Born in 1961, Pierre Vernay is a French wildlife photographer who has been passionate about the North since the age of 18. In more than 40 years of travelling and expeditions, he has explored all the territories of the Far North, from Greenland to Spitzbergen, following in the footsteps of the routes of the mythical Northwest Passage. His adventures have brought him face to face with the extreme rigours of the Arctic - intense cold, storms, isolation - reinforcing his intimate understanding of the experiences of the great explorers.
His photographic work, recognised in France and internationally, has been published in a number of prestigious magazines. He has also made several films for Ushuaïa Nature. Winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2010 (Animals in Their Environment category), Pierre Vernay is also the author of several reference works on the Arctic, including Kayak Polaire, Tragédies Polaires and Aventures Arctiques.
A sensitive photographer and committed naturalist, he is just as keen to capture a beaver on the Loire as a polar bear on the ice floe or a tiger in the jungle. What matters most to him is the beauty of the image, the emotion of the moment, and the preservation of ecosystems.