78° NORTH · URSUS MARITIMUS
POLAR BEARS
ARCTIC PHOTOGRAPHY
EXPEDITION INTELLIGENCE
ARCTIC PHOTOGRAPHY · EXPEDITION INTELLIGENCE
Expedition Report

Mother & Cubs

Brief

Ten days focused on mothers and cubs in the Hudson Bay lowlands, working at respectful distance as family groups move through winter denning habitat.
February-March
Expedition Date
Hudson Bay & Wapusk lowlands
Location
57-58°N
Latitude Reached
Very small group
Team
10 days
Duration
Snow vehicle support
Vessel
Den-to-coast corridor
Range covered

Expedition Summary

Mother & Cubs is the intimate side of polar bear fieldwork. The subject is not speed or drama, but trust in distance: a mother pausing to test the air, cubs learning to follow, and the fragile first weeks of life outside the den. The landscape is flat, white, and exposed, which makes every movement matter. Done correctly, the photographs feel quiet because the approach is quiet.

A cub keeps close to its mother in the Hudson Bay lowlands during the first weeks outside the den.
A cub keeps close to its mother in the Hudson Bay lowlands during the first weeks outside the den.

Mission Objectives

  1. Document maternal behavior Photograph nursing, resting, scent-checking, and cub movement without disrupting family groups.
  2. Track early cub development Record how cubs learn to move across snow, follow their mother, and respond to wind and sound.
  3. Preserve distance and ethics Build the expedition around slow positioning, long lenses, and strict respect for denning habitat.

Journey Timeline

Family-group work is measured in small movements. A productive day may be a few hundred meters of tracking and one clean moment when the cubs step into the open.
Week

Access and Quiet Setup

Move into the winter lowlands and establish working distance. The first priority is understanding wind, light, and where family groups can be observed without pressure.

Week

First Family Movements

Track fresh movement as mothers begin leading cubs across low willow and snow. Sessions stay short and deliberate, especially when cubs are exposed.

Week

Behavioral Windows

Focus on nursing breaks, short play intervals, and how mothers manage cubs in wind and cold. The strongest frames often happen during pauses, not travel.

Week

Coastward Transition

Follow broader movement toward the coast where conditions open up and environmental images show the scale of the journey.

Week

Access and Quiet Setup

Move into the winter lowlands and establish working distance. The first priority is understanding wind, light, and where family groups can be observed without pressure.

Week

First Family Movements

Track fresh movement as mothers begin leading cubs across low willow and snow. Sessions stay short and deliberate, especially when cubs are exposed.

Week

Behavioral Windows

Focus on nursing breaks, short play intervals, and how mothers manage cubs in wind and cold. The strongest frames often happen during pauses, not travel.

Week

Coastward Transition

Follow broader movement toward the coast where conditions open up and environmental images show the scale of the journey.

Challenges & Discoveries

The biggest challenge is restraint. Cubs are small, vulnerable, and easily overworked by cold and distance, so the expedition has to be built around what the bears allow. The discovery is how expressive quiet behavior can be: a cub leaning into its mother’s leg, a nose lifted into the wind, a pause before crossing open snow.

A mother leads two cubs across the Hudson Bay lowlands during the first weeks outside the den.
Cubs play beside their resting mother in low willow habitat near the Wapusk coast.
The family follows a single line through open snow, cubs learning to travel in their mother's tracks.

Photographer's Note

With mothers and cubs, a photographer has to earn every frame by knowing when not to make one. The best images come from giving the family room to remain a family.

Gear Used

Long, fast telephoto lenses are essential, supported by gloves and systems that can be operated in deep cold. The second body stays ready for wider habitat frames when the family crosses clean snow.

Nikon Z9 + 500mm f/5.6 PF

Primary long lens for distance, compression, and ethical working space.

Gitzo Systematic tripod + Wimberley head

Stable support for long waits, wind, and heavy glass.

Camera Settings Used

Capture the Arctic exactly as it appeared in the field. These are representative settings for fast-moving polar bear behavior in cold, reflective conditions.

1/2500 sec
Shutter Speed
f/5.6
Aperture
ISO 800
ISO
500mm
Focal Length
"The photograph only works if the family still owns the moment."
— Tom Kokta
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