Slovakian-born, Canada-based photographerMartin Gregushas gained acclaim for his documentation of polar bears.
Particularly striking are his photographs of the polar bears in fields of purple flowers.
Here, we see them peacefully napping and simply taking in the environment.
How did your journey with photography begin?
My journey into photography began over 19 years ago when we first moved to Canada.
What attracted you to photographing wildlife and, in particular, polar bears?
From a very young age, I had a passion for animals.
When we were not at the zoo, I was modeling the animals from clay out of memory.
Then, when we moved, I was surrounded by nature.
So, naturally, as my passion for photography developed so did my passion for wildlife photography.
What inspired this series?
The inspiration came in 2015 when my dad and I were out on the water.
We watched as a bear swam and underneath him, a pod of beluga whales played and blew bubbles.
Your work builds on your previous visits.
What did you learn during those past encounters that helped make this series a success?
First of all, we learned how to be a little more comfortable.
In 2021, we built our camp to be almost fully bear-proof so we could actually get uninterrupted sleep.
I also brought in a full truck of supplies, camera gear, and food.
Aside from that, we were able to better prepare for the bears.
What was your biggest triumph during the shoot?
But while we were there, the best stories came from the bears themselves.
As they got used to our sounds and smells we could see them start to relax around us.
What was your biggest challenge?
As always, the biggest challenge didnt come from the bears, but from the arctic environment itself.
The boat swayed, rocked, and often felt like it would break apart on the rocks.
What do you hope that people take away from the work?
From what I can tell, this is already working.
This is wonderful to see.
I just hope we can return the favor and protect them as much as they protected us.
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