Interview with wildlife photographer Piet van den Bemd

Dutchman Piet van den Bemd is a wildlife photographer who travels mainly to the polar regions. For more than ten months a year, you'll find Piet on Spitsbergen or in Antarctica. He organises photo tours and is one of the very few image makers allowed to fly a drone in these areas. Piet has captured many magnificent animals, such as polar bears, orcas and countless penguins, but he knows that some of these animals are threatened by climate change. That's why he believes it's important to use his images to show what we need to protect.

In this interview, Piet talks about his passion for photography and what it's like to work in these regions, and he shares advice for other wildlife photographers.

From studying nature as an ecologist to capturing it as a photographer

Photography and travel were in Piet's blood from an early age. “I was lucky enough to travel from a young age. My father is a photographer too, and I always watched closely how he did it.” Piet got his first camera at sixteen, which meant he could finally capture his travels himself. “I quickly developed a passion for nature, so I decided to study ecology. Over time I realised that I'd rather capture nature in a photo than study it.”

That realisation came during an internship in northern Norway. “I worked in a team that studied whales. You can identify certain whales by their tails and dorsal fins. If you photograph them often enough, you start to recognise that every orca and sperm whale has a unique pattern. It's truly amazing.” During his internship, Piet photographed hundreds of whales. “My goal wasn't to take beautiful photos, but some of them turned out really well.” Someone asked whether they could buy one of Piet's photos. “Sure, I thought, you're welcome to it. And that was actually the first time I ever sold a photo.” During this internship, Piet's hobby turned into his job. “I've been photographing professionally for the last ten years. I've never really had any job other than photographer.”

Photographing at the ends of the earth

Piet now spends more than ten months a year on Spitsbergen and in Antarctica, photographing wildlife and guiding tours. “I really travel to the ends of the earth. If you ask me for my favourite destination right now, it's Spitsbergen.” Piet explains that this Norwegian island is incredibly rugged and extreme. “It's so far removed from everyday reality.” So how does it differ from Antarctica? “In Antarctica there's a lot of wildlife. You'll find thousands of penguins and plenty of whales. Up north, on Spitsbergen, you really have to work hard to find animals.” On his group trips to Spitsbergen, some photographers expect to see everything. “But you can't plan wildlife. If you're lucky, you'll find a polar bear or a walrus, but there are no guarantees.”

He recalls a moment when he photographed a polar bear with her cub. “I spent hours building a connection with the mother bear. Imagine me lying on the same ice they were standing on. There was no water between us. This mother bear fully let me into their world; she didn't see me as a threat, and I didn't see her as one either." He explains that this requires recognising a polar bear's behaviour and building trust. "You're connecting with one of the world's apex predators. Incredible."

Polar bears: the iconic image of climate change

The polar bear is one of the largest endangered predators. “They've become the iconic image of climate change. They're in serious trouble. Getting the chance to capture them like this is absolutely fantastic.” Piet knows how lucky he is to make these journeys, and he realises that we are always guests in nature. “Sustainability really matters to me. I hope my images can offer a different perspective. We always talk about climate change and protecting the polar regions. But people can't protect what they don't know.”

With his images, he wants to show the beauty of nature. “When you see a mother polar bear with her cub, all you can say is that you want to protect these animals and their habitat. Nobody thinks, ‘oh well, who cares’. In the end we have to do this together. This is how I like to do my bit.”

Harsh weather conditions for camera gear

To show these regions, he also uses a drone. Only a handful of people each year get permission to fly here, and Piet is one of them. “Drones are obviously disruptive for wild animals, and if you crash one, huge batteries end up at the bottom of the sea. You don't want that.”

Working in the polar regions does put his drones, cameras and other equipment at risk, Piet says. “Gear breaks in these conditions. There's always salt at sea and everything freezes. I really go through cameras.” When travelling, Piet always carries three Canon EOS R5 cameras, dozens of memory cards and around twenty batteries. “And then I just hope it's enough. If something breaks, I can't just order a replacement online. I'm in the most remote places on earth.”

‘I keep my photos as pure as possible’

This also means his photos aren't always perfect. Sometimes there's a spot on the lens, for example, but he doesn't edit it out. “I like to keep my images as pure as possible, but I'm also a truly terrible editor.” Other image makers sometimes tell him his pictures could use a little something extra. “Highlights here, contrast there. But that's not how it was at all. That's not how I remember it, and that's not how I took the photo. You can't add what wasn't there.”

Piet would love to keep doing this work for a long time. “Sometimes I wonder why I actually do this. It's not for a few hundred likes on Instagram. In the future I want to contribute to something bigger. Whether that's a documentary or helping with logistics for science doesn't matter to me. I'm sure that in a few years I'll be making a bigger contribution to preserving and protecting these regions.”

Tips

Want to get started with wildlife photography yourself? Take a look at these tips from Piet.

Don't compare yourself to others. “Literally everything in the world has been photographed before. So try not to compare yourself to others. Focus on improving your own work, not someone else's. Do what feels right to you.”
Don't stress. “If I work stressed or rushed, I can forget about getting a good wildlife shot. You have to stay calm and have a feel for your subject. You can't force it. If it comes, it comes. In the end, it all happens in 1/1250th of a second.”
The image doesn't have to be perfect. “The beauty of photography is that there's no right or wrong. Photography is based on feeling and emotion. You don't need to know any rules or be a great editor. I don't edit my photos either. Besides not finding it necessary, I'm genuinely bad at it. But as long as you as a photographer stand behind your image and believe in your own work, it's good enough.”
Don't get frustrated. “Wherever you want to photograph wildlife, don't get frustrated if it doesn't work out. Stop and try again a day or two later. Don't force yourself behind the camera. Whether you're in Antarctica or on the Veluwe, you really have to enjoy it, and you can't force wildlife.”

The work of Piet van den Bemd

Website: www.naturalhigh.one
Instagram: @pietvandenbemd

Gear

For his images, Piet always uses Canon EOS R5 cameras. His favourite lens is the 400mm f/2.8, but he also loves shooting with a 600mm. He captures his drone footage with a DJI Mavic 3. Batteries and memory cards are also indispensable on his travels.