In this liminal space, photographer Ralph Clevenger captures moments of hunger and hope. Polar bears wait for the ice to freeze over so they can safely venture back onto the ice for their first real meal in months.
Two dozen photographs capture the frozen tundra surrounding Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. It is early November, and snow is starting to fall across the Hudson Bay, which will begin to freeze over as temperatures drop steadily. By January, the temperature will average −20 °F, too cold for many species to survive, but the right temperature for polar bears to thrive. Once the ice on the bay is solid, the bears can venture out to hunt for seals. What they catch on the ice in spring must sustain them during the summer and fall months, when the ice melts and food is scarce.
About the Artist
Ralph Clevenger grew up on the coast of North Africa and began diving in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea at the age of seven with his father. In the 1960s, Clevenger was strongly influenced by Jacques-Yves Cousteau films on the underwater world and decided early on to become a marine biologist when he grew up. Clevenger eventually went on to study zoology and worked for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego as a diver/aquarist before attending Brooks Institute of Photography. He was a senior faculty member at Brooks Institute for 33 years, teaching courses in natural history and underwater photography, among other professional photo and video courses.
Based in Santa Barbara, California, Clevenger is now retired from his commercial photography business but still travels extensively. Today, much of his photography is dedicated to supporting environmental and social issues.
Clevenger has traveled throughout the world on assignments including Alaska, Australia, Antarctica, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, and many countries in Africa. His print and digital publication credits include Audubon, Islands, Oceans, Outside, National Geographic, Nature’s Best, National Geographic Traveler, Nature Conservancy, Orion Nature Quarterly, National Geographic Books, Smithsonian Books, Sierra Club Books, and many other national and international publications.