Just back from a week on the good ship Origo, breaking ice and exploring Svalbard's waters. In search of Polar Bears of course, and yes, we were successful. We had two separate viewings, the first from a distance, a mother and young one near their Seal kill from the evening before. We attempted to get closer through the ice but the ice started to close around us and the captain wasn't happy so regrettably we had to back out of the ice, but not after firing off some shots at least. A bird flew over and the mother, ever alert, looked up and sideways and then, with the noise of Origo in reverse, the two took off across the ice and we were unable to find them later.
Our second viewing was during breakfast a few days later. The bridge had called us up out of bed earlier, around 6.30am, and we all rushed up on board but were unable to find the captain's Polar Bear. We gave up and sat down to breakfast at 8am, but part way through breakfast someone saw our Polar Bear coming up out of the water and onto the ice. Of course no-one caught that on camera, but we were all up on deck pretty quickly and had a great session, firing away as the Polar Bear, probably a two year old male, advanced toward the ship. It looked as if we were going to get a paws on the side of the ship shot, but one of our group accidently banged their tripod on the railing and our Bear ran off in alarm, occasionally rolling in the snow when it was further away. Needless to say, everyone was disappointed and one person very embarassed, but it was pure magic while it lasted!
The sea ice stopped us from heading around the top of the islands and exploring the eastern side but we spent the week exploring the fjords on the western side. The ice landscape was enchanting and it was impossible not to try your hand at landscape photography. Having said that, we didn't see as impressive ice sculptures as we have seen in Antarctica but we believe it is possible to see these in some of the fjords further north. There were many sea and migratory birds, fabulous Walrus and Seals and it's a very impressive one week trip, we saw a lot, compared to Antarctica for which you need three weeks.
Please keep an eye out for a full trip report plus additional photos which will be on this website within the next 10 days and we are researching a return trip for June 2009 or 2010 in a small vessel, either to Svalbard or to Greenland or both so please let us know if you are interested in principle, as we will only be taking a very small group.
All the best.
Julie and Adam
Svalbard - Spitsberg: Polar Bears and Ice - June 2008
Bears in Finland; 2nd recce! - 18 May 2008
Just back from a second recce to northern Finland, Bear watching of
course. I have to say I am very impressed with the warm hospitality,
great food and of course wildlife opportunities in Finland.
The airfare to get there is a bit of a stumbler given it's so close -
you can fly to Dubai for about the same price! But once you're
there, everything is affordable.
On this trip we sampled a reindeer burger which was cooked on an
outdoor grill, Finnish style and we ate around the grill outdoors in
+2C but it was one of those memorable meals, a bit like a picnic
lunch in the African bush, right up there with life's magical
moments. We spent two nights in two different hides, both were
excellent in their own way and you will see from the following
photographs, the light conditions are quite variable. The hides were
delightfully warm and well set up for photographers and artists,
(more on that later), and people just wanting to view the Bears. 
On the first evening we only saw a couple of Bears and from some
distance but it was quite a special viewing - the setting was great
and I was in a two person hide with a Dutch artist called Erik Van
Ommen. Quite a magical, cold arena for the Bears to come into and a
bit of a wait, keeping really quiet of course because Bears are
incredibly shy and this is the start of the season. By the end of
the season, in August, just before they start thinking about
hibernating again, they are pretty brash and come much closer to the
hides. 
We had two Bears come into view, initially we were training
our binoculars to find them and then we switched to looking through
our lenses. I'd start firing off some shots and behind me I could
hear Eric's pencil working furiously. There was another Bear
appearance after a couple of hours waiting so in between viewings I
took a look at Eric's drawings which are impressive. You can see
these on his website:
http://www.erik-van-ommen.nl/
The second hide produced quite a lot of Bears coming and going and
they were closer. Even though they were closer, they were still
quite difficult to shoot because they are so large and brown and the
light is a bit tricky. Their behaviour is interesting as they seem
to saunter mindlessly most of the time and then become quite intent
with their foraging for food. They then scurry off quite quickly,
rarely looking back so it's a bit of work getting eye contact and an
interesting shot. 
