This image of a sow and her two cubs was taken in the high Arctic in a fjord on the northern tip of Svalbard. During the summer months, the Polar Bears that remain on land are the ones who are in energy preservation mode. Full on scavenging is absolutely required in order to survive. The pack ice or sea ice retreats in the spring and therefore so does the Polar Bears prime hunting territory. The rate at which the pack ice retreats varies each year but what is concerning is the amount of multi-year pack ice. Multi-year pack ice has almost completely disappeared and what is left is single year pack ice which moves faster with the currents and disappears each season.  The prey of choice for Polar Bears is seal. Without the ability to wait at the seal breathing holes on the fjord fast ice or the Arctic's sea / pack ice hunting becomes a challenging endeavour for all bears left on land. Polar Bears like the ones in this image then rely on whatever washes up on shore from the tides and currents as well as rummaging through bird nests. We spotted this sow walking briskly along the shoreline on a mission with her two cubs attempting to keep up. The Polar Bear's keen sense of smell allows them to smell food sources from 20 to 40 miles away. This is the inspiration behind the title 'Wander' as it was the perfect juxtaposition. The sow walked so briskly, so intently we could sense her desperation to provide to her two hungry cubs as well as herself. When they finally got to the source of the smell, she discovered a massive whale carcass in the shallows that she could drag to shore. We watched the family devour as much of the whale remnants as they could in the shortest time in order to avoid the potential of male predation. After they finished, vitality and optimistic energy radiated through the family. They casually wandered away into the intense summer Arctic sun. The contrasting nature of the events from when we first saw the bears, to then after their meal was so positive and so profound. You could see and feel the sense of urgency, selflessness and care that the sow possessed. It was a tender moment that I'll never forget. The image was photographed directly into the sunlight with a purposeful technique of underexposing the scene to enhance the rim lighting effect. This image is one of my most iconic images in my entire career and I hope the viewers and collectors enjoy it. I hope you enjoy 'Wander' as much as I did when I captured this tender family moment. To bring this digital still to life, like it was for me, each of the 10 collectors will receive a 24”x16” limited edition print with a signed certificate of authenticity and a matching hologram with the edition number. Thank you for supporting my vision to continue to tell stories of habitat preservation and wildlife conservation. I always donate a minimum of 10% of my artistic proceeds to conversation organizations where I work and explore.

$1950