mostahfiz gani, The Arctic Fox (ANIMALS 2024)

Hornstrandir is Iceland’s Northernmost peninsula and the most remote place in all of Europe. It is also home to the Arctic fox Blue Morph, where I spent five days last winter photographing this elusive creature. It was bitterly cold, with temperatures getting as low as -20 degrees centigrade as biting arctic snow blizzards cut through the inhospitable and uninhabited region. It is in such conditions that the Arctic Fox has learnt to survive. I monitored the movements of the fox, spending much of the time flat on my stomach to get eye level, observing in particular how the fox survived the bleak and difficult winter. I lay in the snow waiting to get a low angle shot of the fox surrounded by the white snow as it walked up the usual path, turned, lowered its head, sniffed the snow, cast a quick glance at me before continuing on its path.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.