Polar bear cub hangs on for ride near Churchill, Man.

British Columbia professional photographerDaisy Gilardiniwaited 117 hours to capture a unique moment between a polar bear and her cubs near Churchill, Man.

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Her photos, taken last February atWapusk National Park in northern Manitoba, were shared widely in Europe, she said. Theyare now making the rounds in Canada and have garnered an honourable mention in the 2015 Global Arctic Awards photography competition.

"You really need to be patient. You never know if you're going to see the bears or not," said Gilardini.

"They know you're there. Even if they are in the den,they can smell the fuel,they can smell us."

The photographer specializes in the polar regions and her work has appeared on BBC and in National Geographic Magazine.Shehas been toWapusk National Park four times since 2008and is planning a fifth trip to northernManitobafor late February.

Gilardini headsto the northern habitat near Churchill during the cold months of February, when temperatures often plunge past 40 C.

It's a special time, she said, because polar bear cubs and their mothers are leaving their dens for the first time, facingcold winds in search of newborn seals.

"They know this time of year there is easy food for them on the pack ice," said Gilardini. "It's the first time the babies come out of the dens so they're very curious, they're playful."

Gilardinidoesmost of her work in the Arctic and in Antarctica.

"I just love the cold, I guess," she joked.

Manitoba ishome to one of the most accessible regionspolar bears inhabit, she added.

"It's the southernmost place in the world where polar bears den," she said.

Most of her photographs are taken quite far from the polar bears, usinglarge lenses, Gilardinisaid, adding thatby law, photographers have to stay at least 100 metres away.

"The national park is pretty strict with how close you can get to them," she said.