Wildlife with Morten Hilmer, Braving the Extreme
Morten Hilmer is a wildlife photographer from Denmark who thrives in the most extreme conditions on earth. For the past two decades, he has been taking photos in remote places around the Arctic.
His last sub zero adventure started in Grise Fiord on the extremely remote Ellesmere Island. It’s easy to see why it only has a population of a hundred, having one small airstrip connecting it to the rest of the world and being the coldest inhabited place on the planet. It is known as, “the place that never thaws”. Looking out of the small window in a twin otter airplane, Morten claims, “I could see the desolated land underneath. Only ice and mountains, black and white, nothing else. A frozen world with no sign of life.”
Alongside fellow photographer Anders Bilgram, he was going to spend two months here chasing his dream of photographing the coveted Arctic wolf and find letters left behind from Christian Vibe, a Danish adventurer who was there some 80 years ago. Together, they headed north from Grise Fiord on snowmobiles towards Axel Heiberg Island.
After ten hours of roaming across a sea of white, they had arrived at their small cabin. It was in this moment that they first saw tracks of the white wolf. You will need to watch his four part documentary available on his YouTube channel to see if they were able to accomplish their mission.
Morten served in the Danish Special Forces as the Sirius Dogsled Patrol for two years which has given him confidence to operate alone in the desolate regions of the Arctic. He has been in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius while leading a dogsled 10,000 kilometers through the world’s biggest national park. He finds joy by capturing nature in its most authentic, unforgiving and raw state.
“I search for the true essence of nature. I’m out there when the weather is rough so I can capture the real silence of the north and in myself.” He is defined by these moments and claims the photo is simply a byproduct. He is fascinated by adventure and loves to share these unique experiences and to make others more aware of nature conservation.
Morten’s Gear for handling the Arctic
Nikon Z6 - Main camera
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 - Favorite and most used lens
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 - All around lens
Nikon NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4 - Wide angle lens
Nikon NIKKOR 600mm f/4 - Super telephoto lens
Pro Trekker 650 AW - Camera backpack
Peak Design SL-BK-3 - Camera strap for heavy equipment
Gitzo Series 3 - Main tripod
Manfrotto 502 - Most used head
Wimberley WH-200 - Gimbal head for large lenses
Acratech GP-s - Lightweight ball head
I want to thank Morten for allowing me to include his photos in this article and for inspiring us all! To find more about Morten, visit his website here and follow him on Instagram.