THE POLAR BEAR LENS

THERE IS ONE LENS THAT DAISY ALWAYS TURNS TO WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING POLAR BEARS…

Is there a lens that you regard as your polar bear lens?

Yeah, the 800mm. My favourite combo is my 800mm lens combined with the Nikon D6, mounted on a Gitzo carbon fibre tripod and fluid gimbal head. That’s my go-to lens in Svalbard, especially when photographing cubs emerging from the maternity den.

That’s quite a big beast, the 800mm?

It is. It’s heavy, but it’s a very sweet lens and I really love it. I say to people in my workshops, only carry what you can. For me, sometimes it means I only carry that lens. It’s the way to go because when I’m on a ship it allows me – if the bear is far away – to get beautiful environmental shots, but when the bear gets closer the same lens allows me to capture portraits.