Arctic Autumn

Cotton Grass, Edgeoya Island, Svalbard

Fall comes early to arctic Svalbard. At nearly 80 degrees north, just over 600 miles from the North Pole, summer is brief, and by late August new snow is already descending from the mountain summits and will soon blanket the tundra. I had the chance this past week to shoot this golden landscape, concentrating, as you must at this latitude, on things close to the ground. No surprise that I spent a lot of my time on my belly, when not out looking for polar bears out on the pack ice (see my earlier posts). Here are two of my favorite autumn shots, with more to come.

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens

Saxifrage and lichen-covered rock, Svalbard

Nikon D3 with 60mm Macro lens

Originally Published August 29, 2010

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