The images you see in this gallery were taken in Wapusk national park, in the state of Manitoba, Canada.

Wapusk is made up of many lakes and is home to a cloud of biting bugs in the summer but in the winter time it is one of the largest known polar bear denning areas in the world.

The cubs are usually born in December and when they are 2/3 months old they first emerge from their dens with their mothers, filled with energy and curiosity - everything is a new toy to them whether it be a piece of ice, a twig or a small tree to climb. The family must make the journey to the coast as fast as they can as the mother will be very hungry after a long break from hunting on the ice. The journey is dangerous for the cubs as there is packs of wolves and male polar bears around who will prey on them.

There are many challenges to overcome to get a good image of the emerging families, we used to say that if you get to leave the lodge then its a good day! The images were taken in conditions that sometimes dropped to minus 58 °C including windchill. When it gets so cold the cubs usually curl up against their mother using her as a windbreak, which means if you want to photograph them you must stand looking directly into the wind. Batteries need to be frequently changed and coaxed back to life as the power drops fast in this cold. The area is also very flat so there is nowhere to hide from the wind and besides the cold it also makes it difficult to keep a big lens steady for sharp images.