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Photographer Martin Gregus spent 33 days within the northern reaches of Canada and mixed his drone pictures and cinematography experience to seize intimate and undisturbed moments of polar bears.Gregus’s work has been acknowledged in contests the world over, relationship way back to 2008 when, on the age of 11, he entered the Pure Historical past Museum’s “Wildlife Photographer of the Yr” competitors and received a particular commendation. His ardour for documenting tales and wildlife culminated with a two-part expedition — first in 2020 throughout summer time lockdown and later in 2021 — the place Gregus spent 33 days in Churchill, Canada, observing and documenting the summer time lives of polar bears via his lens. “It truly is extraordinary that these wild animals can present such compassion and resilience whereas their pure world disintegrates proper below their toes,” he tells PetaPixel. Gregus had flown drones for over eight years, however it wasn’t till early 2015 when he and his father, who can also be a drone pilot, began to implement drones in wildlife cinematography and pictures. Gregus says that flying drones round wild animals is a unique and tougher expertise in comparison with working for Hollywood-based productions.
“Not like individuals, they don’t have a script so you need to foresee what they may do within the quick future and as such it has been a really lengthy and onerous course of attending to the place we’re immediately,” says Gregus. “Whereas I don’t go anyplace with out my drone and sometimes fly it round even probably the most elusive animals, what individuals don’t see is that the methods we use are years within the making and when used appropriately they offer us an incredible instrument for wildlife conservation.” Gregus recollects the expertise of seeing and dwelling with polar bears close by as extraordinary. The primary few days will be overwhelming as a result of it’s simple to lose your self in snapping the whole lot round you, he says, however as soon as he settled in, he was capable of focus simply on capturing particular moments and using all of the instruments accessible to stand up shut with the bears. “As soon as that occurred, I usually stopped myself and simply sat with the polar bears whereas they slept. Positive, I may go to the camp and sleep or simply loosen up, however I may try this at residence. As an alternative, I usually selected to only sit with the bears and loosen up — generally 3 hours later they might get up and deal with me to some polar bear yoga.”
For Gregus, a drone is only a instrument that’s simply as invaluable because the digicam round his neck. He doesn’t encourage amateurs to fly round wild animals as a result of it’s harmful and any mistake can set again the years of labor put into wildlife conservation. Having mentioned that, if used appropriately, drones give the chance to be in a couple of place at one time and can assist get to a location inside seconds slightly than minutes. For Gregus the latter was of explicit significance when he captured the picture of a polar bear with a rainbow and with no drone, he wouldn’t stand an opportunity of taking pictures that in time. His work with the polar bears has been showcased within the 2020 showreel for AviaEye, a media firm based by Gregus and his father. The video edit was Extremely Counseled at this yr’s Siena Drone Awards. Gregus has quite a few initiatives and expeditions within the works, each in Canada and internationally. He’s at present engaged on a e book that paperwork the Islands of the South Pacific, in addition to one other venture targeted on the rugged great thing about the Antarctic continent. “I don’t suppose my work within the arctic and extra particularly the Canadian Arctic will ever finish. I owe it to myself and to the communities of the north to share their tales.”
Extra of Gregus’s work will be discovered on his Instagram, web site, in addition to on the AviaEye web site, and his YouTube channel. Picture credit: All photographs by Martin Gregus and used with permission.
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