Fred Bruemmer

Who is Fred Bruemmer?

Fred Bruemmer, CM was a Latvian Canadian nature photographer and researcher. He spent his life travelling extensively throughout the circumpolar regions and to other remote parts of the globe. His works have been centered mostly on the Arctic, its people and its animals. He also conducted research and published on animals in many other areas of the globe. He spoke nine languages and wrote more than a thousand articles for publications around the world, including Canadian Geographic, Natural History, National Geographic and Smithsonian. Fred Bruemmer lived in Montreal, Quebec.

Born in Riga, Latvia, to a Baltic-German family, Bruemmer emigrated to Canada in 1951 and became a citizen in 1956. His book Survival - A Refugee Life, published in 2005, talks about the harrowing ordeals the young Bruemmer went through during World War II, which led him from his Latvian birthplace to eventual immigration to Canada.

His 1964 photo of a white harp seal pup became an icon and was among 51 photos chosen in the book Photographs that Changed the World.

Books by Fred Bruemmer include:

The Long Hunt;

Seasons of the Eskimo;

Encounters with Arctic Animals;