Polar bears
Kings of the Arctic
Where, when and how to photograph them
How to photograph Polar bears
Polar bears are the classic symbol of the Arctic. They are the top predators of the north, associated with physical strength and extreme adaptations that make living on sea ice possible. Polar bears have long been important to spiritual beliefs and rituals in old Inuit cultures and are also popular in modern societies. Today, polar bears are on the top-10 list of species to photograph for most wildlife photographers, together with animals like lions, tigers, and elephants. As an elusive species it is not everywhere or everytime you can expect to photograph Polar bears in the wild and there are some preparations and research you should do before booking a Polar bear photography tour.
Where to photograph Polar bears
Polar bears are found throughout the Arctic in the northern parts of the United States (Alaska), Canada, Greenland, Norway (Svalbard) and Russia. Most polar bears live between 60° N and 80° N along the shallow continental shelf, where sea ice covers the Arctic Ocean most of the year. The southernmost polar bears are found in Canada as far south as 51° N in James Bay and 48° N along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The distribution of polar bears is restricted to areas with available sea ice, but they are not found in Iceland or the northern part of mainland Norway that lies north of the Arctic Circle. Some areas within polar bear territory, like the southern tip of Greenland and the island of Newfoundland, may only have polar bears in years with sufficient sea ice accumulation. There are seven main areas for photographing polar bears in the Arctic:
Why Svalbard is the best place to Photograph Polar bears
You can photograph polar bears in all seven areas described above, but the accessibility and your chances for good photo opportunities might be limited, when you’re going down the list (from 1 to 7). Many photographers that have been around in the Arctic claim that Svalbard is the best place for photographing polar bears, and there are some good reasons for that.
With the high popularity for watching and photographing polar bears in Svalbard there are also a few disadvantages. More travellers and photographers have visited Svalbard in the last years, and it is important to escape from the crowd with a small expedition ship, not attend a big group. The new environmental laws in Svalbard (from 1. January 2025) will also limit how close you can observe and photograph polar bears, but with an ice-strengthened expedition ship it will still be possible to be quite close to polar bears in the pack ice north of Svalbard.
Best time for photographing Polar bears
Polar bears can be photographed in Svalbard all year, but from late October to the beginning of March it is very limited with light - with the Polar Night lasting from November 14th to January 29th. From mid March the days are getting longer with more light and it is practically possible to photograph polar bears until late October when the days are getting shorter. Below you have five seasons for photographing Polar bears in Svalbard lasting from mid-March to mid-October:
Best lenses for Polar bear photography
When travelling to the remote wilderness in the Arctic you want to bring the photo equipment that can secure your desired pictures. Below is a list of lenses and photo equipment you should consider to bring:
It is also very important what camera you mount behind the lens. Click in the drop-down menu below to read more about main camera features to consider before photographing polar bears in the Arctic.
Your camera should have AF Eye-tracking for animals that can provide you crystal-sharp images with focus on the bear's eye - not the nose, feet or side of the bear. Polar bears are usually moving quite slow, so fast motion AF-tracking is not very important when photographing these animals. Good image quality at high ISO values It might be quite dark when photographing polar bears in winter or autumn, and you need to allow ISO-values of ISO 3200 or more. You need 1/500 sec shutter speed (or faster) to secure sharp images of moving polar bears, and in low-light conditions you have to push the ISO-values. Most modern digital cameras today can provide acceptable image quality at ISO 3200+, but this is usually a personal decision of what is “acceptable” quality in low light conditions. In May, June and July the midnight sun will provide 24-hours daylight, and pushing the camera’s ISO-value will not be an issue. Cameras with 50 Megapixels or more can give you the opportunity for cropping images in the post processing, if the distance to your subject is a little too far. It can also be handy to activate the APC-feature in your camera (with a Custom button) if you need 1,5X “magnification”. You can also do this cropping in post processing after the shot, but with a high sensor camera you can switch to APC-mode and still have a high-quality image. The weather and climate in the Arctic can be a challenge for your camera and lenses. Some cheaper cameras are not made for serious outdoor conditions, and a raincoat for your camera and lens is important. In cold conditions it is also important that you have a camera that operates properly and with sufficient battery capacity to use in cold temperatures and wind.
Tech tips
Click on one of the images or links below to learn more about wildlife and polar bear photography in our Tech tips section.
