This is one of the very rare occasions I had my camera ready when
the bridge announced "Polar bear, port side!" The time was about 10pm,
and I was sitting in the wet lab typing up a dispatch. Within approximately
30 seconds, I was on deck pulling the camera out of the case. First
step - find the polar bear. This isn't as easy as it sounds - the
ship is moving, and polar bears blend in perfectly with their white
environment. Luckily, this bear was very close to the ship and swimming
right for an ice floe! Next step - control your breathing. After my
top-speed sprint through the ship's passageways, my chest was heaving,
and my grip on the camera wasn't too steady. Luckily, the sun was
illuminating the bear and my lens's image stabilization was on. As
the bear leaped out of the water, the shutter was firing.
