‘Life Below Zero' cinematographer Dwayne Fowler on capturing the Alaskan wilderness and how the show has evolved over 23 seasons

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Cinematographer Dwayne Fowler, nominated at this year's Emmys for National Geographic's Life Below Zero, tells Gold Derby all about his unique experience following his 2020 victory. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual ceremony meant he was in Alaska shooting the docuseries. The good news arrived via a satellite text message, and his celebratory trophy was a piece of production equipment.
"My producer handed me a part of a chainsaw winch — a little metal piece of equipment that we happened to have up there — as if it was my statuette," Fowler smiles. "I gave a little impromptu speech to the crew to celebrate our win." For his current 2025 nomination for Best Cinematography for a Reality Program, he expresses his excitement at attending the ceremony in person.
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When asked about the show's enduring popularity over its 23 seasons and 12 years, Fowler admits that Life Below Zero has stayed relevant by changing with the times. "The show has evolved from being more of a gritty, survival type show to being a character-driven show," he explains. The focus on the subjects' personal lives, rather than just their struggles against the elements, has been key to its longevity.
Building trust with the cast members is a huge part of the job. Fowler praises Sue Aikens' authentic on-screen presence, noting, "She is 100 percent the same person when you meet her at a pre-Emmy party in LA as she is on TV. So, I think, maybe just being authentic is the life advice I would take from Sue Aikens." This need for trust extends to every subject. "We are not gonna make you look bad," he says, explaining that the crew's job is to respect the subjects and tell their stories in a way that viewers understand the struggle and their resilience.
To combat the freezing temperatures that quickly drain batteries, Fowler's crew relies on a clever trick. "We'll have a Yeti cooler with hand warmers inside of it that keeps the batteries warm enough to keep the cameras rolling," he confesses. Beyond the gear, he admits the job is often a matter of "putting up with the cold, dressing for the weather, and knowing that the job is not always going to be comfortable."
Fowler's entry into Life Below Zero was directly tied to a new technological advance: drones. "I was actually hired on the show because I was able to pass the drone certification test," he laughs. Drones replaced the expensive, one-day helicopter shoots of the past and are now integrated into the action. They "really incorporate the aerials in the visual of this epic Alaskan landscape in association with what our cast members are doing."
Among his most memorable moments, Fowler describes a night fishing scene with the Hailstone family. "It's just pitch black on this frozen river, and we don't really light anything," he remembers. The scene was shot using only the subjects' headlamps, which acted as small spotlights against the darkness. He was worried the cameras couldn't handle the low light, but the result was spectacular. "It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful scene," he concludes.
In addition to cinematography, Life Below Zero is also nominated at the 2025 Emmys for Best Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program.
This article and video are sponsored content by National Geographic.
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