Polar Bear Mom with cubs in the wilderness of Canada

In the wilderness of Canada, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) south of Churchill at the Hudson Bay, is Wapusk National Park. Where icy winds create temperatures down to minus 50 degrees Celsius, polar bear mothers give birth to their cubs in dens deep in the snow. In March, when the little polar bears are 3 months old, the mother leaves the den to migrate to the ice on the Hudson Bay, because she desperately needs food after a long fasting period.
Near the park is a lodge in a converted military base. This is the starting point of serious photographers, to photograph this very special moment. But it's hard! The dens are searched with Mattrack vehicles and then after setting up the equipment patience is asked. We wait six days in front of a den at temperatures down to -48° Celsius (-54° F). Seven hours a day. It's cold, very cold and it takes patience, lots of patience. Twice a head that looks out of the den and disappears again - that's it.

 

Then, on the seventh day, she leaves the den. The cubs are playful and explore a world that they see for the first time after three months of darkness. A fantastic experience, which compensates for the long waiting period.

 

 

On the first day the mother makes forays in the vicinity of the den. She repeatedly stops and digs a hollow to rest and to nurse the young. We follow the mother and the cubs  in a safe distance. The photographic equipment is at the limit of functionality and I can feel the brutal cold in spite of joy and fascination.

The Hudson Bay is far away and yet the mother must go there. For too long, she has not eaten. Only on the ice, she can hunt for seals and the food it urgently needed to be able to nurse the cubs. The next day she is on her long journey.

Not only the polar bears are fascinating, but also the lonely wilderness, far away from civilization. The sunsets are spectacular and life in the lodge, without running water, is basic but cozy. The variety of food is rich and the chef does his job very well.

 

The clear nights offer a firework in the sky with northern lights. Churchill is located directly below the Van Allen radiation belt, where the cosmic radiation brings the Earth's atmosphere to fluoresce. At -48°C (-54°F), the photography is extremely difficult but the acting compensates for the effort.

The journey to the lodge is far, very far. Three days out and two days back. Access to the lodge is exclusive. Only a limited number of photographers are lucky enough to get a place in the lodge. The rugged wilderness has really touched me and I hope that despite the climate change it will be possible to see polar bear mothers with their cubs in the wild also in the future.

 

More pictures can be seen here:

Images of the Polar Bears

Images of the Northern Lights

Images of the trip

Photo Book of Shetland

In July 2011 I have, as already reported, traveled to Shetland . From the impressive landscapes, the colorful puffins and the cheeky otters I created a Photo Book. Unlike pictures in a gallery, pictures in a book tell a story and trough the composition often create a whole different effect.

The Photo Book is now online and can be viewed on my website.

Simply click on the envelope and you can (with a mouse click in the corner) flip the pages of the book.

More Photobooks can be seen on my Homepage.  www.rudolf-hug.ch

My next trip
End of February I travel to Canada to photograph polar bears with their cubs. An expedition of a special kind. In the heart of the Canadian tundra an old military base was turned into a simple lodge. From this base, we will be looking for the polar bears with Mattracks (special tracked vehicles) at temperatures down to -40°C . I hope for good pictures and temperatures that are not too deep.

The old custom of "Silvesterchlausen" in Switzerland

One of the finest traditions of Switzerland is the "Silvesterchlausen" in the Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The custom is celebrating the New Year's Eve once after the current Gregorian calendar (31st December) and once by the old Julian calendar. (January 13). Then groups of  beautifully dressed men "Schuppeln" move from house to house to wish a good New Year. I had the opportunity to accompany the "Hofbachschuppel" on their route. The weather was mixed, and especially in the morning there was a mystical and misty atmosphere.

The "Vorrolli" (in the figure of a woman) leads the Schuppel, followed by four "Mannevölcher" (men) with large bells. Last the "Noerolli", another female figure. They wear elaborate bonnets, richly decorated with scenes from everyday life. Arrived at a house the inhabitants are ringed out with the large bells. Then they stand together and the leader starts with his head-voice a "Zäuerli" (a form of nature yodel). So pure and clear as mountain spring water. The other "Chläuse" join in harmoniously. Sometimes quickly, sometimes more melancholy sounds the nature yodel in the beautiful countryside of the Appenzell hinterland.

The hats and bonnets of the "Chläuse" are decorated with scenes from everyday life. In many hours of work pieces with intricate figures and ornaments are decorated. The motto of the Hofbachschuppel is "Silvesterchläuse". Even the hats of the figures have scenes from everyday life in a detail that's hard to believe.

  

In addition to the "Beautyful" there are also the "Beautiful-ugly" and the "Ugly". The "Beautiful-ugly" have dresses of pine branches, moss and other natural materials. The hats also represent scenes from everyday life, but are not so richly decorated as the "Beautyful".

The "Ugly" have a similar dress but horrible masks with horns and teeth of animals. They are wilder than the others and dance and jump scary.

These images are just a small selection of this fascinating event.

More images can be seen in the gallery on my website. 

