Erlend Haarberg - Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy I

29 October – 7 November

I arrived at Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy at the end of October. The warm and sunny weather of the previous weeks turned to grey and cold on the day I arrived. It started to rain, the mountain tops were hidden by clouds, and fog was creeping up from the valley. After a short conversation with the local WWE photographer Stefano Unterthiner and the rangers of the national park, I was ready to conquer the mountains, looking for chamois and ibex to photograph.

It was a hard start walking the steep path to the mountain refuge ”Rifugio di Sella”, in a rainy/ snowy weather, with full photo equipment and camping gear for more than a week, suffering a cold with a high fever weakening my body. It took nearly 4 hours to walk from the height of 1666 metres to 2588 m, to reach our new home for the coming days. It was just a single room with 14 beds for hikers passing by, without heating facilities. It was primitive but luxurious at the same time, as the only alternative would have been a tent (a few days after our arrival we were especially thankful for this luxury…).

The scene of the surrounding majestic mountains could not be better. And the friendly large herbivores of the area made this wilderness complete. The fast chamoix chasing each other rapidly on the steep hillsides, and the ibex, standing like a majestic statue in silhouette against the mountains, had me in awe. Gran Paradiso National Park is the only area where the ibex was not hunted to extinction; therefore the entire European population is originating from those few individuals which survived here thanks to its protection since 1821.

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Cornelia Dörr – Transylvania, Romania III. Cheile Bicazului and Hasmas Mountains

October 20th to 24th

The National Park Cheile Bicazului and Hasmas Mountains are situated in the central North-East-region, also known as Moldo-Transylvanian-Carpathians. This region is located between the zones of Harghita and the Neamt area. The road meanders from Gheorgheni through the spruce forest over the 1,256 m high Bicaz saddle into the valley of the Bicaz gorge (Cheile Bicazului).
We met Mr. Angi Zoltan of the National Park Office. He showed us some locations on the map from where we could get a good view over the canyon. Starting at the Red Lake (Lacul Rosu), which is framed by a spruce forest with beeches and the steep rocky walls of the Bicaz mountains, we went on an exploratory trip through the beautiful landscape of the Bicaz gorge.
The serpentine mountain road leads steeply down to the canyon. The length of the Bicazului canyon is about 5 km. We have beautiful clear autumn weather but the further we get into the canyon the darker it gets. The contrasts between the dark canyon and the lighted rocks are quite difficult to master photographically. The views in this borderless and wild rock scenery change constantly, until we reach the deepest point which is also the narrowest passage.
There the brook and the road barely have enough space. The height difference is enormous. The deepest point of the canyon is 575 m and the highest point of the Hasmasu Mare is 1,792 m. Because of geologic and climatic conditions a specific vegetation could develop in the rocky areas with rare and endemic plants.
To photograph the dimensions of the Bicaz gorge from a higher point, we went to the 1,507 m high Suhardul Mara massif the next morning. With headlamp and pocket lamp we walked in the darkness up to the rocky massif. As we had tested the path one day before for potential difficulties, e.g. missing blazes or steep passages, we could cope with the darkness.
It was already dawning when we arrived on the rocky plateau. A purple fog covered the morning sky above the canyon. The view over this wild jagged rocky scenery was dizzy and breathtaking.
In the evening we drove back into the canyon and I tried to take some night exposures of the especially steep massif Piatra Altarului. As there is a road in the canyon, the headlights of the cars made it impossible to get proper pictures, and so I concentrated on another scene without street and headlights. The sky was very clear and I angled the camera on time exposure to let it expose one hour and thirty minutes – so that I could take photos of a star rotation above the massif.

We spent the night in the canyon near the Red Lake (Lacul Rosu), which is a specialty in the national park. It is named after the red shimmering clay. The lake emerged in 1837 after a natural disaster. One part of the rock massif slipped into the River Bicaz and created a natural dam. The spruces in this area gradually died and today you can see several stumps that reach out of the water.
On the other side of the lake there is the massif Suhardul Mara. The low evening sun lets the mountaintops glow in red light and you can see the reflection in the calm lake. The night was very cold and damp so that the plants on the banks were covered with frost. Mist lies over the lake and the water is slightly waved by a breath of wind. This is our last day in the Bicaz canyon. Here I took some pictures full of atmosphere.

