Photographic Adventures in the Arctic

It was a brisk, clear day. The thermometer read -30 degrees F (-50 with windchill). The young lady scurried to bundle herself up, not bothering to remove her apron. "Weapon" in hand, she made her way across the street, then crouched and slowly crawled up a snowbank. "Aha!" she declared to herself. The caribou was in perfect range. Breathless, she raised her equipment, aimed carefully... and shot!

Obviously my camera did not kill the caribou. =) Since purchasing our new camera, I have been eager to discover how well it would perform long-distance, particularly for wildlife shots. The opportunity finally presented itself two weeks ago when a lonely caribou, most likely banished from his herd for some reason pertaining to its appearance or personality (chuckle), settled itself upon the stretch of open tundra across the street from my home. We have seen small herds in this location frequently this winter. Watching them graze peacefully within the village reminds me of a herd of cattle. This particular caribou was enjoying his meal of frozen lichen when, lo and behold, a camera-toting, aproned creature obtrusively invaded. I felt ridiculously like a tourist. I spent over an hour outside in periods; the biting temperature made it impossible to stay out for long. My poor hands were frozen stiff -- literally. A passionate photographer's focus and determination to get the perfect shot is undeterred by every element, I have discovered. My family thinks I'm crazy. They got a good laugh out of watching my antics. What a sight I must have been with my Edwardian apron flying about me as I crawled around in the snow. HA! =D

To my delight, I found several different areas to shoot from. I ventured closer and closer. My dad at last pointed out a large snowpile down the street which proved to be the ideal spot. As I crept up and peeked around, I could not believe how near I was to the caribou  (approximately 50 feet). I could see its jaw moving as it chewed its cud and I noticed the detail of the snow encrusting the fur on its back. By this time I was shaking -- and not from the cold! I got some excellent photos from this vantage point; they far exceeded my expectations!

As I walked back to my warm home, greeting a few familiar people I passed, my heart welled with thankfulness to the Lord for the privilege of digitally capturing this nomad of the tundra. I was refreshed by the clear, cold Arctic air and overjoyed by the Lord's goodness to me.