Déjà Polar Bear: An Award-Winning Arctic Return

by George Williams

Talk about déjà vu. As Ben and Rita Griffin’s plane touched down at Seal River Heritage Lodge in 2024 for their Summer Dual Lodge Safari, they could hardly believe their eyes. Just like their first Churchill Wild adventure in 2018 on the Arctic Safari, a polar bear was there to welcome them. This time, however, their polar bear greeting would lead to more than just memories – one of Ben’s photos was selected as the Nature Photographers’ Alliance Photo of The Month.

“We had the same experience twice,” said Ben, who posted  a number of photos from their trip on his Gryphon Images website. “We land in the caravan and come to a stop, and one of the guys is right there saying, ‘Well, we should take you back to the lodge for a bear briefing. But the group is already out here on a bear. So we’re going to give you the Cliff Notes bear briefing and get you out there on this bear.’ And we literally walked from the plane to standing maybe 100 yards from a polar bear.”

That first encounter in 2018 had set a high bar for Arctic welcomes. “It was like, oh, my gosh, I can’t believe I’m standing here,” said Ben. “And then the bear started wandering a little close to us. And I don’t remember the young woman’s name who was the guard back in 2018, but she was clicking rocks and talking to the bear, saying, ‘Now, sweetheart, you’re a little too close to the group. Move on off toward the water.’ And it listened to her!”

But their 2024 greeting proved equally memorable—and more photogenic. “When we landed this time this summer, there was a bear right there on a gravel pile by the runway. And she was literally posing,” said Ben.

The Journey to Churchill Wild

The Griffins discovered Churchill Wild in 2017 when Ben started researching polar bear photography opportunities. “I started doing web searches about photographing polar bears, and the Churchill Wild website came up,” he explains. “I just loved the fact that it was a family-run company.”

Their first Arctic Safari trip in 2018 turned into an unexpected adventure when a snowstorm hit their tundra camp. “We were supposed to be there two nights,” said Ben. “That third morning we woke up and… I couldn’t unzip the tent. I thought the zipper was broken. Then I finally realized it wasn’t broken – it was iced shut.”

The experience only added to the adventure, and their hosts adapted to the situation with true northern resourcefulness. “Mike (Reimer) and his son-in-law went out in the boat and caught lake trout to feed us that night,” said Ben. “Now we’re not only snow camping, we’re living off the land!”

During that first trip, they also had memorable experiences with photographer Jad Davenport at the tundra camp. “He was just terrific to work with,” said Ben. “It was a stormy morning, but the sun was coming through the clouds. And I was setting up a landscape shot of the storm. And Jad said, ‘You need a person in that shot in order to give it perspective.’ And he walked out on the rock and stood there in his red jacket while I shot the photo.”

From Corporate Turnarounds to Wildlife Photography

Behind the lens of this accomplished photographer lies an equally fascinating career story. For the past 25 years, Ben has run CEOIQ®, an executive coaching and peer advisory business. “I typically work with companies that have evolved,” said Ben. “I’m doing a lot of work with family-owned companies where it’s multi-generation family owned companies.” The companies his clients represent generate from $5 million to $200 million in revenue.

Ben’s path to becoming an executive coach was anything but conventional, but his varied experiences taught him some valuable lessons about leadership that he sees reflected in Churchill Wild’s operations. “I firmly believe that the organization reflects the people at the top of it,” he said. “Right down to the cooks in the kitchen, they reflect Mike and Jeanne.” The attention to organizational culture made a lasting impression on Ben, who has worked with countless businesses throughout his career.

Throughout Ben’s career changes, Rita has been by his side for 45 years. “When we finish each other’s sentences all the time or anticipate what the other one’s going to do or need… we’ll just look at each other and say, ’45 years,'” said Ben. “Rita’s a lifelong tennis player. I wouldn’t take up tennis. So she kind of took up photography to have something we could do together.”

At 78 years young, Ben continues both his executive coaching and his wildlife photography with equal passion. “I love what I do,” he said of his coaching work. “It’s the best job in the world.”

A Passion for Photography

The Griffins have been photographers since the 1980s, starting with film cameras before transitioning to digital in 2017, when Ben needed new photos and video for his business. Their first real photography adventure came through an unexpected opportunity.

