7 ms·

I looked at the photos first, in awe of the photographer's bravery. Then I read the article and it made more sense; technology is neat!

neverminder 5y ago
Telescopic lens could have achieved even a better result, if there is direct line of sight.
- tokai 5y ago
  Not if he wanted to preserve the wide-angle perspective, which imo is extremely important for this subject matter.
- gridder 5y ago
  Not from a boat
fortran77 5y ago
Those houses must smell awful by now! I doubt the bears are litter box trained.
- ludamad 5y ago
  I imagine once they start a "bathroom" room it would go downhill, but I don't know polar bear relief psychology
- 627467 5y ago
  Don't know what to cite, but I'm pretty sure it is a basic instinct to animals that settle in a regular shelter NOT to shit where they live (at least regularly)
- zepto 5y ago
  It’s common knowledge that they go in the woods.
  - lapetitejort 5y ago
    That must be why polar bears are so grumpy. Not a lot of woods in the arctic circle!
openknot 5y ago
The excerpt for how the photographer captured the photos: "It was too dangerous to land on the island that day, so I took pictures from a drone equipped with special low-noise propellers. I also used certain tricks of the trade that allowed me to shoot the animals without disturbing them. After a while, the bears practically ignored the unusual buzzing."
ape4 5y ago
From my extensive knows of the subject - based entirely only watching nature shows on TV - photographers in such situations have an experienced hunter with a rife beside them.
- plasticchris 5y ago
  There was a bit in the making of the bbc show planet earth where the photographers were confronted by a ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ at their front door which is a very good example of a measured response.
  - bsima 5y ago
    found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mODlsphGbLw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mODlsphGbLw
- bilbo0s 5y ago
  Drones are a bit more effective nowadays. Far less cost and danger associated with the entire operation. It's usually about outcomes not adventure.
  - xeromal 5y ago
    I'm not sure if you've ever been around a drone but the sound they make is god aweful and impossible to avoid with the amount of RPMs they have to make. For skittish animals, drones are still a no-go
    - mig39 5y ago
      As stated in the article, he used low-noise propellers, and eventually the bears just ignored him. If he's using a modern drone, it probably has a zoom lens on it. I've filmed a black bear and her cub with my DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, and never really came closer than 60 metres or so away from them. They didn't even notice the drone. I used low-noise props that change the pitch of the sound as well. Here's my video (I'm an amateur!) from a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEPvcLOTUk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEPvcLOTUk However, if you check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHyUieKqoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHyUieKqoU you'll see some video from the author/photographer of these Polar bears. And at one point the bear is heading directly for the drone. I'm sure his curiosity would result in a swatting of the drone if the pilot didn't move back as he approached. I think he's closer than I would dare, but I don't know what equipment he's using.
peter303 5y ago
PBS has a couple of series on wildlife photography technology (on Wed evenings before NOVA). One series uses attachable cameras optimized for land-sea-air creatures. Another series puts cameras inside of robo-creatures of the target species. Biologists learn lots of new things.

neverminder 5y ago

Telescopic lens could have achieved even a better result, if there is direct line of sight.

tokai 5y ago
Not if he wanted to preserve the wide-angle perspective, which imo is extremely important for this subject matter.
gridder 5y ago
Not from a boat

fortran77 5y ago

Those houses must smell awful by now! I doubt the bears are litter box trained.

ludamad 5y ago
I imagine once they start a "bathroom" room it would go downhill, but I don't know polar bear relief psychology
627467 5y ago
Don't know what to cite, but I'm pretty sure it is a basic instinct to animals that settle in a regular shelter NOT to shit where they live (at least regularly)
zepto 5y ago
It’s common knowledge that they go in the woods.
- lapetitejort 5y ago
  That must be why polar bears are so grumpy. Not a lot of woods in the arctic circle!

openknot 5y ago

The excerpt for how the photographer captured the photos: "It was too dangerous to land on the island that day, so I took pictures from a drone equipped with special low-noise propellers. I also used certain tricks of the trade that allowed me to shoot the animals without disturbing them. After a while, the bears practically ignored the unusual buzzing."

ape4 5y ago

From my extensive knows of the subject - based entirely only watching nature shows on TV - photographers in such situations have an experienced hunter with a rife beside them.

plasticchris 5y ago
There was a bit in the making of the bbc show planet earth where the photographers were confronted by a ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ at their front door which is a very good example of a measured response.
- bsima 5y ago
  found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mODlsphGbLw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mODlsphGbLw
bilbo0s 5y ago
Drones are a bit more effective nowadays. Far less cost and danger associated with the entire operation. It's usually about outcomes not adventure.
- xeromal 5y ago
  I'm not sure if you've ever been around a drone but the sound they make is god aweful and impossible to avoid with the amount of RPMs they have to make. For skittish animals, drones are still a no-go
  - mig39 5y ago
    As stated in the article, he used low-noise propellers, and eventually the bears just ignored him. If he's using a modern drone, it probably has a zoom lens on it. I've filmed a black bear and her cub with my DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, and never really came closer than 60 metres or so away from them. They didn't even notice the drone. I used low-noise props that change the pitch of the sound as well. Here's my video (I'm an amateur!) from a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEPvcLOTUk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEPvcLOTUk However, if you check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHyUieKqoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHyUieKqoU you'll see some video from the author/photographer of these Polar bears. And at one point the bear is heading directly for the drone. I'm sure his curiosity would result in a swatting of the drone if the pilot didn't move back as he approached. I think he's closer than I would dare, but I don't know what equipment he's using.

peter303 5y ago

PBS has a couple of series on wildlife photography technology (on Wed evenings before NOVA). One series uses attachable cameras optimized for land-sea-air creatures. Another series puts cameras inside of robo-creatures of the target species. Biologists learn lots of new things.