BELUGA WHALEs
Photographing beluga whales underwater on Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea is an almost impossible mission - they’re very timid and always swim away. So this time we had another plan: to tie a photographer by his feet to a boat using a long rope and tow him slowly behind the boat. But here’s the secret - you need to sing something loudly into the snorkel. The sound vibrations attract them somehow! So that’s what we did for a whole week, it worked and I got some shots. But all encounters were very quick, and I wasn’t too happy with the outcome. Then extraordinary thing happened - I’m not very good at knots, and clearly didn’t do a good job at trying myself when the rope untied and I found myself floating in open water. And suddenly I realized - a huge beluga was just below and inspecting me closely. It circled me for about 10 min, and after then returned with friends! Honestly, I believe the rope incident was a major factor of this atypical behavior.
Photo art print, unframed, printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Digital Pearl paper with 3cm (1.19in) borders.
“House of Bears” , Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Russia.
Shrouded in fog, the remote island of Kolyuchin in the Russian Far East looked eerie and deserted. Suddenly, I noticed movement in the windows. From our small yacht, seeking shelter from the storm, I grabbed binoculars — and the ghostly shapes came into focus: polar bears. Around 20 of them, mostly males, wandered through the abandoned settlement, exploring windows and doors.
Polar bears are naturally curious and opportunistic. While females with cubs stayed near the shore, the males roamed among discarded fuel barrels. Such a gathering is rare here. Most bears in this region follow retreating sea ice further north in summer. But in September 2021, loose pack ice brought them to the island.
Using a drone with low-noise propellers to avoid disturbing them, I captured an image that felt like a glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world — where nature reclaims what humanity leaves behind.
The art print includes a signed Certificate of Authenticity.
Please note that due to white borders, the actual paper size will have an additional 6cm (2,38in) on both the width and the height of your chosen size. These borders will be removed in the framing shop when you will frame the print.
Printed in the UK or Germany, worldwide shipping in a mailing tube via express delivery. From the placement of an order please allow up to 3 business days for processing and printing, around 7 business days for shipping internationally.
If your country is not on the delivery list at check-out, please don’t stress, just shoot me an email - dmitry.kokh@gmail.com
*P.S: Thank you for checking out my shop! Travelling to some of the most remote places on the planet is far from glamorous and can be very, very costly. Your support is crucial in helping me continue this work, which I love, and cherish sharing with you! :)
Framing and custom sizes are available upon request.