Travel to the last primitive tribes in Africa

In southwestern Ethiopia, near the Rift Valley, the last primitive tribes are living in Africa. An arduous journey over bumpy, muddy tracks, with very simple accommodations. But also a journey into a fascinating, other world.

 

Along the Omo river live the Mursi, whose women are famous for their lip plates. The approximately 10,000 Mursi live as farmers and cattle breeders. They live largely isolated from Western influences, in simple straw huts in a world reminiscent of the Iron Age. Since they can be quite aggressive, we were accompanied by an armed escort.

 

Besides the exciting encounters with the forgotten tribes, there were also interesting subjects in a beautiful and lush landscape. The misery-image of Ethiopia, which is spread by the media, only affects a small area of the country. Throughout the journey I've seen poverty and simple conditions, but the people seemed well fed and happy.

Around Turmi live the Hamer people . The population is approximately 35,000 of these peaceful people. The meetings in the villages, on the roadside or at the weekly market will remain unforgettable. The women are mostly clothed with fur and leather. Their hair are shaped with ocher and butter into beautiful hairstyles. The men are often painted wild.

I was lucky, that a big ceremony was held on the day I was there. The transition from a boy's adolescence to adulthood is celebrated with the ceremony of "Bull-jumping". If the boy passes the test of courage to jump over a number of bulls, he is considered ready for marriage. Previously, the women and girls are dancing ecstatically around the cattle and ask the men to be lashed in order to get large scars on the back. With this, for us somewhat strange, custom the women express their affection for their families.

These images are just a small selection of this fascinating journey.

More pictures can be viewed in the gallery on my website.

A photo book is in the works and will, I hope, be ready in January. Once it is finished, it can be browsed virtually on my website.

Bear and wolverine in Finland.

Bear, wolf and wolverine in the autumn colours of Finland were my goal in September. I knew that a trip to Scandinavia in the fall is a great risk. If the weather is rather unstable even otherwise, the probability of autumn storms is very large - and so it was!

Despite the unfortunate weather conditions I could take some nice shots of brown bears (Ursus arctos) thanks to my Nikon D3s, which is able to take images at very high ISO setting. The wolves, unfortunately, did not show up.

Click for more images

 

The bears were sometimes quite close to the hide and so I could make some beautiful portraits.

In between the sun winked through the clouds for a few minutes - enough time for some landscape pictures.

Very difficult to photograph is the wolverine. The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. In Europe there are only about 500 of this shy animals, which is about ten times less than lynx. Near Lieksa there is a small population of wolverines, which can be photographed from a remote hide. That means sleeping in a sleeping bag on a cot, from dawn until dusk watching the area closely, only to see with a lot of luck, after eleven hours of waiting an animal for 10 minutes. And some with low light or even rain. A special kind of patience.

More pictures can be viewed in the gallery on my website.

Next trip:

My next trip leads me to the Omo Valley in Ethiopia to photograph landscapes, animals and people. The probability of rain there should be rather small ....

Photobooks of the Southwestern USA

Last April, I have, as already reported, traveled to the southwestern United States. From the impressive landscape pictures I've made ​​two photo books. Unlike the pictures in a gallery, the pictures in a book tell a story and with the composition often create a whole different effect. The text is in German, but the pictures will speak for themselves.

The Photo Books are now online and can be viewed on my website.

Simply click on an envelope and the book opens. With a mouse click in the corner you can then flip the pages. (needs Adobe Flash Player)

More Photobooks can be seen on my Homepage.  www.rudolf-hug.ch 

Shetland

Those who travel to Shetland must expect rain! But only two of ten days some sunshine is little. The primary goal of my trip was puffin and otter photography. And also here nature was not "cooperative" - at least for the puffins. For, until now, unknown reasons, the breeding of this year was catastrophically bad and instead of some tens of thousands only a few birds were on land. On some days, not even one. The photography was a bit difficult. Nevertheless I could photograph some of these funny "clowns". The tour was well organized by Peter Cairns of Northshots.

What do you photograph, when the sky is white and the light is bad? Artic terns, for example against the white sky.

In the reserve Hermaness there is a large skua colony. Skuas are very fast fliers and defend their nest by daring attack maneuvers. Often they are so aggressive that they attack visitors on the signposted path.

Hermaness also houses a large colony of gannets. Well over 10,000 birds nest in the steep   cliffs along the coast.

For three days I have dedicated myself to the otter photography. This extremely shy animals can  only be found with the help of a guide. I was guided by Brydon Thomason, the best otter expert in Shetland. Hours of marches along the coast and with luck you can photograph this lovely animal or as here, a mother with her cub. A fascinating but very exhausting experience.

On the last day I had the luck to watch two killer whales directly off the coast. What a terrific end of a rainy, yet exciting stay in Shetland.

 More pictures can be viewed in the gallery on my website.

My next trip leads me to  to Finland to photograph brown bears, wolves and wolverine. Again, a difficult mission. Wolf and wolverine especially need lots of luck.