A POLAR BEAR FROLICS ON SEA ICE

FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER FLORIAN Ledoux had dreamed of seeing a polar bear in the wild since he was 10 years old. That's when he took his first trip to the Arctic: a family vacation in the Finnish Lapland, which is numbingly cold and snowy but doesn't have polar bears.

Ledoux got more than he wished for last August while sailing through Lancaster Sounds in Canada, north of the Arctic Circle. He saw not one but 14 polar bears—a moving experience, to put it mildly. "I cried during the three hours we stayed close to them," he says

Ledoux lives in Iceland and regularly travels through the Arctic to photograph wildlife. He was on the tail end of a 3,700-mile-long expedition from Ilulissat, Greenland to Nunavut, Canada, when he looked through his binoculars and saw a white ball of fur paddling through the water. Then he realized there were 13 more. They chilled out on the ice, rough-housed with their cubs, and even dined on a seal carcass to their audience's delight.

"There is no better feeling than being close to those magnificent animals," Ledoux says.

After several hours letting the animals become familiar with his presence, he launched his DJI Phantom 4 Pro to document the creatures. One of the most striking images he captured shows a bear leaping between bits of sea ice, which the animals rely on for hunting but has been melting in recent years. It just earned him the title of Drone Photographer of the Year in this year's Drone Awards, beating out 4,400 submissions from over 101 countries (for more winning images and runners-up, click through the gallery above).

For Ledoux, what matters most is being able to spread awareness about polar bears, which have a decreasing population that's currently very vulnerable to extinction. Fortunately, the area where Ledoux found the animals sits within a new marine conservation area the governments of Canada and Nunavut have agreed to create. That way future generations—and future generations of drone photographers—can also enjoy the thrill of seeing them in the wild, too.

RedHotPoker

Very nice sharing RedHotPoker thank you

He's pretty stretched out there.

ALABAMA Posted at 2018-8-4 17:02
He's pretty stretched out there.

Yes, “leaping between the bits of sea ice...” ;-)


Avoiding an icy swim, no doubt. whahaha

You would too. Grin


RedHotPoker

dronto Posted at 2018-8-4 16:45
Very nice sharing RedHotPoker thank you

It nice to see an award winning drone pic... ;-)


RedHotPoker

Workin' in there! Lol

Thanks for sharing.

iamjustjohn Posted at 2018-8-4 18:59
Workin' in there! Lol

Thanks for sharing.

Yeah!! Man...


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-8-4 18:11
It nice to see an award winning drone pic... ;-)

Very nice shot indeed

wow nice one

What a nice story and wonderfull picture

dronto Posted at 2018-8-4 22:25
Very nice shot indeed

Thanks, glad you liked seeing it.


RedHotPoker

jacksonnai Posted at 2018-8-5 06:08
wow nice one

Yes, it’s a wonderful capture.


RedHotPoker

Ray_Drone_Pilot Posted at 2018-8-5 07:59
What a nice story and wonderfull picture

Ha, yes that was my thoughts exactly. ;-)



RedHotPoker

Sweet  !!!

Ive already heard about this masterpiece. Thanks for sharing with us!

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-8-5 23:06
Yes, it’s a wonderful capture.

     

TimDerLauch Posted at 2018-8-5 23:25
Sweet  !!!

Yeah, “from a safe distance” they truly are...


RedHotPoker

TimDerLauch Posted at 2018-8-5 23:25
Sweet  !!!

Yeah, “from a safe distance” they truly are...


RedHotPoker

JasonPictures Posted at 2018-8-6 03:07
Ive already heard about this masterpiece. Thanks for sharing with us!

Yup, a true delight, in simple term...


RedHotPoker

jacksonnai Posted at 2018-8-6 03:17

I get a kick out of you, I get a kick... ;-)


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-8-6 06:40
I get a kick out of you, I get a kick... ;-)
https://youtu.be/gS8fcsf8asI

hahaha we are off topic now

jacksonnai Posted at 2018-8-6 21:40
hahaha we are off topic now

So many topics, so little time. Ha


RedHotPoker

wooow. nice shots

tjalex Posted at 2018-8-15 03:27
wooow. nice shots

Thanks. I appreciate the warm thoughts...


RedHotPoker