The time has come, and very shortly we are departing Longyearbyen on our Wild Nature Photo Travel ship-based expedition around the archipelago of Svalbard. Due to the easter break, there has been no ice chart update since the 1st of April (nearly a week ago). A new ice chart should be released by the Polar Institute around 16:00 today. As such, my plan is to head north to the pack ice edge, just outside the 12-mile nautical limit, in search of wildlife. We will be returning to Longyearbyen and disembarking on the 15th of April. For now, it is time to embark, get settled and steam north!
By popular demand, we have decided to offer another Svalbard Spring Light expedition in April next year. The expedition will run from the 7th to the 15th of April, 2027 and include nine nights / ten days. Early April is one of the very best times to visit Svalbard. At this time of year, the sun is still low in the sky, and the landscape is bathed in golden light. Full details are now on our website at www.jholko.com/workshops. Please get in touch to reserve your place.
Earlier today, I wrapped up a phenomenal five-day private snowmobile expedition up in Svalbard. This was an intensive five days covering more than 1000 kilometres of driving, with two visits to Monbukta on the East Coast, as well as a trip to Svea, Templefjorden, and the Russian settlement of Barentsburg.
The trip proved extremely fruitful, with a wonderful encounter with a polar bear on the frozen sea ice, as well as many encounters with Arctic foxes, Reindeer, and Ptarmigan. I will have a full trip report in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I have one day here tomorrow to catch up on some washing before we board our boat for our Wild Nature Photo Travel 9-day wildlife expedition in and around the archipelago!
A few days ago, I received some absolutely wonderful feedback and a quite extensive review from a participant from a prior year’s Arctic Fox workshop in northern Iceland. They have told me they are more than happy for me to share their review here on my blog (thank you, Andrew).
Hi Josh, what can I say? The trip with you to the Arctic Fox surpassed all my expectations and then some. I didn’t tell you, but I did a lot of research before I chose to join your trip. It was not just your photographs (which are so much better than anyone else’s from this place, and now I understand why), but also the recommendations and word-of-mouth about your professionalism and approach.
For me, spending time in the field with you defined what the workshop experience should be.I have been on over twenty wildlife workshops around the world in the last ten years with nearly as many different workshop leaders, and what immediately sets you apart is your intimate understanding of the wildlife (in this case, the Arctic fox). I don’t mean just where to find them, but how they behave, how they move through the landscape, and how to position everyone to get the best possible photographs. Your professionalism in positioning and ensuring everyone gets the best images is unmatched. Most leaders care only about their own photographs. I watched you stand back many times after positioning everyone to ensure everyone maximised the moment. That is a testament to your professionalism.
From a technical standpoint, your guidance is exceptional. Whether it’s about exposure in the snow or making the most of conditions, you have a way of simplifying complex decisions in the field so that the camera gets out of the way. More importantly, you teach why, giving participants like me the confidence to adapt when conditions inevitably change.
But what truly elevated the experience was your fieldcraft. Every detail, from approach routes to time spent with a subject, was handled with a level of care that prioritises the welfare of the wildlife above all else. It’s a philosophy that not only leads to better images but also leaves all with a deeper appreciation for the environment we were working in.
I also noticed a quiet intensity to your own workflow. You don’t rush, you don’t force situations, and you don’t rely on luck. Instead, you create the conditions in which luck can occur. I can see that this comes through preparation, knowledge, and an extraordinary level of patience. Being around that mindset is as valuable as any photograph you come away with.
In a place as raw and unpredictable as Iceland, your kind of leadership makes all the difference. You didn’t just guide me to a location. You showed me how to truly see it. Thank you.For anyone serious about photographing Arctic fox in Iceland, it’s hard to imagine a better person to learn from.If anyone is on the fence about joining one of your trips, please have them contact me anytime. In the meantime, please sign me up for next year. I can’t wait to go back! Andrew from Australia
I missed this video when it was initially published, but it’s an excellent, updated 2025 deep dive that explains, in layman’s terms, the Auto Focus Menu System in Canon Cameras. Primarily, this relates to the EOS R1 and the EOS R5 MK2. If you are looking for clear explanations of each Auto Focus sub-menu, this is an excellent video, broken down into chapters for easy navigation.
The photograph of the month for April 2026 comes from my recent private winter landscape extension workshop in the south of Iceland and is of a frenzied sea state at the seaside town of Vik. Gale-force offshore winds had whipped the sea state into a chaotic, frenetic maelstrom, creating incredibly dramatic (and scary) conditions. We stood mesmerised from the safe vantage of the breakwater as we photographed this powerful display of Nature’s fury. I had specifically chosen this breakwater as our vantage point, away from the main town, as I knew this was where the seas were at their most dramatic. This particular photograph is my favourite from the session as it captures the wind, power, drama and fury of the ocean. The decision to crop this to a panorama was an obvious and easy one, as the crop plays symbiotically with the natural line of the incoming wave. This was a rare opportunity to photograph the rare wrath of Mother Nature.
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