Ten days in Wapusk National Park meant ten days of relentless, bone-chilling rain. My solo trip quickly became a testament to perseverance, each step a squelch deeper into the infamous Manitoba mud. The relentless drizzle and deepening mud made every step with the heavy camera pack a challenge, but the goal remained: to capture the spirit of the Polar Bear in the summer.

Then, through the swirling mists and as the rain began to stop, it appeared. Not the pristine, snow-white postcard vision everyone expects, but a magnificent, mud-splashed polar bear emerged. Its fur, muddied with the very earth it walked upon, seemed to glow with a raw, powerful presence against the drab, rain-soaked landscape. It was enormous, a true queen of its domain, and utterly unfazed by its less-than-immaculate appearance.

Between me and the bear were some bearberry bushes mixed into the willows, so I quickly adjusted my settings, widening my aperture to throw them beautifully out of focus, isolating the subject and accentuating the bear's sharp, powerful presence.

Dragging myself back to camp each night after long days in challenging conditions, every muscle ached. However, the adventure is always an integral part of creating images and the stories that accompany them.