A renowned Seattle photographer is coming to the Oak Harbor Library to share about his arctic misadventures on his quest to photograph a polar bear.

Paul Souders will speak at the library at 4 p.m. Oct. 12. Souders will share a slideshow of the stunning images of arctic wildlife and scenery he captured from a 22-foot fishing dory in the Hudson Bay. He will also tell the story of how he decided to embark on such a wild adventure, a story which he also tells in his book, “Arctic Solitaire: A Boat, A Bay, and the Quest for the Perfect Bear.”

Souders was born in Pennsylvania in 1961. He lived all over the United States as a child and young adult before settling in Seattle in 1995. A self-described “adolescent underachiever,” Souders eventually attended the University of Maryland, where he studied three majors in six years and “departed sans degree,” according to his website. He worked a variety of odd jobs before settling into photography.

As a professional wildlife photographer, his travels have taken him all over the world. His stunning images have earned him a number of awards, including grand prizes from National Geographic, Asferisco and Big Picture photo contests and BCC Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2011 and 2013. He also won Washington State’s Best Memoir and Biography award for “Arctic Solitaire,” which came out in 2019.