About the Image(s)

I took this photo on August 11, 2025, in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. The subject is the Oak Bluffs Polar Bears - a group that gets into the water at Inkwell Beach every morning during the summer for a routine that could be described as “exercise and gratitude.” This year is the Polar Bears’ 80th anniversary. The group is largely African American and the 80 year tradition stems from the town of Oak Bluff’s legacy of being welcoming to the African American community at times when most American beach towns were not. My understanding is that the term “Inkwell Beach” was originally derogatory, but has since been embraced by the community.

Other than wildlife generally, I put more work into photographing this subject than I have for any other. At the beginning of this summer, I knew only the barest minimum about the Polar Bears, but I thought they might make a good subject for our Human Interest group. I tried photographing them twice - once from shore and once standing in hip deep water - and the results of those two sessions were lots of boring photos.

I decided to join the Polar Bears in the water for one of their sessions. They are very welcoming and were encouraging me to join them when I was there with my camera. I figured if I participated in their full routine, I might learn some useful information about photographing them. Joining the Bears for their routine payed dividends. The leaders encourage everyone to be in the water up to their shoulders - they repeatedly say “Heads Only,” meaning “get your shoulders in the water.” Photos of many heads bobbing in the water weren’t very interesting. But there is a moment in the routine when everyone stands up, puts their arms in the air, and shouts with glee. That was clearly the moment to capture.

The next challenge was lighting. The Bears do their routine in the morning on an east-facing beach. Because of this, most photos taken of them from shore are backlit. That can make for a nice silhouette, but that’s not what I was going for. I decided to bring my kayak over to Inkwell Beach and paddle out into deeper water and take the photograph looking back towards shore. That put me between the sun and the Bears and illuminated the Bears well.

I took the photo with my old Canon R7, which is now my designated camera for occasions when the camera might be exposed to risk, like saltwater. The settings were: 1/500 s, f/11, and ISO 800. I used my 18-150 mm lens set at 70 mm.