CNN PRODUCER NOTE     konacraig traveled to Franz Joseph Land archipelago, which is a part of Russia in the Arctic circle. He traveled there on the Polar Icebreaker, which is a ship capable of breaking ice. 'The ships are occasionally used to take expeditions to the North Pole and other destinations were sea ice is a problem,' he says.

He journey to the barren region of Franz Joseph Land, which he says is an area with few visitors. 'It is like an ice desert, with very little rain and lots of ice,' he says. The lack of travelers to area also means that the wildlife is not impacted by humans typically. 'It was an expedition of like-minded people who care about the environment and seek new adventure,' he says.

While on the ship, he was able to see large glaciers floating out in the ocean, and ice fields as well. There were some islands that they passed by where viewers could see abandoned explorer bases. 'It was interesting to visit and imagine how people survived in this environment more than 150 years ago,' he says. During his trip he was able to photograph polar bears as well.

'The first thought I had when I saw the bear was to grab my camera and capture the moment,' he says. 'They are massive and powerful creatures, capable of taking down any animal in its environment.' With the ice in the Polar Caps melting, he hopes that people will be able to have the opportunity to see the bears in the wild like he did. 'See the bears now because their numbers will be impacted in the future,' he says.

The last photo in this set was featured as CNN's Travel Photo of the Day for September 5, 2012!
- Jareen, CNN iReport producer