Svalbard

Pounding heart in my throat, I raced up the stairs two at a time with my camera clutched to my chest, and burst onto the deck to find every soul onboard (even the chefs) braced against the railing. At first I thought it was a joke. There was nothing. But those with high-grade telescopic lenses could see the bear, and he was moving.

For all its natural beauty, the Arctic and Antarctica present a unique challenge to photographers shooting in extreme temperatures and inclement weather.

While we often associate polar adventures with rugged explorers, frostbite and questionable food, the truth is that an Arctic expedition doesn’t mean roughing it.

As one of the last untouched stretches of wilderness, the Arctic is an exciting (and challenging) setting for a polar expedition. You’ve got incredible wildlife and mountain vistas, but also biting winds, snow and icy conditions. So, what are you going to wear??

Think about striking natural scenery you’ve witnessed around the world, and places like the Grand Canyon and Victoria Falls would probably spring to mind. But, did you know there’s a wealth of beautiful places just waiting to be discovered in Europe too?

Svalbard is about as close as most mortal are going to get to the North Pole. So if you want to know what to expect there, this it it…

The Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is a fantastic location for seeking out wildlife, but there’s more than that to discover in this intriguing land. You have a more than…