5 of 5 of the #blackandwhitechallenge

Nearly 5 years ago, I quit my job and relocated to NY from CA with hopes of becoming a photographer and filmmaker. Back then, the Holy Grail would have been to land an assignment for National Geographic, but I’ve since learned that I don’t necessarily need to shoot for Nat Geo to do meaningful work and tell powerful stories. In fact, one of my favorite photographers told me that he actually turned down his first assignment for Nat Geo. To be perfectly honest, I’m not even entirely sure if I could handle the pressure of such an assignment, and the thought of shooting 40,000 - 60,000 images for a single assignment is a bit overwhelming…

This year I had the incredible experience of being a photographer in residence onboard an expedition ship in the Arctic. I absolutely loved it because I got to explore such a beautiful and remote part of our planet doing what I love, and it was a meaningful and transformative experience because it helped me understand our fragile world a bit better and the importance of safeguarding the future of our earth.

I’m beyond excited to embark on the ship again in February for a month long residency in Antarctica, especially since Antarctica has been on my bucket list ever since I did a report on it in 4th grade. It is also my last and final continent to visit.

What kind of experiences transform and bring meaning to your life?

I nominate @andrewshepherd for the black and white challenge. I love working with Andrew not only because he is an overall wonderful human, but because his work is always unexpected, beautiful, and solid.

#thisarcticlife #neverstopexploring #notgeo

This past summer I had the wonderful opportunity to observe and photograph polar bears in the Arctic for my first time. The mother and cub pictured here was actually my first polar bear sighting, and I remember this moment quite vividly and will probably never forget it. Seeing polar bears in the wild transformed me, and made me truly realize how fragile our environment is.

I want to share some text that was posted on the @natgeo Instagram feed yesterday:

“Polar bears have come to represent the Arctic ecosystem and we look to them as an indicator of the health of the polar region they roam. Due to human-caused climate change, the Arctic is currently experiencing the warmest air temperatures in four centuries, and sea ice losses in the summer of 2012 broke all previous records. Polar bears are feeling the pressure; their populations are declining in Churchill, Manitoba in direct correlation with the loss of sea ice. The sea ice freezes later each fall and melts earlier each spring which means less time for hunting on sea ice. We must act today to change our carbon-emitting habits. It is estimated that if current climate trends are correct, two-thirds of the polar bear population could disappear by 2050. All the creatures from the top of the food chain to the bottom who are specially adapted to life on ice depend on humans to act now to lessen their carbon emissions that have caused these changes. What daily decisions are you making to reduce your carbon footprint?”

#thisarcticlife #saveourseaice 

Here is an unpublished photo of Dr. Tom Smith, rifle master, naturalist, and what one of my friends calls “the Chuck Norris of the Arctic”, scouting the land for polar bears ensuring that it’s safe for us to land. I could tell stories all day about Tom, but my favorite story to tell is when he saved a polar bear’s life by punching it in the face.

Join me this Thursday at 8 pm at Ira Lippke Studios in Chelsea, as I share more images and stories from my Arctic experience. I hope to see you there and share a glass of beer or wine with you!

#thisarcticlife #svalbard #arctic #polarbears #makeportraits #storyportrait

We had a very rare sighting of polar bears mating at 80° 10’3 N, close to the North Pole. Only one of our naturalists (Tom, pictured in one of my previous photos) has ever seen this in the wild #thisarcticlife #polarbears #mating #wildlife (at Svalbard)

I will never forget my first polar bear sighting in Hornsund. It was really special and we had the chance to observe this mother and cub for over an hour. Polar bears are only found in the Arctic and can weigh up to 1,700 pounds. The larger bear pictured here was estimated to weigh about 600 pounds. Whenever we land or go out on Zodiacs we must carry firearms for self defense #thisarcticlife #polarbears (at Svalbard)