By Tommy Simonsen, Fujifilm Nordic X-Photographer
In 2016 I changed from Canon to the smaller and more versatile Fujifilm X-system. Some of the images below are from a Northern Norwegian animal exhibition I moved around in 2019. I live in a small Northern Norwegian town and travels a lot around on tours and expeditions, sometimes working with the tourist industry, sometimes on lectures. I give my Fujifilm Gear a rough and hard life under all kinds of arctic conditions, but it certainly deliver.
-By far!
By the time I took this image, the X-Pro2 were just released, and this specific XF 100-400 lens was about the only of it´s kind in Scandinavia. So when I planned this image with the Lynx I said:
Fujifilm Nordic would either give me a medal or an unhonorable discharge as a X-Photographer.
Luckily it came out well 🙂 (taken under controlled conditions)
-North Of the Wall-
Six of us are sitting in a large Zodiac off The island of Storøya at the far northeast side of the archipelago of Svalbard at 80.1N. The ice front extends several meters like a wall above the ocean.
We get the first sight of him like a dot far ashore on the snowy plains.
Suddenly he´s there. A huge well fed male. Curious, maybe hungry he stands there. Watching us. Considers whether we might be a possible meal, although we are way too far out for him to consider us as a pray.
Then it strikes me that this “White Walker” is on the inside of the wall, and us in the boat are the ones on the outside.
He belongs here. It is us that are the intruders.
Fujifilm X-H1 / XF100-400 / ISO 500 / 1/2000sec / f:7.1
-Encounter-
Cheerful turmoil in the Reindeer herd today.
Springtime has arrived, making the young bulls blood tingle.
It is about time to place the rank, deciding who is the Boss! (taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-T2 / XF100-400 / ISO 800 / 1/1000sec / f:6.4
-Lone Winter Wolf-
Impressive!
Simply one word:
Impressive.
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF100-400 / ISO 400 / 1/3200sec / f:11
-Winter Wookie-
Like a forest troll he is standing in front of me,
beard filled with dry snow.
Waiting. Completely at rest.
Who am I?
( Mouth and nose of a Muskox 😉 )
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-T2 / XF100-400 / ISO 400 / 1/120sec / f:5.0
-I Am Speed-
Norway´s largest bird of pray, the Sea Eagle.
The females are the largest ones, with a wingspan up to 244 cm.
Lofoten is definitive my favorite spot for them.
Hanging high in the sky. Observing.
Descending what seems to be slow in the beginning.
But suddenly she is in front of you, sometimes much faster and closer than the lens you had planned for. Grabbing the fish out of the water with an explosive and unbelievable force in it´s claws. And just as fast it is gone. That WOW-feeling!
Fujifilm X-T2 / XF50-140 / ISO 1600 / 1/2000sec / f:4
-Deep Snow Hunter-
Everybody notices the tassels on top of the Lynx´s ears.
But have you ever seen the size of the paws on this winter cat?
Then you clearly understand why it manages to set such speed
during hunt in the deep snow.
Snowshoes!
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF100-400 / ISO 320 / 1/250sec / f:5.6
-The Polar Bear And The Old Man-
The rock formation at Karl XII Island on the far north east side of Svalbard
looks like an fragile old and imbedded sick giant.
All over sudden the female Polar Bear climbs on top of the man.
Then for a while she looks straight into the old man´s face,
And I get my image.
Fujifilm X-H1 / XF100-400 / ISO 800 / 1/1000sec / f:5.6
-The Protective Mother-
If you walks in the Nordic forests,
you might stumble across the King, the Moose.
Everybody is scared of the big bulls with their huge antlers.
Normally the animal run away. But you haven’t known fear
until you´ve been chased up in a tree by an angry
Moose mother if you have gotten to close to her calf.
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-T2 / XF50-140/ ISO 400 / 1/500sec / f:4.0
-Don´t Even Think About It!-
The Alfa Wolf sends out clear signals about what he thinks about
his fellow pack members attempt to sneak a piece of his dinner.
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF100-400 / ISO 200 / 1/250sec / f:6.4
Did you know that a Polar Bear´s skin is black?
Yup! Under all that white fur they have black skin
which soaks up the suns ray´s to keep them warm.
Fujifilm X-H1 / XF100-400 / ISO 500 / 1/2000sec / f:5,6
All of a sudden I´ve become interesting to her..
-And I don´t like that at all.
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-Pro2/ XF100-400 / ISO 320 / 1/250sec / f:8
-The Fast Walker-
She comes walking at a far distance. It looks like she got a world of time.
