A breath in the polar night
A fjord near Tromsø in northern Norway: it is early January, and while a fishing trawler is hauling up its nets, a group of orcas tries to grab a free meal. The extreme cold and high humidity create a magical mist on the sea. My boat, my camera and even myself are covered in ice crystals, turning photography into a real challenge. It takes hours before I finally manage to capture an orca taking a breath on the surface of the sea.
Canon EOS-1DX, 2.8/24-70mm, ISO 4000, flash Canon 600
Biography Audun Rikardsen
Audun Rikardsen grew up in a little fishing village in the north of Norway, and has always had a special fascination for the Nordic coasts; their culture and wildlife both above and under the ocean's surface. He is a professor of biology at Tromsø University, and to make the best use of his free time, most of his photographs have originated from around his local area. Originally, he worked as a fish biologist, but today his research focuses on the behaviour of whales. His grandfather was a whaler and so his interest for marine mammals was kindled from an early age.