WWF Arctic conservation expedition gallery

 

Thursday 17 January 2013 19:20 GMT
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Professional photographer for Canon Europe, Thorsten Milse, recently accompanied the WWF's conservation sailing expedition to the Arctic as part of the WWF Last Ice Area Project.

Click here to view the gallery of his photos

The trip’s mission was to examine future management options for areas where sea ice is expected to last the longest. Canon and WWF share the hope that the power of image will shed light on the state of the environment in the rapidly changing Arctic landscape.

Thorsten Milse joined the first leg of the expedition in Greenland, which departed from Upernavik and travelled to Qaanaaq. He worked alongside a team of WWF experts and scientists, dedicating his time to documenting Arctic environments, to raise awareness of the need for protection.

“For me the assignment was different to previous trips to the Arctic region; the emphasis was on the colours and textures of the landscape, rather than the animals living within it,” commented Milse. “This required a different approach: when I am after pictures of polar-bear cubs or seal pups, I will usually stick to a single location for a considerable time, watching and learning how the animals behave. With the Last Ice Area project I was constantly moving around the coastline by boat, and so my way of working was very different."

Milse says of the relationship between his photography and conservation: “Pictures often speak more loudly than words. If I can show what we must protect then the viewer gets a glimpse of a world that he never gets to see or visit. We are more likely to protect what we love.”

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