Slowly she walks along the island, rocking from side to side.
But what a speed! It seems like she is hovering.
Then I realize that it is her steps. Her long feet are moving slowly,
with an incredible long distance on every step.
No wonder they can reach a speed of 60 km/h on charge.
Fujifilm X-H1 / XF100-400 / ISO 1600 / 1/1000sec / f:7.1
-The Lion of the Nordic forests-
The Lynx is the Lion of Northern Europe.
They are in our forests, but are rarely seen.
A master of disguise, and is feared by some, maybe just because of that.
I have throughout the years just met her a few times in the wild.
Considering myself lucky, with no fear.
In 2019 it was estimated to be
about 320 Lynxes in Norway.
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF50-140 / ISO 800 / 1/250sec / f:3.2
-The Great White Hunter-
He is one of the largest mammal predators.
Peacefully he walks along the glacier front.
It is a magnificent piece of art behind the Bear,
slowly painted with grovel in ice by nature
throughout the last thousands of years.
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF100-400 / ISO 400 / 1/250sec / f:7.3
-When Night Turn into day-
One of my most difficult shots. I can plan for the full Moon.
I can check the weather forecast for clear sky, and hope it will turn out right.
I can to a certain point predict the Aurora, and I know the direction of it.
But I can never predict that the Wolf would be on the right spot when the Aurora´s on. Absolutely not that it would stand still on the spot
the second I need to get my exposure.
Pushing the Fujifilm X-T2 settings to the limit to get my needed shutter speed,
not to mention to get the focus right in the moonlit darkness.
But some times I get lucky…
(taken under controlled conditions)
Fujifilm X-T2 / XF16mm F:1.4 / ISO 8000 / 1/5sec / f:1.4
-Safe Distance Between A Rock And A Wild Place-
She is looking at us from a distance from this snow covered rock.
But we are simply just out of reach for her, so she lays down to sleep soon after.
We are in our two Zodiac´s on the far north-east side of Svalbard.
Only 12 guests on this Twin Tracks Expedition with the superb
French ship “Polarfront”. That´s exactly the best way to experience Svalbard by boat: on a small ship expedition. Six guests plus guides in each Zodiac. Tons of room for everyone. All get to see without making too much disturbance on wildlife.
And everybody gets their shots and lifetime memories.
Cred to the tools: The combination of the Fujifilm X-H1 IBIS and the
XF100-400 stabilizer saved this image done from a bouncing Zodiac
Fujifilm X-H1 / XF100-400 / ISO 1250 / 1/1000sec / f:5.6
-Hidden Gems-
A situation shot of female Walruses fighting over territory on a rock.
Between the fighting tusks, a Polar Bear mother and her cub rest,
totally ignoring the fuss created by the Walruses.
I didn´t see that one coming.
Fujifilm X-H1 / XF100-400 / ISO 1600 / 1/2000sec / f:10
-Arctic Love Birds-
April and about the time the midnight Sun starts at Spitsbergen.
It is late in the evening at the fjord ice. I see movement out there.
With the XF100-400 I capture a rare sight: A huge male and a female in joyful play. After being with her cubs for more than two years, who she just has sent away, she is ready to live again. They will only come together for some days, before they split up.
But right now, love is in the air.
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF100-400 / ISO 1000 / 1/160sec / f:8.0
-Don´t Wake The Sleeping Polar Bear-
From our snowmobiles we watch the young male from a distance as he walks
along the glacier front. He takes to higher ground, curl up and goes to sleep.
He doesn´t mind us two at the snowmobiles. We´re too far away.
The XF100-400 + 1,4 converter allows me to keep the distance and still do the job. Lightweight, versatile and high quality. We leave this young one to his beauty sleep, and drive on into the bright wilderness night for other opportunities.
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF100-400 + 1.4X conv / ISO 400 / 1/250sec / f:8.0
The picture underneath is the wider perspective of the one above,
shot on a Fujifilm 32mm (equals FF 50mm)
Can you see the Bear?
Fujifilm X-Pro2 / XF16-55 / ISO 400 / 1/250sec / f:9.0
Thanks for reading my Arctic stories.
It is a cold game, but I am proud to say that my Fujifilm tools can keep up with my creativity and rough handling. Check out my article on the Fujifilm Blog: https://fujifilm-blog.com/2016/10/07/extreme-field-test-of-the-fujifilm-x-pro2-and-x-t2/
Best of field wishes
Tommy Simonsen
Harstad, Northern Norway
Instagram: tommysimonsenphotography
