Getting great pictures of polar bears is not as difficult as you may think. It’s easy to dream up images of photographers with gigantic lenses and tripods as big as scaffolding getting that perfect “National Geographic moment”, but with today’s digital cameras and easy accessibility to these charming animals on a polar bear tour, just about anybody can come away with a photo worthy of tacking on your wall.

There are a few reasons that explain why getting polar bear pictures is easier than you think (and fun). First, you need to get yourself to a destination like Churchill, Manitoba, polar bear capital of the Earth, and join one of the polar bear tours offered by a few tour operators each fall. Most use enormous tundra vehicles holding up to 40 travelers to get you securely and easily out into the bear-viewing area. Some trips offer lodge-based accomodations where you can even walk on the ground with the bears!

Once you are there, you will discover that polar bears, being at the top of the food chain, are terrified of very little, including you (), and the density of bears round the Churchill area during the summer and fall months is reasonably high.

While longer, stronger telephoto lenses do give you more opportunities to shoot polar bears at a larger (not to mention safer) distance, the bears frequently venture extremely closely on any of these polar bear tours. And, remember that it’s not always the extreme close-up that yields the most aesthetic shot but often a way more impressive shot simply contains the polar bears in a beautiful landscape.

In the 25 years I’ve been directing polar bear tours to the Churchill area, I get asked all the time about “What lens should I carry?” for taking pictures of polar bears. For those with cameras with interchangeable lenses, the straightforward and most accurate answer is, “everything you have!” It’s a given among photographers that the lens you do not have is the one that you will want.

For close-ups, clearly, longer lenses in the 400mm to 800mm range will give you the most alternatives. Polar bears can appear on the horizon or inside 10 feet of your tundra vehicle, or 30 feet if you’re on foot, as on one of the lodge-based trips. I actually have settled on a Canon 100-400mm zoom lens for the majority of my work and find that it covers almost every shot I come across. It is a great compromise with size and weight and is easily hand held or rested on a stable surface, as it is image-stabilized. Any lens in this range will be more than satisfactory.

But do not forget the wider-angle lenses either. The frozen tundra and jumbled sea ice can make for some outstanding landscapes, and if a polar bear is in them, so much the better! In addition, wide prime and zoom lenses are light, small and straightforward to pack.

Tripods are a smart idea for longer lenses in early or late low light, as well as for shooting the aurora borealis lights. Be advised that you may not have too much room on board your tundra vehicle. In this case, a simple bean bag on the window will help to steady your photograph.

Follow these guidelines and you’ll come away with some striking photographs of polar bears!

Randy Green is a founder of the Churchill polar bear trips that have become terrifically sought-after among wildlife fans lately. His site covers all aspects of planning a polar bear trip to Churchill.

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