 15 – 22 2023
Arctic Wildlife Tours, May expedition on Svalbard in 2023. This will be an early spring expedition with lot of snow and ice still. The landscapes will still be covered by…
SOLD OUT
Svalbard June 02 – 11 expedition 2023 MS Origo
Arctic polar bear cruises in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's unique landscapes and wildlife.
SOLD OUT!
Svalbard June 05 – 15 2023 expedition onboard MS Malmö
June is an opportunity for good ice conditions in milder weather. 24 hour daylight makes for many hours of possible wildlife sightings. Fjords are opening up and we can get…
SOLD OUT
Svalbard June 20 – 29 expedition 2023 MS Origo
Arctic polar bear cruises in the early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's unique landscapes and wildlife.
SOLD OUT
Svalbard June-July expedition 2023 MS Origo
Arctic polar bear cruises in the early autumn to enjoy the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours but also sunsets and sunrises, providing more opportunities to see…
SOLD OUT
Svalbard July expedition 2023 onboard MS Freya
Svalbard travel photography on Svalbard, every day is different, and every year is different. Arctic Wildlife Tours guides leads this August expedition to Svalbard, a remote area we know well…
14 SPOTS AVAILABLE
From Svalbard to North East Greenland cruise
Join us for this Arctic adventure from Svalbard to North East Greenland onboard the Polar Pioner. Experience the best from two great destinations with wildlife and landscapes.
8 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Svalbard Winter expedition 2024 onboard MS Origo
Svalbard travel photography on Svalbard, every day is different, and every year is different. Arctic Wildlife Tours guides leads this winter expedition on Svalbard, a remote area we know well…
NEW! 12 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Early season May 1 – 9 expedition 2024 MS Virgo
Arctic Wildlife Tours do this early May expedition on Svalbard in 2022. We will be using the expedition ship MS Virgo for this wildlife expedition, which is a recently refurbished…
4 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 10 – 19 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
4 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 28 – July 07 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
12 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Main Season Svalbard July 17 – 27 2024
Svalbard photo tours and small vessel cruises in mid summer to photograph and experience the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours, providing great opportunities to see Svalbard's…
4 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Iberian Lynx photography tour
In December 2023 we will do a photography tour to Spain for the Iberian Lynx. After a long time without any tours we are up to do something. Join us…
9 SPOTS AVAILABLE
South Georgia photography expedition 2023
Join Arctic Wildlife Tours guides Svein and Jens onboard the M/V Sea Spirit and visit South Georgia. As it is the first trip for Arctic Wildlife Tours visiting these parts…
6 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Iceland photography tour autumn 2023
Arctic Wildlife Tours will do their first tour in Iceland in September 2021. We have planned this tour to give travellers and photographers the best possibilities to experience and photograph…
