10 days of WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY on SVALBARD

At the top of the world, far beyond the Arctic circle, lies the wild archipelago of Svalbard. Only a handful species of birds and mammals have conquered this land, through raw perseverance and remarkable resilience. In June 2024, I spent 10 days in pursuit of Svalbard’s fauna, for a wildlife photography adventure. Join me for an unforgettable journey to my dream destination!

The species I photograph in this video are the Svalbard reindeer, pink-footed goose, barnacle goose, purple sandpiper, common eider, king eider, glaucous gull, leucistic barnacle goose, Svalbard rock ptarmigan, brent goose, polar fox/arctic fox, red phalarope, red-necked phalarope, northern fulmar, little auk, Brünnicks guillemot, black-legged kittiwake, arctic skua, arctic tern, black guillemot, ringed seal, walrus, snow bunting, sanderling, red-throated loon and long-tailed duck, and I even indulged in some landscape photography.


SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tobias_gjerde_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092172307226
- Website: https://www.tobiasgjerde.com

GEAR:
- Camera: Canon EOS R5
- Lenses:
o Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II
o Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III
- Vlogging camera: iPhone 12 mini

MUSIC:
- Resolutions by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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- Cirrus by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Felicity by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- 10 Piano Tracks (vol. 1) by Ethereal 88 | https://ethereal88.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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- Stars (Extended) by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
- Wonders by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
- Bring Me The Sky by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Clouds by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
- This Too Shall Pass by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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- Clarion by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Family by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
- Life In Silico by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Svalbard!
00:30 Why am I here?
01:21 Heading out to photograph!
01:53 Svalbard reindeer
03:11 Pink-footed geese in a blizzard
04:43 Barnacle geese and other birds in the snow
06:37 Encountering a rare goose…
08:25 Svalbard rock ptarmigan
09:46 Brent geese – and a surprise
10:27 Red phalaropes and a red-necked phalarope
14:41 Photographing from the ship: MS Nordstjernen
17:55 Landings and minimalistic photography
18:37 An avian robbery – Arctic skua vs kittiwake
19:35 The world’s northernmost settlement: Ny Ålesund
20:44 Walrus in town!
23:55 The world’s most numerous sea bird
25:57 A curious polar fox
27:35 Spring in the valley
28:31 The final photo shoot: red phalaropes in breeding mode
29:36 Thanks for watching!