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This Photographer Spent and Month With Polar Bears

Martin Gregus, a Canadian-Slovakian photographer, lived with polar bears for over a month and came back with inspiring stories and incredible photos.

After traveling to the Arctic and seeing polar bears at the height of the tourist season - winter - an idea sprung up in Gregus’ mind: how would this tundra look during summer, with not a single soul around?

To follow Gregus' works, visit his Website, Instagram, or Facebook
 
polar bear in field of fireweed
A polar bear in a field of fireweed/Martin Gregus via My Modern Met
Following years of planning, Gregus and his assistant, Josh Goodman, set sail for the Arctic with the help of Lazy Bear Expeditions in Churchill, Canada. They braved through end-of-summer storms to allow the bears time to get used to their presence. This way, when the storm cleared, they were able to get close enough for a proper shot. They also wanted to reach land in time to see the fireweeds in full bloom.
3 polar bears in the arctic summer

Gregus documented his time among the polar bears in a short documentary film. In the movie, he shares unbelievably inspiring moments of his 33-day-long journey in the Arctic.

A full month in the Arctic poses many challenges. At first, Gregus and Goodman were all by themselves. With no pier, they were struggling to keep the boat vertical to the beach. Every rising tide could carry them away: “every six hours it felt like the boat was going to break apart on the rocks, but after a few days even that felt normal. To be honest, it’s kind of funny, looking back at the situation now, trying to explain to people the normality of the dishes falling, the boat cracking and squeaking.”

33 days with polar bears by Martin Gregus
Gregus in the water, trying to keep the boat parallel to the beach/33 Days Among Bears Documentary Film
33 days with polar bears by Martin Gregus
Gregus and Goodman resting at sundown/33 Days Among Bears Documentary Film
Gregus also shared some psychological challenges he faced, describing the eerie silence at night, the feeling of loneliness, and having to ration food. The daily routine of waking up at 4:30 in the morning and shooting until midnight became easier as they were joined by Terence Malenchak, their professional bear guard.
polar bear in silver water
polar bear staring at the sun
polar bear on the arctic beach
Finally, patience and perseverance paid off when a mother polar bear was confident enough to nurse her cubs close to the camp. Suddenly, a new relationship was forming: “some people think I’m crazy to live out here […] and go walk amongst the bears every single day, following the exact trails they walk on, and over time, getting to know them in such a way that I can recognize an individual from miles away. Who knows? Maybe I am a bit crazy, but there’s just something about these animals that’s magical. As you […] get to know them, you realize you’re not all that different. You watch them play and learn from their parents. The characteristics of each individual become more and more evident."polar bear snoozing in a fireweed field

Martin Gregus via My Modern Met

mother polar bear nursing her cub
A mama bear nursing her cub/Martin Gregus via My Modern Met
A mama bear nursing her cubs
A mama bear nursing her cub
A cub resting next to his mother/33 Days Among Bears Documentary Film

Living safely among bears is a constant balancing act between being threatening and calm enough. This is so that the bears don’t attack you but won’t be too scared to come close. In his film, Gregus shared that even though he came close to some of the bears, he would never risk shooting alone. "Doing so would show a complete disregard for the animals. After all, if they attack you, it’s because you did something wrong. We are the visitors, the bears simply tolerate us.“

And besides, the real challenger, according to him, is the Arctic itself. “It doesn’t cooperate with you,” he says, “it will toss new challenges and problems in your way, and only when you solve enough of those challenges, will you finally get to go home.”

33 days with polar bears by Martin Gregus

Martin Gregus via My Modern Met

polar bear with lightning in the background
A male polar bear, moments before catching an arctic tern chick
A male polar bear, moments before catching an arctic tern chick/33 Days Among Bears Documentary Film
The movie shares an incredible, raw human experience where the lines between us and nature are blurred. Watching it will leave you both in awe and inspired. You can watch it below. 
33 days with polar bears by Martin Gregus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

H/T: MyModernMet

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