Our last photographic station is a massif in the Hasmas Mountains. After a steep ascent we lost our way and couldn’t find the massif we had been looking for. In the evening dark clouds came up and it started to rain.
After about three weeks we start our way home. It was one of our most adventurous photo tours that we have done during the last years and surely it won’t be the last in this country full of contrasts.

JOSÉ B. RUIZ – NARODNI PARK CESKE SVYCARSKO, CZECH REPUBLIC - MISSION PART TWO III

Day 5.
It’s really a shame! We had planned the flight with a Cessna plane for weeks, but the wind and the mist haven’t given us a chance. I really needed some aerial photographs to compliment all the report. The most general views of the park only show a small part of the area and some aerial were essential to understand better its topography.
We have worked hard again, from another wood with some decaying trunks to rock formations inside the forest, were mosses and ferns grow in great variety. Ferns were frozen but the place was good to try some compositions. It is like a small kingdom inside the pine tree forest, were rocky inhabitants are finding their ways.
A long walk through the Krinice River course lead us again to a specially protected area of the park, with some good opportunities, most of them from inside the cold water. Plants and trunks in the middle of the waters were my favourite subjects, making it every time a big mental effort to get into the frozen, pure water of the Krinice.

The River Krinice is small but really special. Some isolated plants and trunks
of fallen trees were worth for trying its cool water.

Today is our last day here. I enjoyed my first trip a lot because it was a deep experience to be alone in these solitudes. Now it has been more intensive, with the cameraman around trying to record everything useful, and the help for two days of Vaclav Zoika. Lots of nice pictures have been taken, although there are few I really like and am satisfied with. The park has a special beauty easy to be filmed, more difficult to be photographed with my style. It hasn’t been easy to compose some order between all the chaos, to find clear visual messages, and that’s exactly what I wanted.
The main thing is that we have worked hard and without stopping, so we are very comforted and expecting to get home to process 7 folders from 8 Gb cards.

MAGNUS LUNDGREN – ORKLA RIVER, NORWAY II. THE KING OF FISH – ATLANTIC SALMON - MATING IN THE RAPIDS!

I called Vegard, the owner of Aunan Lodge, on the mobile to check if the water level was OK and if the mating activities were at it in the river. “The river looks promising and the salmons have already started! Come over, Magnus.”
Two days later I staggered heavy loaded with gear out from Trondheim airport. Patrik picked me up in his Land Rover with a big smile as always. We headed for Orkla. Again, Patrik was going to be my trusted safety diver in the river. We were back to photograph the mating of the mighty Atlantic salmon.

The scenery around Orkla is amazing in the summer but now with the hills around the riverbanks dressed in autumn colours, it was simply mindblowing. Coming back was in many ways a much bigger challenge than going to Orkla the first time. We knew it was going to be difficult and demanding and maybe that was one of the reasons we looked forward coming back so much. A bit strange but still…
Aunan Lodge close their season on the 31st of August but the guides have gathered to help me find the best spots to work in. Vegard, Erik, Krister and Stein were there and later that day Öystein, an authority on salmon biology, arrived. This was going to be a great team effort.

King of fish
The powerful Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, are sometimes known as the “king of fish” and can reach a length of 1,5 metres. Their athletic powers caused them a reputation among the greatest fighters in the fishing world. The life of this fish is in many ways a saga itself. And perhaps most important of all is that the Atlantic salmon is a symbol of clean, healthy waters that run wild to the sea.

Circle of life
After a few solitary years in the river the salmon migrate as youngsters from the fresh water to the salty ocean to grow up. Feeding while they migrate, the salmon move toward the feed grounds in the north Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland. In the ocean they take advantage of abundant food and grow rapidly.
When it is time to reproduce they navigate back to the same river where they hatched. It is generally believed that salmon use a magnetic or sun compass to find the way back to the right area. The last bit they use olfactory cues, basically they follow their nose, to find the river of birth. The salmon normally re-enter the river in the spring and spawning occurs in the autumn. And the life cycle of the salmon begins anew.

