An expedition around Spitsbergen (Svalbard) is the most impressive trip I have ever been allowed to make, and being lucky enough to spot and photograph the biggest predator of this archipelago was absolutely magnificent.
This polar bear was spotted in the floating ice of the Barents Sea south of Nordauslandet. In the meantime, our boat was stuck in the vast ice.
This was my first polar bear who was so curious that he came to take a closer look at the boat. The bear was initially far away from our boat, but due to his excellent sense of smell and the curiosity that took hold of him, he came closer and closer to our boat. To be able to observe and photograph the king of the North Pole from so close up is already unique, but when the polar bear gets up on his hind legs to have more overview, I realized that I was witnessing a very special moment in this wild rough nature, which makes this moment unforgettable for me.
Passionate nature and wildlife photographer traveling to all corners of the world. Dirk-Jan's photography is mainly focused on depicting the beautiful and fragile nature on earth, but he also likes to depict landscapes on his travels and in The Netherlands.
Wild animals ranging from colourful birds and mountain gorillas to..
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