Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the wild, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

As one of the 3 species of Arctic whales, beluga whales live year round in cold water. During summer they visit the riverine estuaries of the Seal, Nelson and Churchill rivers in Hudson bay to shed their seasonal molt by rubbing against the bottom rubble, and to have their calves in shallow water as far as possible from their main predator, orcas (Orcinus orca).

I visited Churchill in summer 2014 but the run off from the rivers together with some bad weather made the visibility very bad (1-2ft) and although I could heard the “canaries of the sea” underwater, I did not come home with a single clear image.

After a year of longing to go back and also pondering about utilizing a different approach, I returned to the area in July 2015. Given my previous experience, I had few expectations and decided that I would just enjoy my time in the cold waters of Hudson Bay whilst trying to connect with the animals. Beluga whales are very curious, playful and intelligent. Their favorite places to hang out seemed to be in the murky tidal slacklines or thermoclines. I did what they did not expect and swam away from them as they approached which resulted in some very close encounters and some fantastic photographic opportunities.

My choice to portray them was in their dark world which still presents such a mystery to us.

Given the vast areas in which they roam, their close-knit family structures and the Arctic to sub-Arctic conditions they inhabit, it seems nonsensical to imagine that they will cope with captivity. Like most whales they live in a world of sound using echo location and sonar to communicate and to locate food. Imagine being in a concrete tank and being deprived of your most developed and important sensory experience…

The only way to watch beluga whales is in the wild.

Please visit Ellen’s website to view more of her work.