Anyway, here are some of the shots taken, some snow still on the
ground. Let me know what you think and please keep in mind our next
trip to the Bears in August, our last Bear trip for the year. The
details for the trip are at:
http://www.shutterspeedtravel.com/finlandaug2008.asp
The conditions will be different then - much
warmer with brighter light, almost 24/7 so lots of viewing hours over
three nights. There will also be time for beers and laughs and some
photo viewing and workshops so please let us know ASAP if you want to
join us. The dates are August 22-25.
Getting ready for Spitsbergen and Polar Bears in June now! Watch
this space...
Hope all is well with you all.
Julie
2009 Expeditions - 27 April
We hope you are out there enjoying your photography. We have been spending some time planning our 2009 Expeditions and wanted to share them with you. If you have an interest in any of the following and would like to be sent the details as soon as we have finalised them, and before the itineraries go up on the website, you may want to send us an email to register your interest (without commitment). Some of the trips will be for 4-5 clients only so this is our way of giving you the heads up.
Bears in Finland
We will be returning to Finland to photograph wild bears for 3 days. We stay overnight in hides within 700 meters of the Russian border. The bears are attracted by carcasses that we arrange to be placed in front of the hide. The bears come in the early evening and can stay until the morning. At this time of year of course it does not really get completely dark and so this is a good chance to photograph and just observe some of Europe's largest wild animals up close and personal.
Dates are being finalised but it is likely to be in May. If you like the sound of a short trip over a long weekend to a wild part of Europe to shoot Bears, this is for you! There is still availability for this trip in August 2008 as well, the itinerary was posted last week and can be seen at the Current Expeditions section.
Bonobos in the Congo
Over the 2007/08 Christmas period we led a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC"} with the sole intention of photographing Bonobos for a week. As many of you know, Bonobos are one of the five species of great apes and are only found in the DRC. Bonobos are similar to Chimpanzees, but have a very different social model as well as some distinctive differences. We will be leading another expedition in 2009 when we intend to spend most of our time in a reserve managed by an excellent charity which should give members of the Expedition five full days of shooting these fantastic animals. We are one of the very few tour companies to travel to the Congo to see these amazing primates and we know anyone who joins the trip will enjoy the photogenic nature of the Bonobos and their accessability, ie there's no hard trekking or restriction to an hour's viewing on this trip!
Dates are being finalised but it's likely to be sometime between July and September. If you want a unique portfolio of an animal very few photographers have seen, let along photographed, this is for you!
Polar Bears in the Arctic
We are still finalising the ship arrangements and dates here but in the early Summer we will be leading our group to explore the pack ice and the ice cap of the Arctic in search of Polar Bears, Walrus, Seals, Seabirds and Whales. Traveling with people really in the know and on a small ice strengthened ship, we will be focusing on getting in to where we can get the best wildlife experiences the region has to offer. The atmosphere will of course be relaxed, the food superb and informative lectures will be held whilst we are at sea. Availability will go quickly so if you are interested in seeing Polar Bears we'd encourage you to register your interest early, before the itinerary goes up on the site.
Orangutans in Sumatra
The only great ape to be found in Asia is the Orangutan. Wild Orangutans only live on the Islands of Sumatra and Borneo. We will be running a recce trip to Sumatra to check out the viewing, accommodation and transport. We have already been speaking to our contacts and cannot wait to see these creatures from within two yards! We will be offering our existing clients the chance to come on this reconnaissance trip as we know they will not mind roughing it or the occasional blip.
Some of these trips will fill up very quickly. If you would like to express an interest and ensure your name is on top of the list, please email Julie on: julie.calvert@shutterspeedtravel.com
Happy shooting!
Julie and Adam
Wolverine, Finland - 6 April 2008
Wolverines are the largest member of the Weasel family and is a very stocky and muscular animal. Whilst they live in isolated Northern areas, they are quite rare. In Finland there are only just over 100 Wolverines left in the wild. They are very aggressive animals and in Lapland have been known to bring down Reindeer, which are many times their size. They also are known to eat the carrion left by Wolves.
