“Hello my name is Siobhan and I reside in Shanghai, China. I have also lived with a Masai tribe on the outskirts of Amboseli NP, Kenya. Despite the language barrier, what really touched me was how humble and kind the Masai are, and it made me realise that travelling isn’t just about scenery and wildlife, but also about understanding the diversity of human culture on our wonderful planet.”

Some of my polar essentials after returning to the ship from an Arctic expedition. I’m prepping to embark next month on a 2 month adventure and photo residency in Antarctica, which is my final continent to explore #thisarcticlife #antarcticaordie (at Somewhere Near the North Pole)

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

3 of 5 of the #blackandwhitechallenge

This is a portrait I took of Neil onboard our expedition ship in the Arctic this past summer. I looked out the window and saw Neil smoking a pipe by himself, out in the cold, on the port side of the ship. I immediately knew I had to get a picture of him, so I ran outside and captured one of my favorite images from my residency. In the Arctic, often times the most memorable moments occur when you least expect it.

I nominate @leifography, a fellow New Yorker who I connected with onboard our ship in the Arctic

#thisarcticlife

 Arctic Self Portrait

An Arctic self portrait taken less than 600 miles from the North Pole, while we search for polar bears near the pack ice. 

Thanks for joining me on this wild adventure. It’s difficult to describe my experience in the Arctic as a photographer in residence, but I definitely have a greater appreciation for our planet. I’ve learned a tremendous amount and had the wonderful opportunity to be part of a gracious, knowledgable, and talented expedition team. I’m excited to be back on the ship headed to Antarctica next February, which would mark my 7th and final continent. Antarctica has actually been on my bucket list ever since I did a school report on it in third grade. 

I will leave you with this quote by Paul Nicklen, a National Geographic photographer and biologist, that truly resonated with me:

“I want to bring back images of this remote, raw, unforgiving, beautiful, and yet extremely fragile world to you. I want you to care about these regions as much as I do, and I hope to inspire you to help avert the warming trend that is changing them quickly and irreversibly.”  

Live Adventurously,
Reuben

This Arctic Life

My favorite image of my Arctic series goes out to this mother and cub, spotted from our ship from over 8 miles away by one of our naturalists. It may not look like it, but this was my most challenging photograph. We had to race over in our Zodiacs in very rough waters to get within 125 meters, and shooting at a focal length of 640 mm from a bouncing watercraft is not very ideal. Water was spraying all over us in true Arctic expedition fashion, and some cameras even stopped working after this operation. 

According to a report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature, “A substantial reduction in the extent of the sea ice during the summer will undoubtedly have a negative impact on polar bears. Based on extremely conservative forecasts about the future extent of the sea ice, scientists have estimated that two thirds of the polar bear population could become extinct by 2050. If the sea ice continues to retreat at the speed witnessed during the last few years, the situation will become even more critical.”

MOTHERHOOD

Polar bears rolling in the deep at Hornsund, located on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard.

Filmed on location in the Arctic

Arctic Short Video Series 3 of 4 (15 sec)

A time lapse of our expedition ship navigating through pack ice less than 600 miles from the North Pole, while we search for polar bears.

Massive Arctic Glacier Calving!! Arctic short video series 2 of 4

A massive glacier calving at Kongsbreen glacier located in Svalbard

Filmed on location in the Arctic

This Arctic Life

We spotted blue whales in the Arctic at 2:30 am near the bow of our ship! Blue whales are the largest animal known to have ever lived on earth, and are much larger than the largest dinosaur. They can weigh up to 200 tons or 400,000 pounds and are currently classified as an endangered species. 

This Arctic Life

Polar bears dry themselves by rubbing their fur in the snow. We were probably around 100 meters away from this bear in our Zodiac.

This Arctic Life

Kronebreen glacier moves with an average speed of 2 meters per day and has some of the most vivid blues I have ever seen in the wild

This Arctic Life

One last shot before I go again - my favorite polar bear at Inglefieldbreen. Polar bears have transparent hair, black skin, and black tongues and are the largest terrestrial predator on earth. #thisarcticlife (at Svalbard)