I have always been interested in the Arctic since
my trips to Alaska, the Yukon, and Newfoundland in the early 70s so I was very
interested in receiving a review copy of the Polar Obsession book by National
Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen. It is another great one from National
Geographic and the book exceeded my already high expectations. First it is a very beautiful large
format book. Second, Paul goes both underwater and across the ice to deliver
unique, close-up documentation of wildlife in the Arctic and Antarctic. The
book also presents timely insights into animal behavior, the fragile polar
environment and the climate change that threatens the ice and those who live
over and under it.
Paul grew up in a small Inuit community in the
Canadian Arctic so he is at home with this effort. He now lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, a town I have visited. There
are 150 images from the polar reaches that include elephant seals, leopard
seals, whales, walruses, narwhals and polar bears, penguins, albatrosses,
petrels, arctic cod and tiny krill. The cover has dual image of a polar bear
underwater and its reflection on the surface above it.
The books often have a photographer and a writer.
Paul covers both roles here. He starts each chapter with an essay detailing the
life conveyed in the images. The title page has a great shot of a sleeping
seals riding the waves taken at water level. The next shot is a group of
narwhals with their unicorn horns raised like spears. There is wonderful two-page
sot of a group of walruses in Norway. The narwhals get extensive coverage with some great group
shots and close-ups of their horns.
The creatures of the Arctic and Antarctic are quite
spectacular and Paul covers both ends of the earth. There is a great contrast. For example, on two-page spread
you see a lone polar bear in the distant framed against the blue ice glacier
and cold cliffs off Norway. You turn the page to see another two page spread of
a warm tone image of hundreds of Elephant Seals and King Penguins on a beach in
South Georgia in the very South Atlantic. Turn again and you are faced with a close up of a baby
Elephant seal staring at you underwater.
There are many close-ups of Polar Bears that make
you wonder how he took the shots. One shows a close head shot of a Polar bear
shaking off waters as it comes up from a dive. Another has a bear shining red
in the sunset as it hunts. The landscapes, both above and below the water are
also well covered. This is a book
that I will return to many times. I highly recommend it. You can order the book
at the National Geographic site.