The heat was on
First day at Frona, a short distance up river from Aunan Lodge, we saw a lot of activity. The impressive salmons were speeding around, fighting and maybe setting their ranks. We observed a large female excavate gravel from the riverbed by turning sideways and lashing up and down with her powerful tail. She controlled that spot for sure. Later with the encouragement of a male she will lay her eggs in the redd. The eggs will stay in the gravel throughout the winter and hatch the following spring.
The pool was packed with very big and aroused salmons that seemed to be fighting and showing off. A lot of action and they were all in full mating dresses. Almost reddish. I was thinking ”Almost identical colour as my drysuit. Hmmm….” It was time to test to get into the water. I drifted down Frona’s mating grounds. I passed salmons on both sides and and two males with hooked jaws flew by at very close range. It was a thrill and I was basically shooting from the hip at 8 frames per second.

During the following four days I photographed in different mating grounds every day to avoid disturbing their fun too much. Some places the conditions were impossible to shoot in and in other places we had great luck and got close. The mysterious and shy salmon was much more approachable when their bodies were full of testosterone. They were sometimes simply busy completing the circle of life and I do not blame them.
Without Aunan Lodge and Vegard this mission would have been impossible. Big thanks to Vegard and of course Erik, Krister and Stein for Your superior local knowledge and Öystein who explained the mysterious ways of the salmon. You all made it happen. The care and respect for the nature and the salmon You show leaves a deep awe that always will stay with me.

Adventure & wildlife
These four days in Orkla where packed with true adventure in a fantastic Norwegian wilderness. It all went very well. Forget minor hick-ups like a 3,5 ton Land Rover almost slipping off a steep dirt road, dive equipment lost but later found in Orkla riverbank, a blue bum slighty demolished after rafting down to ”Korshölen” in full scuba gear, and Patrik almost having a heart attack running from Utstuggu to Korshölen through the forest also in full scuba gear and not to mention the flow of the river in ”Strupen” that almost crushed the equipment and us.
The salmon of Orkla River is perfectly adapted, through evolution, to live and reproduce just there, in those conditions, in that river. Each river has a unique salmon tribe adapted to the environment, and spending time with people that protect these wild Atlantic salmon was a true honour for me. I hope I will come back to enjoy the king of fish in this true wild wonder of Europe.

Magnus Lundgren/WWE

Cornelia Dörr – Transylvania, Romania II

October 9th to 19th

On the way in the Piatra Craiului National Park

When I saw the steep Piatra Craiului mountains (in German: “Königsteingebirge”) for the first time, I realized that it won’t be an easy task to hike and photograph there with all our photo equipment and maybe a tent. The steep and elongated ridge is about 25 km long and these are the longest limestone mountains of Romania. They are situated between Brasov (Kronstadt) and Arges or Zarnesti and Rucar. The most important starting points to the national park are the towns Zarnesti (Zernen), Magura, Pestera, Dambovicioara and Rucar. The highest peak is “La Om” with 2,238 m. Many impressive wild canyons can be seen in the white Jurassic limestone walls.
I started my work in Valea Prapastiilor near Zarnesti. In this canyon scenes of “Cold mountain” were filmed, a movie awarded with seven Oscars. Through the canyon a wide hiking trail leads you to the Curmatura-chalet and along to Piatra Mica (“Kleiner Königstein”, 1,816 m) at the North and up to Piatra Mare (“Großes Königsteinmassiv”, 2,238 m). On the left and right side of the path you see gigantic rocks and sometimes the canyon is not wider than four or five metres. I thought the tributary valleys were even more interesting than the canyon as they presented themselves natural without footpaths and human influences. In the wild we discovered a little brook. The water went down to the valley scenic and in cascades over the white stones.
The following way up lead us through a deep beech forest. It was nearly dusk when we arrived in the Curmatura-chalet which is located 1,470 m high and where we stayed overnight.
The next morning we set off early. Unfortunately we couldn’t see a beautiful sunrise because during the night heavy fog had come up. We climbed up to the Saura Crapaturii-saddle to get from there to the ridge. Unfortunately the path on the ridge was a “via ferrata”. It was too dangerous for us to go on because of our heavy baggage and the tripod. As it was clearing a bit we waited until the afternoon on the Crapaturii-saddle.