FAQ - Good to know about Polar bears
Svalbard is one of the best areas in the Arctic to observe and photograph polar bears. However, there is no guarantee that you will see a polar bear during your visit. To increase your chances of seeing polar bears we recommend:
Join a Ship-Based Expedition: Staying in Longyearbyen offers very low chances of seeing a polar bear. Expeditions by ship, especially those travelling to remote northern and eastern regions, significantly increase the likelihood of polar bear encounters.
Extend the Trip Duration: Spending more days in Svalbard improves the odds. On most 8-10 day ship expeditions you can see polar bears multiple time.
Choose a Small Group with a Flexible Itinerary: Travelling with a small group without a fixed itinerary allows the expedition to adapt to changing weather and ice conditions, which maximises wildlife viewing opportunities. For polar bears, the surface of sea ice provides a platform for long-distance movement, resting, mating, denning and accessing their primary prey, ringed seals and bearded seals. Polar bears are slower and less agile swimmers than seals and unlikely to catch them in the open water. A lack of sea ice thus restricts polar bears to less accessible, fat-poor terrestrial food sources.
In areas like the Svalbard Archipelago, female polar bears with cubs prefer inshore, landfast ice during spring if available, and they spend a lot of their time near glacier fronts. Their preference for landfast ice in springtime is linked to ringed seal breeding biology, which provides polar bears with access to prey. Moreover, the ice itself forms a stable platform for polar bear cubs.
Polar bears are intelligent, curious and opportunistic, all traits important for survival in a diverse habitat that changes dramatically from season to season. After thousands of years adapting to sea ice and seal hunting, the condition of their sea ice habitat is crucial. But as sea ice dwindles, polar bears may need to adopt other strategies and hunting techniques for surviving in a warmer climate. Will their extreme physical and behavioural adaptations to sea ice and seal hunting be disadvantageous in a future of changing conditions? From 1. January 2025, new regulations will require maintaining a 500-metre distance from polar bears in Svalbard during winter and spring (1. March - 30. June) and 300 metres during the rest of the year. This will make it more difficult for photographing polar bears, especially from zodiacs. However, it will still be possible to observe and photograph polar bears in the drifting sea ice (pack ice) north of Svalbard, where there are no distance rules. It will also be impossible to retreat an expedition ship with ice anchor at the edge of the fjord ice fast enough to maintain 300 / 500 metre.
It will still be possible to photograph polar bears in the great Svalbard landscape, with the required distance. However, if you want closer meetings with polar bears you have to join an expedition ship to the drifting sea ice (pack ice) where closer distances are still allowed.
Join a Ship-Based Expedition: Staying in Longyearbyen offers very low chances of seeing a polar bear. Expeditions by ship, especially those travelling to remote northern and eastern regions, significantly increase the likelihood of polar bear encounters.
Extend the Trip Duration: Spending more days in Svalbard improves the odds. On most 8-10 day ship expeditions you can see polar bears multiple time.
Choose a Small Group with a Flexible Itinerary: Travelling with a small group without a fixed itinerary allows the expedition to adapt to changing weather and ice conditions, which maximises wildlife viewing opportunities.
In areas like the Svalbard Archipelago, female polar bears with cubs prefer inshore, landfast ice during spring if available, and they spend a lot of their time near glacier fronts. Their preference for landfast ice in springtime is linked to ringed seal breeding biology, which provides polar bears with access to prey. Moreover, the ice itself forms a stable platform for polar bear cubs.
Polar bears are intelligent, curious and opportunistic, all traits important for survival in a diverse habitat that changes dramatically from season to season. After thousands of years adapting to sea ice and seal hunting, the condition of their sea ice habitat is crucial. But as sea ice dwindles, polar bears may need to adopt other strategies and hunting techniques for surviving in a warmer climate. Will their extreme physical and behavioural adaptations to sea ice and seal hunting be disadvantageous in a future of changing conditions?
It will still be possible to photograph polar bears in the great Svalbard landscape, with the required distance. However, if you want closer meetings with polar bears you have to join an expedition ship to the drifting sea ice (pack ice) where closer distances are still allowed.
Book a trip to Svalbard
Below are available spots on our photo expeditions to Svalbard. Click on the dates you find interesting to read more information, see which cabins are available, and reserve/book a spot.
WildPhoto Travel is a leading photo expedition company - specialized in polar regions. Since 2006, we have offered great photo opportunities for our guests and partners.
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