When we imagine a polar bear, we think of them striding across shiny white ice and snow, or maybe strolling through the dry Northern tundra.
Which is pretty accurate most of the time, but in certain parts of Canada, the bears range far enough south that they can be found frolicking among summer wildflowers.
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Some of the most famous, and eye-catching, photos are by Canadian photographer Dennis Fast.
He was staying in a lodge along the shores of Hudson’s Bay in Manitoba, where polar bears also like to spend their summers while waiting for the ice to refreeze.
While they wait, the bears fish and hunt beluga whales in the bay.
They also take part in the time-honored summer tradition of lazing about in the sun and enjoying the wildflowers.
The blossoms in question are a bright pink fireweed.
Though he loves capturing many animals on camera, Fast particularly loves the polar bears.
In a 2015 interview with My Modern Met, he said:
“They have a slow, ambling gait as they drift about looking for anything that moves. It looks like they don’t have a care in the world, and that there is nothing they are afraid of. It’s not arrogance, exactly, but a quiet confidence that we often respect in humans and that translates well to the polar bear.”
It takes time and patience to gain enough trust to get these kind of up close, casual shots of the bears.
Fast spent a lot of time simply hanging around, acting casual and letting the bears start thinking of him as just another part of the environment.
But I think we can all agree that the results were worth it!
You can see more of his work over on his website at dennisfast.com .
h/t: My Modern Met
