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As a photographer, I accept that every situation I bring a camera into is bound to present its own set of challenges to maneuver—uncooperative subjects, locked access points, harsh or ugly lighting, frozen fingers, angry guards, distracting backgrounds, language barriers … . The problem-solving is part of the fun. On a recent trip to Nunavut, I got to add a new challenge to the list—roaming polar bears. I had the delight of traveling to Arviat on Canada’s Hudson Bay with writer Cheryl Katz (both of us with approval of the Nunavut government) to work on a story about a community-led initiative that Cheryl has been pursuing for many months. But Arviat is on a polar bear superhighway, and there were a bunch of bears in the area. We saw them swimming in the bay and on a shoal only a kilometer or two from the community; and they were making regular appearances at the landfill. We were warned repeatedly not to venture on foot beyond the borders of the community. Polar bears can be fast and aggressive, and can be overlooked on the landscape if you’re not paying attention. When locals travel any of the dead-end roads leading away from Arviat, they leave their trucks or ATVs running and tend to have a gun. So my hope of wandering around at dawn and dusk to capture the picturesque tundra landscape and marshy coastline in ideal lighting was quickly quashed. A few kind souls—including the local polar bear guard, an off-duty police officer and his wife, and a hotel manager—did take pity on Cheryl and me, letting us hitch a ride to at least see a little of the landscape that’s so critical to Inuit life in Arviat.
Though bagging golden-hour beauty shots of the region was not to be, I’m excited to share the photos I did take, and Cheryl’s excellent article, with you soon. In the meantime, here’s a shot from my one close polar bear encounter, which was luckily taken from the safety of a boat.
Shanna Baker
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