I AM FRAGILE

PS: NEW VERSION TO SEE AGAIN (UPDATE) From West Greenland, I have sailed 6 000km over the course of eight weeks to Nunavut to explore and the document the Arctic Wildlife on Devon Island, Bylot Island, Baffin Island, Somerset Island, and the large Lancaster Sound, with a purpose to witness, document and protect. In the same time I was there, On the 14th of August 2017, the Government of Canada and Nunavut agreed to establish the National Marine Conservation Area, the largest protected area in Canada called Tallurutiup Imanga. But the target of protecting 10 percent by 2020 still remains far. This was a great achievement but in 2016 only 4.7% of the Arctic’s marine areas were protected. The pinnacle of my reportage expedition was undoubtedly my close encounters with these majestic yet gentle animals. For me, there is no better feeling than being close to those magnificent mammals, sharing a space with them. I will always remember that moment I saw my first polar bear, I cried during the three hours we stayed close to them. I discovered it swimming and by the time I left my binoculars to announce it to our captain, I was already crying. When I find myself in the remote Arctic, co-existing in harmony with the wildlife that calls it home, I know that this is where everything makes total sense. I know it because I feel it deep within myself. It is a deep vibe that consumes my body and soul in its entirety. At this moment, the urge to create an image that I would remember for the rest of my life with a strong message to protect it comes naturally to me. Those moments are invaluable to me, something is happening within me. It’s what I live for. When I photograph, I’m somewhere else. This is, I guess, what constitutes as passion, my passion to serve the conservation of the Arctic Wildlife. I believe in and aspire to, bring a new perspective of capturing wildlife we already know well from traditional photography. I believe these images allow us to observe and document their behaviors from a new angle and approach, revealing the animals in their entirety as well as in a wider habitat and landscape, in a way not before possible, a new way of learning about the white northern part of our planet. It is more than time to act and I want my photo to help conservation to create more Marine Conservation Area.