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He lives on through his work - 16 incredible photos from late Planet Earth cameraman

12 hours ago

Doug Allan spent hundreds of days filming polar bears for his documentaries

Doug Allan Two polar bears standing on their hind legs on snowy tundra, facing each other and touching forepaws, with a dark blue sky in the background. — Doug Allan spent hundreds of days filming polar bears for his documentaries

Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan was renowned for working in some of the coldest and most extreme environments in the world.

The Scottish photographer, a trained diver and marine biologist, captured spectacular views of the frozen world above and below the water.

He built his career alongside Sir David Attenborough on BBC programmes including The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.

Allan died earlier this week, at the age of 74, after falling ill during a mountain trek in Nepal.

With countless awards to his name, he leaves a legacy of photos and footage that will see him remembered as one of the pioneers of wildlife filmmaking.

Atlantic walrus in Greenland, Allan's work took him to frozen environments across the world

Getty Images - Doug Allan Two walruses resting on sea ice beside open water, showing long tusks and wrinkled brown skin in a polar coastal setting. — Atlantic walrus in Greenland, Allan's work took him to frozen environments across the world

The midnight sun over Spring sea ice at Lancaster Sound in the Arctic

Getty Images - Doug Allan Sun setting over a frozen sea, illuminating jagged ice formations and snow-covered pressure ridges beneath a golden sky. — The midnight sun over Spring sea ice at Lancaster Sound in the Arctic

A bearded seal pops up at Svalbard, between mainland Norway and the North Pole

Getty Images - Doug Allan Seal’s head emerging through a hole in sea ice, surrounded by frozen water and snow in a polar environment. — A bearded seal pops up at Svalbard, between mainland Norway and the North Pole

Beluga whales under water at Lancaster Sound in the Canadian Arctic

Getty Images - Doug Allan Group of beluga whales swimming together underwater in dark Arctic waters, their white bodies glowing against the deep green-blue background. — Beluga whales under water at Lancaster Sound in the Canadian Arctic

A lone Arctic Fox on the sparkling sea ice at Svalbard

Getty Images - Doug Allan Arctic fox with white winter fur standing on a snowy tundra, with distant snow-covered mountains under a pale blue sky. — A lone Arctic Fox on the sparkling sea ice at Svalbard

Hundreds of Emperor Penguins huddling in Antarctica

Getty Images - Doug Allan Large colony of emperor penguins huddled together on icy ground, with towering ice cliffs and a blue polar sky in the background. — Hundreds of Emperor Penguins huddling in Antarctica

An emperor penguin chick, just a few weeks old, on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica

Getty Images - Doug Allan Emperor penguin standing on Antarctic ice with a small chick sheltered between the adult penguin’s feet, surrounded by other penguins in a cold, overcast polar setting — An emperor penguin chick, just a few weeks old, on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica

Allan captured how global warming has changed the earth's polar landscapes

Doug Allan Large iceberg floating in calm ocean water, with a group of penguins standing along the ridge beneath a partly cloudy blue sky. — Allan captured how global warming has changed the earth's polar landscapes

A Polar Bear rests in the autumn sun, near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, in Canada

Getty Images - Doug Allan Polar bear lying stretched out on snow in an Arctic landscape, with white fur blending into the snowy ground and sparse shrubs and trees visible in the backgroun — A Polar Bear rests in the autumn sun, near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, in Canada

A Parhelion - an atmospheric effect that creates bright spots around the sun - over Signy research station in Antarctica's South Orkney Islands.

Getty Images - Doug Allan Sun low on the horizon over a snow-covered polar landscape, creating a bright halo and sun dogs in a cold blue sky above icy terrain and a small research outpost — A Parhelion - an atmospheric effect that creates bright spots around the sun - over Signy research station in Antarctica's South Orkney Islands.

Guillemots diving underwater at Lancaster Sound in the Arctic

Getty Images - Doug Allan Penguins swimming underwater beneath large floating ice blocks, with sunlight filtering through clear blue polar ocean water. — Guillemots diving underwater at Lancaster Sound in the Arctic

Southern Elephant Seals on South Georgia island in the Atlantic

Getty Images - Doug Allan Adult elephant seal resting in shallow water beside a smaller seal, with wrinkled brown skin visible against a coastal shoreline and calm sea in the background — Southern Elephant Seals on South Georgia island in the Atlantic

More Elephant Seals wallow in the mud on South Georgia Island

Getty Images - Doug Allan Group of elephant seals crowded together on a rocky shoreline, some with mouths open, showing thick, dark, wrinkled skin and whiskered faces beside coastal vegetation — More Elephant Seals wallow in the mud on South Georgia Island

The snow-capped and glaciated interior of Spitzbergen Island in the Arctic

Getty Images - Doug Allan Aerial view of rugged, snow-covered mountains and ridges rising from a vast polar ice sheet, with layered rock faces visible beneath the white snow and ice. — The snow-capped and glaciated interior of Spitzbergen Island in the Arctic

Allan was made an OBE for services to broadcast media and the environment

Doug Allan Doug Allan in a yellow jacket and furry hat with a large camera with hundreds of penguins in a frozen landscape in the distance behind him — Allan was made an OBE for services to broadcast media and the environment

Doug Allan: Wild Cameramen at Work

'There was a polar bear at the window'

Pioneering wildlife cameraman Doug Allan dies after falling ill in Nepal

Wildlife photography