On what inspires her

It’s kind of like that good golf shot. You hit a really good shot, you get close to the pin, and you know you can do better because you can get it in the hole. It’s like one shot to the next, it’s capturing that moment, trying to capture something nobody else has ever seen. It’s a constant obsession. I think that’s the greatest gift for all photographers. It’s like, “What’s next?” We don’t know. You can anticipate, you can visualize, you can do all that. You have these expectations, and lowering those expectations is probably the hardest thing to do with wildlife photography because you just want the shot that nobody else has ever had. And it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, you are left with an abundance, and sometimes you are left with absolutely nothing. And I think that’s the draw.

On encountering climate change in the field

I just went through the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Alaska, and we did not see any sea ice until we went looking for it high up in Alaska. We traversed through the entire Northwest Passage without a bit of sea ice, which is absolutely terrifying. And, this year, on top of it being the hottest on record, it’s evident. Look at what’s happening all around us. Our climate — it’s frightening what’s happening. And if we’re all out there doing wildlife photography, I think we have a greater purpose as well. Nature photography allows us to tell the story and inspire people, get people engaged or expand the conversation. Because nothing tells a story better than video or photos.

On the highlight of her career

Photographing Boss, the spirit bear, shaking. I won the World Photographic Cup with it in Rome in 2022. It’s probably one of the most significant images for me. I have photographed a lot of bears shaking, but it was just all those elements — lighting, positioning and background. Everything came together because I was low to the ground, the background was dark and the light was shimmering.