GALLERY 31: HARP SEAL
The First Trip 2003:
The Isles de la Madeleine are located in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence River and are considered part of the province of Quebec, Canada. Although this is not the easiest photography destination, it a very rewarding and productive location for those willing to make the trip. I flew from Minneapolis to Toronto, then to Quebec City. From Quebec City, I flew to Isles de la Madeleine. A helicopter is used to travel roughly 30 miles to the pack ice where the seals are found. Almost all of the pups are born the first week of March. The pups nurse for three weeks, resting in between feedings on the ice. The mother seal must leave her pup to feed, entering the sea through air holes carved in the ice pack. Upon their return, the mothers recognize their pups by sound, smell and sight.
Survival suits are required on the ice. The last day of my trip, I stepped on a snowed covered ice hole, my boot filling with icy water as my foot and leg to the knee went through the ice. Fortunately, I did not drop my gear and the hole was only large enough to allow one leg to fall in. The temperatures were below zero (F) most mornings, making it difficult to keep batteries and camera gear working. The very first day brought with it a snow squall providing some of my favorite "snow day" images.
The Second Trip 2006:
The seals and the ice were as wonderful in 2006 as they were in 2003. The weather, of course, will vary year to year, but on this trip every day on the ice the temperatures averaged between 20-30F. Instead of fighting
cold weather and weak batteries, I was overly warm in my polartec under garments and the survival suite over the top. This is another travel experience which caused me to ponder global weather changes. The ice was slushy and soft and the guides were outwardly nervous regarding ice break up. I was blessed with mixed weather. Snow and overcast weather was followed
by sunny blue skies. One day I cursed 30 knot gusty winds
realizing also that the winds created interesting snow drifts and
the wind and seas produced the compression ridges sought after as backdrops for seal photos.
In the final photo session I had a mix of sun and clouds. Open water along the floe the final day provided opportunity to photograph seals in the water including a baby seal learning to swim with it's mother watching closely.
On this trip, I tried to change up my image making specifically looking for compositions that included baby seals and interesting ice formations or behavior. Isle de la Madeleine remains one of my very favorite photography destinations.
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Click picture for close up
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PICTURE 31-1
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PICTURE 31-2
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PICTURE 31-31
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PICTURE 31-32
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PICTURE 31-33
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 of people and close up shots can be made of pups using long lenses, wide angle lenses and every focal length in between. This is a close up from the first day of the trip, the day of the snowstorm.'))
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, Harp Seal pups sometimes nose around in the fresh snow.'))
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 Harp Seal pup resting on the ice amongst interesting ice formations.'))
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