Svalbard #2 2012

25 JULY – 4 AUGUST, SOLD OUT

We invite you to join us on this exciting 10 days photo expedition to Svalbard in July/August, specially arranged for nature photography enthusiasts. Naturfokus will be chartering the entire ship, M/S ORIGO (sister vessel to M/S Stockholm), during the period of July 25 to August 4 2012. This expedition offers many advantages for photographers, when compared to other Svalbard tours.

See the report from the previous 10-day expeditions to Svalbard in 2010 HERE.

Polar Bear in Nordaustlandet, Svalbard (Ole JÃ�Â¸rgen Liodden)

Why travel with us to Svalbard

We have been to Svalbard many times so we know where to go to get your best pictures and experiences. Pro nature photographer Ole Jørgen Liodden will be the expedition leader and photo guide. He is experienced and has arranged 7 previous photo expeditions to Svalbard.
We are chartering the entire ship M/S Origo, for our exclusive use, which means that we can best optimize the expeditions for photo enthusiasts.
This expedition will have only 12 photographers (+ the expedition leader and one guide) distributed amongst 2-3 Zodiacs, which limits 7-8 persons per Zodiac. This is a major advantage considering all of the photo equipment when compared to typical tours involving 13 to 14 persons in each Zodiac. This will enhance our photographic endeavours considerably!
Other participants on the trip share your interests in arctic and nature photography. Good travel companions are important on our expeditions.
Our guides will ensure a safe and flexible expedition.
We can be out in the Zodiacs for longer periods and be more flexible with mealtimes and other “fixed” schedules.
We can decide to stay in certain areas because of light conditions or photo opportunities, instead of roaming around in search of tourist attractions.
We continually obtain updated info on where to find exciting animal life, etc., so that we can more effectively approach the species and types of nature we wish to photograph.
We’ll be circumventing all of the standard “stops”, souvenir shops, rusty ovens and abandoned whaling stations, unless there are requests to visit some of these places.
Our Swedish captain is one of the most experienced captains on Svalbard. He has unique abilities for approaching animals depending on light direction etc.
All photographers will have private cabins for this expedition. This means more space for your luggage and photo gear.

Walrus at Svalbard (Ole JÃ�Â¸rgen Liodden)

Svalbard is situated at about 80 degrees north, so we schedule the expedition in accordance with prevailing weather and ice conditions. Our captain is an expert navigator in arctic conditions. He is an important advisor in planning the expedition in a manner that allows us maximize the photo opportunities and enjoyment of this trip. Also included will be some excursions going ashore amongst walrus colonies (or walruses on the ice), bird cliffs, and places that are seething with life during this time of year.

Ice Map

The ice will determine where we can navigate our ship. Get an updated report of ice conditions (updated almost every day).

Safety

Our safety will have top priority during the entire expedition and security will be provided by the crew of the M/S Origo. We adhere to all applicable safety regulations – especially with regards to polar bears. This also pertains to use of the Zodiac boats (inflatables) in close proximity to icebergs and glacial edges where there may be elements of risk which are not apparent. The safer we feel, the easier it will be for all participants to concentrate on nature and photographic opportunities.

Ethics

We shall NOT contribute to existing negative impressions of nature photographers who visit Svalbard. We will therefore be scheduling longer stops than usual when going ashore in order to provide participants with ample time needed to get excellent pictures without exposing the wildlife to unnecessary stress. We are omitting the traditional “cruise-ship stops” as these eat up precious time without providing any real interesting photographic opportunities.

Our boat

The M/S Origo is spacious and well suited to photography. All participants will be lodged in SINGLE cabins with shared shower and toilet. The beds are made ready and bed linen and a towel are provided. Food service will be at a designated time, but we intend to be flexible in this regard if photo opportunities arise which dictate that the food can wait. The chef generally has a varied and exciting menu.

The first day aboard the ship may consist of a transport leg, and it may be advisable to take seasickness medication and taking it easy until your body adjusts to being aboard a ship at sea. The vessel’s crew members speak Swedish and English. We plan to have a film team (2 persons) with us in the crew, to make a documentary film about this photo expedition. This will be very interesting, and nobody will be filmed without permission!

Inflatable Boats

We have use of 2-3 Zodiacs which are very spacious. These boats will be used to get closer to photo subjects or while going ashore. It is a good idea to bring rubber boots due to certain wet conditions when exploring ashore.

Information concerning photography

There are no scheduled lectures/photography courses during this trip, but we may have an opportunity to look at each other’s pictures via the projector if there is an interest in doing so during some spare time. Vibrations from the ship’s engines may present problems when photographing polar bears, etc. A monopod, VR (IS) lenses or handheld photography may present a solution. This problem is minimal under lighting conditions that allow a min. 1/1600 sec shutter speed even with a 600mm lens mounted on a tripod. It is advisable to bring a laptop in order to transfer and review pictures as quickly as possible. You can easily surpass 10,000+ exposures during your expedition to Svalbard, so an external hard drive or lots of available space on your computer’s drive is the best way to go. There are 220V outlets in the cabins for charging batteries, etc. Be sure to bring along enough batteries and memory cards. There may be ocean fog and poor lighting conditions on Svalbard so fast optics are a definite advantage.

Registration

You register by submitting payment of NOK 10,000 to bank account no.: 6185.05.28607 (IBAN: NO6461850528607 , SWIFT: NDEANOKK) and sending in a signed booking form [download booking form]. On the backside (i.e. second page) of the booking form, you will find the terms and conditions which pertain to this expedition. Full payment must be made no later than 90 days prior to departure (25 APRIL 2012). Private cancellation insurance should be purchased by all participants. The total price for this expedition is NOK 49.500,-.

The price includes

10 nights aboard the M/S Origo, with boarding on 25 JULY at 16:00 and disembarking on 4 AUGUST at 09:00
All meals aboard the vessel
Expedition leader, guide, guards and other personnel
Excursions with the Zodiacs

The expedition price does not include

Overnight accommodation prior to and following the trip aboard the ship
Personal expenses related to mineral water, alcohol and souvenirs purchased aboard the ship
Tips (recommended) for the vessel’s crew members
Travel insurance and cancellation insurance

If you have any questions or want to reserve a spot, please contact us at email: post@naturfokus.no Welcome to Svalbard!

This post is also available in: Norwegian Bokmål

jm ANTOINE says:

August 30, 2011 at 11:08

Hi,

Svalbard 2012: in which city do we have to fly in order to board the ship?

Best regards,

jma

OJL says:

August 30, 2011 at 11:14

Longyearbyen. There are 2–3 flights from Oslo or Tromso in Norway to Longyearbyen.
OJL

CLOUET Benoist says:

August 30, 2011 at 14:28

Hello my friend,

Whre is it possible to subscribe ? Is the second trip a special trip to see polar bear ?

Regards,

Benoist

August 30, 2011 at 14:35

Hi Benoist

Nice to hear from you again!
On this trip we will mostly go for the polar bears, but we will also get some other good stuff!
You book this trip by signing a booking form (see under “registration” above).

OJL

August 30, 2011 at 15:05

Hi again Benoist

Regarding polar bears:
On my 5 last organized photo expeditions to Svalbard in 2010 and 2011 we have observed 108 bears, for an average of over 21 bears per expedition (or 2.5 bears per day). Of these bears, we were able to photograph most of them and had at least 20 close magical encounters. So, Yes we will focus a lot on the polar bears. See also some of my polar bear images from Svalbard 2010 and 2011 at: http://goo.gl/8cglp