The light in the afternoon was beautiful because from time to time wafts of mist came through the canyon which gave the white steep rocks a softer look. Before we started our way down through the gorge we could enjoy a beautiful view to the Piatra Mica. The way down was everything else but easy because the path went 800 m in height down very steeply, vertically over slippery stones and boulders. When we saw our car in Zarnesti we were very happy about having made it finally. 

Although we were very exhausted from the day before, we started before sunrise once again to the Crapaturii canyon. During the night fog had come up again, but not as heavy as during the day before. The fog created a wonderful atmosphere as I had wished for. It is this mystic and mysterious light that I associate with the landscape of Transylvania. The gentle backlight increased the impact and gave the silhouettes of the rocks, the pinnacles and the forest between the mountains Großer Königstein and Kleiner Königstein an even darker look.
I dedicated my work during the next days to the forests because here the autumn colours were already at their height. As the summer was rather dry, the leaves of the beeches were quite brown and I was afraid that a change in the weather could blow the leaves from the trees quickly. In the Carpathians there is the biggest cohesive woodland and it is the biggest intact natural landscape of Europe out of Russia.

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Cornelia Dörr – Transylvania, Romania I

October 5th
After having travelled two days from Chemnitz, my husband Ramon and I arrived in Transylvania October 5, 2008. On this day we had an appointment with Christoph Promberger in Sinca Noua. The wildlife biologist from Munich had been the head of the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project for ten years, the biggest research and protection project about large carnivores in Eastern Europe. We were very curious about getting to know him and had high photographic expectations because in the Romanian Carpathians live one third of all wolves and lynx and 50% of all brown bears in Europe (outside Russia).
Our hopes – being able to photograph wild animals apart from landscapes – were directly dashed by Christoph. Even though there is a raised hide in a private area where brown bears are fed, we didn’t get the possibility to take photos there. We met the responsible forest ranger and showed him all our documents but unfortunately we didn’t get permission to work there on such short notice.

October 6th to 8th
During the next days we concentrated completely on photographing landscapes. Chrisoph had shown us some places on the map which could be rather interesting for us. On the way to the Piatra Craiului National Park we took time for the fascinating cultural places with their traditional farming life. Here time seemed to be conserved like 100 years ago. This is how life could have been like in our area too.
Small fields, meadows and natural spaces like pastures on which shepherds wander about with their flocks through the mountains, are the results of the traditional cultivation of hundreds of years. This kind of cultivation brings out an enormous biological variety. The horse-drawn carriage with which nearly everything is transported is still a present means of transport in the villages. In the mornings and evenings the herdsmen guide the cows from the meadows through the village. Here time is a dimension that doesn’t play any role.
Since the beginning of 2007 the Balkan state is a member of the EU and it will be interesting to see how the country develops. The question is how long the traditional farmers can survive in the modern EU-times with their sustainable cultivation that has been proved by generations. This is a striking contrast to the rapid economic growth that you can feel in the cities with their booming western modern life.

JOSÉ B. RUIZ – NARODNI PARK CESKE SVYCARSKO, CZECH REPUBLIC - MISSION PART TWO II

Day 4.
Today the photographer of the Park and friend, Vaclav Zoika, has accompanied us through the forest of Fagus trees to reach some of the highest parts of the sandstone hills and formations. With the help of a rope we have photographed from some rocky platforms over the forest. Can you imagine a photographer weighing 120 kg, plus 17 kg of equipment and tripod climbing a rock! That has been possible because of the help of my colleagues and the easy ways that Vaclav found.

- The rocks are very fragile and the erosion from water and wind makes deep scars in them.

On the rocky tops we found some engravings. I particularly liked one of the moon. It is from 1550 BC and maybe has a connection with this place named “silver mountains”. There is also a mine for prospecting the mineral several hundreds of metres way into the mountain.

- Not so happy, this moon engraved in 1550 BC seems to be worried about the
future of all those mad small creatures on Planet Earth.