We saw this one during our recent trip to Finland. We saw it running across the frozen lake toward our hide and it then spent about 30 minutes behind us eating some of the frozen pigs that are left out to attract Bears, Wolves and Wolverines! Eventually it crept in front of the hind and presented itself to us. As you can see, this one has been in the wars with a scar above its right eye.
As you can tell from this photograph, it was very cold and snowing at the time, but the Wolverine's thick coat is able to protect it from the hostile climate of Finland. We were delighted to see it!
We are finalising our next guided trip back to Finland when we expect to see Bears and Wolves - it will be a great time to see them and the hides we will be using really are second to none. Please keep an eye out on the website over the next two weeks when the details of the August trip should be up.
Julie and Adam
Finland - 100 hours in a hide - 24 March 2008
We have just returned this evening from a really amazing eye opening 'recci' to Finland. We travelled there to assess conditions for running a Bear, Wolf, Wolverine and birding photographic expedition in '08 and '09.
After flying to Helsinki, an internal flight north, stocking up on provisions at the local supermarket (cheese, local bread, pasta etc), then a 150 km car journey, then a mile in a snowmobile (steered by Adam ... very scary) we arrived at our home for the next 100 hours. The hide was in No-Mans Land which is a mere 700 metres from the Russian border. It was one of the best hides we have ever seen. Despite being about -15 degrees outside, the oil stove kept us warm inside and a small meths cooking stove warmed up our pasta. The only downside, no running water or toilets! THAT was the one time requiring us to race out into the cold ...
We were there in the low season. The bears were still fast asleep in their dens. They wake up usually in early April when the snow melts and runs into their nests. They wake up VERY hungry having lost about 40% of their body weight over the winter. From April until perhaps October they are out and about before settling down to sleep again for the winter. The wolves had been heard just before we got there, but aside from some tracks we did not see any. Once the Bears are out, the Wolves tend to follow them, sharing the meat that the bears find.
The highlight for us was seeing a Wolverine really close up. These are very strong and quite fierce creatures ... photos to follow.
Our expeditions will be to the same area, but in the "high season" where there is a very good chance of getting pretty close to the bears. We will be staying in an old logging camp, each evening being left at the hide to wait for the bears to come down to eat the carcasses which are left to attract them and returning to camp for hot showers, hot food, charging batteries etc the next morning. Relax round the camp during the day, a sauna if you dare, a big dinner and then back to the hide. We cannot wait!
A view here of the hide we bunkered down in and Julie on watch! More to follow.
Julie and Adam
Snow in Finland - 20 March 2008
From the heat of Africa to the snow in Finland; sometimes we think we are mad! This morning we are off to Finland. We are travelling close to the border with Russia (for which permits are required. Very Jason Bourne) to a remote hide. No electricity no running water (very, very Jason Bourne). We will stay there for the best part of a week simply waiting to see what comes by (very, very, very Jason Bourne). Depending on the season this includes Wolves, Bears, Golden Eagles, Wolverines, Woodpeckers etc, etc. So when packing, we put away our hot weather clothes from Uganda/Rwanda and brought out Arctic gear. Given there is no electricity, no computers, chargers, cables, adaptors and other gizmos. Hence we are traveling light. Just the 600 F4, the 500 F4, three Canon bodies and the Hassey.
Current temperature where we are going as we write this .... -14 c with snow is forecast for the next three days!
Julie [Bourne] and Adam [Bourne]
Gorillas - 17 March 2008
A few shots of the Gorillas that we like. As you can tell from these, some of the conditions were ideal and some were somewhat challenging. Whatever the conditions, being with the Gorillas was a real privilege. All these photographs taken with medium length lenses. 
and another we love. 
It is fair to say that it sometimes rained!
Looking at these photographs really reminds us of the unique pull primates have over man.
Julie and Adam