THE BEAUTY IN THE BEAST
While photographing wildlife in Svalbard, I didn’t expect to fall in love with a walrus.There was so much personality etched into every wrinkle, every scar, every groove of his enormous tusks. His imperfections told a story — one of survival, resilience, and quiet strength. I was completely captivated by his presence.
A beautiful and unexpected gift from the Arctic.
THE SILENT HOWL
Our first epic sighting on the Svalbard expedition surpassed anything I’d dared hope for. Naturally, we were there for polar bears. Of course. But on our very first outing aboard the zodiac, we ended up cruising into something entirely unexpected: three Arctic foxes, waiting near the water’s edge like mischievous spirits of the tundra.
That surprise encounter kept us out there for hours in minus 15ºC, though none of us felt the cold at that point. These little dynamos were brimming with energy, darting and tumbling across the snow as if performing just for us. I wasn’t quite prepared for that level of excitement so early on, but the thrill of it was magnetic. I was all in for the foxes.
Then, in the middle of the chaos, one paused. It sat, still and striking against the frozen landscape, and let out sharp barks. I managed to capture that fleeting moment in a still frame, a lucky freeze of something that felt eternal. That image became my favourite from the encounter.
I call it ‘The Silent Howl’. .
DREKI
"Dreki," the Norse word for "dragon," feels fitting when describing the European Shags I encountered in Hornøya, Norway. From the moment I laid eyes on them, I was utterly mesmerized. My first close encounter was nothing short of enchanting. Unlike their more skittish cousins, the cormorants, these Shags were remarkably unperturbed by my presence. This rare opportunity allowed me to get incredibly close—so close, in fact, that I found myself lying in the snow at -22ºC, carefully inching forward and using my 14mm lens to capture them in their entirety.
I was lucky to be able to create a collection of breathtaking portraits and intimate behavioural shots that truly captured their wild essence.
HRH
This image is undoubtedly one of my favourite moments, giving me one of my most cherished portraits from Naboisho, Kenya. Nothing captures drama and majesty like a lion, side-lit. It does more than just reveal the details, the rough texture of the mane, the quiet confidence in the eyes. It adds mood, presence, and a kind of reverence, fit for ‘HRH’ (His Royal Highness).