The forest was great, with thousands of tons of dead leaves like a big carpet covering the ground. Deep autumn experience. We saw some wildlife as well, but the landscape took all my concentration. It is very difficult to photograph inside the forest, with all the chaos of trunks. Perfect for Jan Töve, but I’m still learning composition. Some pictures came out but because of the beauty of this splendid protected area.

- In the Type 1 protected area there are some treasures hidden,
like this small fagus tree forest covered by the leaves.

We came back really tired, long walks, some climbing, lots of weight to carry and plenty of hillsides. Anyway it was really worthwhile!

- The fog comes up from a pond in a riverine forest, creating a mysterious
atmosphere like an impressionistic painting.

No hope for the plane, today the wind has been really strong all day, and a shy sun appeared only for minutes between the clouds. The pilot of the Cessna phoned tonight to say tomorrow the wind will be even worse. So, the plan for tomorrow is working hard again and we will try to reach some open views of the landscape, although the light won’t be there.

JOSÉ B. RUIZ – NARODNI PARK CESKE SVYCARSKO, CZECH REPUBLIC - MISSION PART TWO

Day 1.
Back to the Czech Republic again after the nice welcome I received from all the people here on my approach trip. A friend and cameraman, Alberto Saiz has been so kind to accompany me to this second part of the mission in order to record an HD video of how we manage to get some nice pictures here. The autumn colours are great in the parts of the park with deciduous trees, mainly in river courses.
We have carefully planned the mission to - in this trip capture some autumn colours, general views and maybe some nocturnal.
On our first day here we arrived at Prague airport at night and hired a car to drive to Krasna Lipa and to be there more independent. When we arrived after driving for more than two hours we fell asleep in minutes.

- Cameraman and friend Alberto Saiz got involved in this particular adventure.
A great help for working in hard conditions.

Day 2.
6.15 h in the morning. We drive to the Krinice River for the first filming under heavy rain, same as in my first trip. All the ferns of the riverbed have disappeared and the landscape has changed. Red and yellow leaves cover the ground and make the forest appear like enchanted. That is what we really wanted, some autumn atmosphere for the project. There are not many autumn missions in WWE and we want to achieve some nice landscapes. We manage to photograph and record on video using rain covers which make everything go embarrassingly slow.
The second plan of the day is finding some wood scenery with coloured trees. It is not easy to photograph in these forests, with strong hillsides and not too many old growth trees. After some trekking looking for fagus trees we found some not too big, but colourful. I know the pictures are not really good ones, but I effort myself as much as I am able to.
Last thing of the day we explore a new place on the map, at the borders of both the National Park and the country, close to the Elbe river. Rewarded!
A beautiful little stream in a fallen leaves covered landscape makes all our senses go to a warm yellow and orange scene. The light falls down really fast and at 17.00 h. the dark reaches us. We realise that we have neither eaten nor stopped in the short day lasting we have here.
The balance of the day is really good although we have been working all day under the rain, and in cool temperatures.

- A nice spot near the River Elbe, plenty of autumn feeling.
We have returned today for some filming.

Day 3.
Still cloudy but getting better. We are worried about the possibility of making a perimeter flight above the park to shoot some aerials. If the visibility and atmospheric conditions are not good the pilot won’t take off. We have good hopes for tomorrow, as today there’s no rain.
To make the most of the weather we have climbed some hillsides to see some rock formations in the landscape, as the referenced Mariina Skala.
The light was of great help, as the filtered sun reached the mountains at the front, while the background was out of its reach, creating a sensation of depth and enhancing the autumn colours. We met a Czech photographer running up and down the hill as we were doing, carrying with him all his equipment for landscapes. We had a brief talk about the difficulties to find open views of the park.
After one hour and halfway in Jetrikovicke we moved to the path that reaches Parvcicka brana after one and a half hour walk. It is a big arch rock, emblematic in the park. We decided not to go there because of the weather conditions. We need some sunlight to get the views from there. We moved to the Kamenice River to try some pictures and to record on video. It is a nice spot from Hrensko, but not for photographing.

- There is a huge wood extraction from these forests. Some are for commercial purposes, and some are to erase foreign species from the park. Few really big trees remain.