“I saw this trip from National Geographic, a Cuba photography trip,” said Ben. When Rita expressed hesitation about her photography skills, Ben got her a camera and a lens. The decision proved fortuitous when, during their first street photography session in Havana, Rita captured what Ben described as “an iconic shot of this 80-year-old woman standing in the doorway of her home.” A young Cuban photographer looking over Rita’s shoulder confirmed her natural talent: “Rita, that is perfect. That is unbelievable.”

Today, Ben shoots with a Canon R5 mirrorless camera paired with professional-grade lenses, including the Canon 100-500mm he used for his award-winning polar bear shot. Rita prefers a more compact setup, using a Canon 77D with a Tamron 18-400mm lens. “Rita shoots total auto,” said Ben. “But she has a photographer’s eye that is just amazing.”

Their complementary photography styles have caught attention, as Ben described. “The guy we were with in Ireland said, ‘What’s so interesting about being with you two is that you’re not in competition with each other to shoot the same thing, you each see different things and you go chase that.'”

When not traveling, the Griffins find endless photography opportunities at their Florida home. “We built a house that backs onto a couple of hundred acres of protected preserve,” said Ben. “We get three kinds of egrets, three kinds of herons… I was just out this morning photographing an alligator right out back of our house. And I had a 10-point buck staring at me the other morning and got some really nice photos of him.”

Two Ecolodges, Two Unique Experiences

Ben and Rita’s 2024 Summer Dual Lodge Safari provided distinct Arctic experiences at Seal River Heritage Lodge and Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. At Nanuk, they witnessed remarkable wildlife interactions. “There was a patch of cloudberries that was ripening literally at the observation deck, and a bear spent an hour or more feeding on them,” said Ben. “And five wolves came by and I got three of them in one frame. Then they went into the woods and the next thing you know, a black bear comes running out. And he was hauling… you don’t realize how fast those bears can run. And I got a really cool photo of a Canadian Jay. He had come and lit on one of the spruce trees there.”

The different landscapes and wildlife patterns between the two lodges created unique photography opportunities. “You see the black bears at Nanuk that you don’t see at Seal River,” said Ben. And sometimes, the best moments came from staying behind at the lodge. During one particularly wet day, Ben and Rita decided to stay back, and experienced their own wildlife bonanza from the comfort of the lodge, seeing “wolves, black bears and a polar bear sitting right in the lot.”

Safety and Service

The Griffins were consistently impressed by the guides’ commitment to guest safety and their respect for the wildlife. During one encounter at Nanuk, they witnessed this firsthand when approaching an older bear. “We got maybe about 100 meters from that bear, and he started getting squirrely,” said Ben. “Mike stopped us and said ‘That’s it. He’s not going to tolerate us. We’re done.'”

The respect for wildlife and attention to detail extended beyond safety to every aspect of the experience. “The quality of the food was astonishing to me when they’ve got to fly every morsel of food into those lodges,” said Ben. “And what they’re able to do with what they have, how interesting they make it.”

“The first time we were up there, Rita had some dietary issues and they just bent over backwards to accommodate that. I mean, to make meals just for her. And we noticed other people in our group had some dietary issues that were looked after too. It’s different every time you’re up there.”

Building Connections

The social aspects of Churchill Wild trips have created lasting friendships for the Griffins. “One couple we were up there with, the husband was a retired airline pilot, and two of our sons are airline pilots,” said Ben. “So we had lots to talk about, and since then we’ve connected with them on Facebook and now we’re watching each other’s photography posts.”

The Griffins particularly value these connections and the caliber of guests Churchill Wild attracts. “Churchill Wild is definitely not in the cheap date category,” said Ben. “You get people that are accomplished and have the resources to be able to spend money like that.”

The Aurora’s Call

A major draw for the couple’s return visit was the chance to photograph the northern lights again. During their first visit in 2018, Ben captured what he calls “the hand of God, a burst of aurora that looked like a hand with the thumb curved over.” Their 2024 trip delivered even more spectacular displays, with Ben noting they “actually had better aurora at Nanuk than we did at Seal River this time.”

For the Griffins, who have photographed wildlife worldwide from the Galapagos to Tanzania, Churchill Wild stands apart. “Of all the trips we’ve done, Churchill Wild is the only one we’ve come back to a second time,” said Ben. When asked if he would recommend Churchill Wild to others, his response was immediate: “I’ve already said to people, there’s only one way to go…

“Visit ChurchillWild.com and pick your trip.”

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