Arctic Biodiversity "through the lens" Grand Prize Winner

Photographer: Arnar Bergur Guðjónsson

“Simply a stunning image of light, composition and mood. It is like living inside the perfect icy dream.”
- Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

Biodiversity - Category winner

Photographer: Jenny E. Ross

A sub-adult male polar bear (Ursus maritimus) climbs precariously on the face of a cliff
above the ocean in northern Novaya Zemlya in the Russian High Arctic, attempting
unsuccessfully to eat eggs in the nests of Brünnich’s Guillemots (Uria lomvia). Glaucous
gulls (Larus hyperboreus) lurk nearby, also hoping to eat eggs. This bear was marooned
on land, unable to feed on seals -- his normal prey -- because the sea ice had melted
throughout the region and receded far to the north as the result of climate change. Polar
bears cannot hunt seals in the absence of sea ice. A blubber-rich diet of marine mammal
prey is essential for these iconic predators. They occasionally snack on eggs, vegetation,
human garbage, and other things when they’re trapped on land and unable to hunt seals;
however, such alternate foods cannot sustain them.

Biodiversity-Runner Up Photographer: Audun Rikardsen The world’s most dense population of the white tail eagle is found in Northern Norway, mainly because of the extensive winter fishery where the eagles often feed on the fish guts that is thrown overboard by the fishermen. Picturing the white tail eagle diving forfood is one of the favorite situations for many photographers. Most of these pictures are taken from a boat with large telelenses, resulting in many good but often similar pictures. For years I have planned how to picture this magnificent and majestic bird from a different perspective and angel, using a wide angle lens in order to get a feeling of nearness, but at the same time show their preferred hunting environment during winter in Northern Norway.

Biodiversity-Runner Up Photographer: Daniel Altmann A fulmar flying in front of Skógafoss, Iceland. The birds were crossing in front of the waterfall, flying to and from their nests high up on the slope.

Landscape - Category winner

Photographer: Audun Rikardsen

Aurora borealis gives her last love dance before the daylight takes completely over during
the Arctic spring and summer. This image is taken April 14th in Northern Norway, the same
day as thousands of puffins arrived to the bird island underneath the dancing Aurora.
While taking the picture I could hear the arriving birds communicating both in the air and
on the ocean. A great night!

Landscape-Runner Up Photographer: Arnar Bergur Guðjónsson This image is taken near to craters of Laki (Lakagígar) in Iceland. It had just stoped raining a few minutes earlier and this green color and black sand screamed at me to take an image.	Landscape-Runner Up Photographer: Ingólfur Bjargmundsson Brúarárfoss, waterfall. Image captured in south Iceland on a moody summer night.

Arctic Peoples - Category winner

Photographer: Jiannan Wang

I followed an Inuit hunter, hunting seals around the Hvalsund area near by Qaanaaq
Greenland for four hours in rather gray and gloomy conditions. The hunter stopped to rest
and a glimmer of light passed through the dark clouds lighting up the scene.

Arctic Peoples-Runner Up Photographer: Tamas Farkas An Inughuit hunter is processing caribou at Etah, Greenland. Etah was once the mostnortherly populated settlement in the world. The village became abandoned due to extremely harsh conditions, but hunters still visit the place to hunt for muskox, caribou and Arctic hare. The picture was taken in April, when the sun does not set but the temperature was still minus 30°C. While working, the hunter put his hands in the intestines of his prey from time to time to warm his fingers warm.

Arctic Peoples-Runner Up Photographer: Patrick Kane Wolf trapper, Modeste Eddibar, dries wolf pelts in his cabin in Colville Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada. Colville Lake is one of the most traditional, remote and expensive communities in the Northwest Territories, relying mainly on the fishing and trapping industries for food and income.

Business and Science- Category winner

Photographer: Anatoly Kochnev

In October 2009, 90 000 walruses hauled out to relax on the Keniskin Bay beach near Cape
Serdtse-Kamen’ in the Chukchi Sea. They closely surrounded my field cabin, and during
several days I lived in a “walrus siege”. The roar of the walruses did not allow me to sleep,
and I was afraid that my cabin would fall apart, and I would be flattened by their giant
bodies. This image is dedicated to the memory of Alexey Nutewgi the Chukchi hunter
who helped me create this image

Business and Science-Runner Up Photographer: Vadim Balakin The icebreaker Kapitan Dranitzyn goes through the ice of Arctic Ocean, Franz Josef Land. The shot is taken from a helicopter.

Business and Science-Runner Up Photographer: Audun Rikardsen A PhD-student has tagged a spent Atlantic salmon that is on its way to the sea for the second time. The electronic tag is surgically implanted in the belly of the fish and with a sensor on the outside that measure environmental factors like light intensity, depth and temperature. When the fish return to the river and is recaptured, the data will be used to for the first time ever track the individual migration route of salmon in the open Northern Atlantic Ocean.

Under 18

Photographer: Leif Blake

 The Senja/Tungeneset mountain range is across the fjord, but by lying on my stomach and holding the camera
over the pool, I was able to get a good reflection. The evening light was beautiful, and we
had the place to ourselves.
I am 15 years old and live in Whitehorse, Yukon. I enjoy looking for unusual angles and
perspectives for my photos. I try to capture birds, insects, and animals in their natural
habitat.

Under 14

Photographer: Merle

This was taken in Swedish Lapland close to Abisko and the border to Norway. In spring the
snow starts to melt and big parts break apart. People go ice-fishing in the sunny weather.

I am Merle and I am seven years old. We spend a lot of time in Arctic regions and I love to
remember the landscape, animals and people from my trips. Thats why I take my camera
with me. It’s only a small compact camera. But I love to take pictures and small videos
about our travels. My mum is taking pictures at a professional level and teaches me
sometimes how to make pictures. I love the snow up in the north and the animals.

Winners of the Arctic Biodviersity "photography competition" will be contacted shortly by CAFF regarding their prices.