The pictures come up very slowly, maybe three or four a day. We have to work fast and to move incessantly from one place to another depending on how the light is. For inside the forest and rivers we prefer soft light provided from a cloudy sky. For general views from hillsides and tops it is essential to have some sunrays.
The day escapes again with not so many results. It is cold but drier than yesterday. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Staffan Widstrand - Oulanka NP, Finland – real Taiga forest in autumn colours

A week in Oulanka National Park - a World Heritage site and a PAN Park - is an almost holy experience. To walk slowly through a forest that is not managed and that is not being harvested at all. Just a taiga forest, as these forests have always been, before the arrival of man.
Very few Europeans today have ever in their lives seen a fully-grown tree. Fewer still have ever seen a natural forest or a virgin forest.

It is really completely fascinating and deeply emotional to walk around in a forest where trees die of old age and storm winds, not cut by the chainsaw and not turned into toilet paper or plywood.
Dead trees, several hundred years old, still remain standing for another century or two. And when they fall, it takes yet another century or two before they have turned into soil. In the meantime they are safe havens for a multitude of biodiversity – beetles, moths, fungi, mosses, lichens, berry bushes, woodpeckers, ants, owls, starlings and a lot of smaller creatures live and feed from what they provide, and live in the trees themselves.
A very humbling experience, and very refreshing. In the forest, all the everyday stressful problems get their right proportions and some just disappear. Many modern society priorities shrink away and the forest provides space for thought and peace of mind.

Working a lot with the 14-24 wide-angle zoom and the 70-200 zoom, tripod and cable release. There are image motifs everywhere and we move very slowly through the terrain.
At the end of the day, it shows that Finnish photographer and nature tour operator Lassi Rautiainen and I, have come back with very different images.
Very inspiring and also frustrating!

Oulanka NP, which is situated outside the town of Kuusamo, is crossed by two major rivers; the Oulanka River and the Kitkajoki River, cutting deep canyons into the red sandstone cliffs and creating an excitingly wild landscape. My favourite site was Paahkenakallio with its meandering bends of the Kitkajoki River.

On the way back along the path a young golden eagle flies over, a black woodpecker cries and several ravens sit in an old tree.

This area is yet another true Wild Wonder of Europe.

Staffan Widstrand

Staffan Widstrand - Carnivore Bonanza, Kuhmo, Finland

I wake up at midnight hearing somebody walking around with a loud, splashing noise in the wet bog surrounding the hide where I am sleeping. Who could that be, here in No-Mans-land, right on the border between Finland and Russia? When I look out in the dark night I see an even darker shape walk around out there. But it has four legs. A huge bear. Maybe 3 metres away…
Between us only some cotton cloth and thin plywood. He walks around the area for hours. Not out for me of course, he is there in spite of my smelly and scary human presence. But he is there for the food put out to him and his kin.

As morning comes, no less than 9 bears have passed by during the night, and then on the other side of the bog, a family of 8 wolves begin an  intense social come-together – tails up high, sniffing each other, howling and yelping. But the light is not photo-friendly yet, not even at 25 600 ISO…

An hour later, when they have all left the scene, a wolverine comes by, picking up some of the leftovers from the night’s feast and it trots off with the lower leg of a moose in the mouth, on its way to its day hideaway.

This is a legendary wildlife watching site in Kuhmo that is run by Finnish nature photographer and tourism entrepreneur Lassi Rautiainen and his team from Articmedia. It is actually the only place in the whole world where you run a very good chance of seeing both wolf, bear and wolverine, sometimes all three of them even during a single night.

Most carnivores come during the darker hours, arriving at dusk and leaving at dawn. But the odd animal stays on for another hour or two, to finish off what may be left of the carcass put out for them.
The bears are in charge at the dinner table, but the wolves try to sneak in and grab a bite every now and then, harassing and teasing the bears all the time.

A single wolf  will typically keep a a low and quite humble profile, tail-between-the-legs-style, but already two of them can match many a smaller bear, frequently chasing them away from their food. And four wolves together means bad news for a bear of almost any size, and they then often completely take over and rule the place.

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