Kurt Jay Bertels Out of the snow - Nature Photographer of the Year

Name: Kurt Jay Bertels
Picture title: Out of the snow
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: I am from South Africa and now live in Cyprus.
Occupation: I am unfortunately not a full-time photographer, but I do work in the safari industry which gives me good opportunities to head out and make some images. I have been photographing wildlife for just over 30 years (I started when I was 9 years old).

Technical information
Camera: Canon 1D Mark 4
Lens: Canon 500mm F4 with a 1.4x converter
EXIF: 1/1600 @f.8 ISO 320

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Kurt Jay Bertels | Out of the snow

Technical information
Camera: Canon 1D Mark 4
Lens: Canon 500mm F4 with a 1.4x converter
EXIF: 1/1600 @f.8 ISO 320

Kurt Jay Bertels says:

Experiencing the high Arctic gives you an immediate understanding of just how well-built polar bears really are! The conditions would quickly kill us but don’t faze the bears at all. This polar bear was moving along the coast of Hudson Bay in Canada looking for any source of food while waiting for the sea ice to form. The wind picked up, whipping the snow all around and dropping the temperatures considerably, but the bear just kept going without even slowing down. It was spectacular to see!

Kurt Jay Bertels

South Africa/ Cyprus

I started taking a serious interest in wildlife photography at about the age of 9, and have been going strong ever since. I studied nature conservation after school which led me to a life with wildlife, working for many years as a guide in South Africa. During this time, I was able to hone my photographic skills and knowledge.
I now live with my family in Cyprus and have a safari company taking guests all over the world in search of the world’s best wildlife.