Interview with Florian Schulz, Author/photographer of the companion book to 'To the Arctic'

By Ben Lybarger

If sleeping in shifts on the windswept polar ice cap, swaddled in perpetual daylight and swapping a high-powered rifle with your spouse every couple hours to fend off bears sounds remarkably unlike your idea of wedded bliss, then you probably have little in common with Florian Schulz and his wife, Emil. Having mounted an impressive list of awards and accolades, this world-renowned German native has carved out a niche for himself by mixing his passion for photography with his love for nature and wildlife, a love that takes him anywhere from the cloud forest of Chiapas to the frozen tundra of the arctic. His first book, Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, mixed his stunning images with essays by biologists and conservationists, seeking not only to inspire wonder and evoke an emotional connection to the natural world, but also to educate and hopefully improve our relationship to the dwindling habitats and threatened species that our lifestyles impact. For his latest project, Schulz teamed up with MacGillivray Freeman Films to produce a beautiful companion book for their IMAX film, TO THE ARCTIC. Much more than a mere cinematic memento, however, this book captures a formidable array of breathtaking photos that offer an intimate glimpse into the harsh environments of the far north. I was able to sit down with Florian before his talk at the Great Lakes Science Center prior to a screening of TO THE ARCTIC on April 19th.

To the Arctic (opens April 20th at the Great Lakes Science Center)

[TO THE ARTIC opens Friday April 20th at the Great Lakes Science Center.]
 
Review by Ben Lybarger
 

In this feature film poised to heat up the science center circuit, director Greg MacGillivray takes the audience on an expedition into the same vast and foreboding -- yet stunningly beautiful -- territory that has daunted wayward arctic ramblers and latitudinal luminaries for centuries. The voyage begins with closing aerial shots of a melting continent of ice spurting torrents of freshwater into the sea; the gorgeous waterfalls bursting from a barren white expanse almost dazzling enough to obscure any deeper concerns.  Indeed, the arctic wilderness is prime real estate for 3D immersion into the exotic and unwelcoming world that few creatures are able call home. 
 
While the film shows how climate change is impacting everything from walruses to Native peoples, the main thrust is the plight of the polar bear, which was listed as a Threatened Species in 2008, and has long been under the auspices of the Marine Mammal Protection Act within the U.S.  We are treated to incredible ursine footage of seal hunting, play fighting, nursing cubs, and youngsters balancing on the still-frozen remnants of their shrinking habitat.