I have just published episode 144 of my Wild Nature Photography podcast. In this episode, I briefly discuss the Auto Focus Guide Canon has published for the Canon EOS R1 and dive into a discussion on the ideal boots for cold-weather photography. I will publish a fairly extensive blog post on boots for cold-weather photography, as well as gloves and camera bags, in the near future. This podcast is therefore a preview for the upcoming, more extensive article where I deep dive into my choice of the best boots for cold-weather photography.
In March of 2026, I ran a small-group workshop for five photographers to the remote Hornstrandir Nature Reserve to photograph Arctic Foxes in Winter. Like my Pallas Cat of Eastern Mongolia Report, earlier this year, this trip report will be a little different to the norm. Due to my heavy travel schedule, I will come back later in the year and update this post with additional still photographs from the trip as time permits. Personally, I shot over 13,000 RAW images over the course of the trip, so I have more than a little editing, culling and processing to do.
Our workshop kicked off in the small northwestern town of Isafjord in the West Fjords on the 2nd of March, with a short, but bumpy boat ride across the bay of forty-five minutes to our remote cabin at Sletta in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. Our cozy cabin was our home away from home throughout our workshop and had all the amenities we needed to be safe and comfortable. With a local house sitter and cook to look after the cabin and amentieis we were free to focus on our photography.
This time of year, the days are getting longer in Iceland, with sunrise around 8:30am and sunset around 7pm (although light levels are typically already too low by 6pm on overcast days). Our days typically began shortly after breakfast with a two- to three-hour session with the foxes, then we broke for a hot, filling lunch and a short rest. Since the foxes are most active in the morning and late afternoon, we would begin around 2:30pm and shoot until we lost the light. This meant our days consisted of a few hours of photography in the morning until lunch time and again in the afternoon until we lost the light.
During this workshop, we had the opportunity to photograph both the Blue and White Morph Arctic Foxes almost every day. On several occasions, some of us were also fortunate to have them together for a brief interaction for those quick with the shutter. Moments like this are rare and require patience and a dollop of serendipity. When the foxes do come together, it is often for the briefest of moments, and one has to be ready and quick to catch the action.
Over the course of the workshop, we saw and photographed four individuals (one white and three blue), although most of our work was done with the white-morph fox.
During our workshop, we experienced the full range of conditions Iceland could serve up, including crazy wind and flying snow (who doesn’t love a good Arctic storm to photograph Arctic Foxes!), gentle, delicate snowflakes drifting on an Arctic sea breeze, and calm blue skies and sunshine. This mix of weather enabled us to create a broad, diverse portfolio of work over the course of our time in the Nature reserve.
We took the opportunity to vary our setting and background throughout the trip, frequently moving from the nearby beach area to the back mountains behind the cabin, the nearby waterfall and river and the far western beach. Background is critical to a great wildlife photograph, and by moving around, we gave ourselves the best opportunities to vary the setting for different photographs. Personally, I always like to try to capture a selection of images that help tell the story of the fox in its environment.
My sincere thanks, as always, to all the clients who participated in this trip and placed their trust in me and my company, Wild Nature Photo Travel, to deliver a wonderful, productive workshop with these amazing foxes. Just some of the feedback from our workshop is included below.
Ellen – You are so awesome! Thank you for a fantastic trip (as well as getting me back to the cabin!) This trip will stay in my mind for a very long time. Wishing you and Suzy a very happy and long life together!
Jack – Thank you SO much for making this another great adventure!! You always go above and beyond!
We are returning again in February next year, 2027, to photograph these amazing Arctic survivors. To reach this unique location, you will need to fly to Keflavik International Airport in Iceland, followed by an internal flight to Isafjordur, the official starting point of the workshop. From here, we take a privately chartered boat to Hornstrandir. This trip also offers a unique perspective of the dramatic coastline, characterised by towering cliffs, deep fjords, and pristine natural beauty. If you would like to join us, please get in touch as places are extremely limited. Reserve your spot on this expedition and return with a portfolio of extraordinary images that few have had the privilege of capturing.
Canon has released a very useful guide for setting up the EOS R1 – Canon EOS R1 Auto Focus Settings Guide. Historically, these AF manuals and guides from Canon have been a bit of a headache to navigate and unpack, as they all seem to have been written by engineers rather than actual users. This one is different and is extremely easy to follow and navigate. Recommended reading for all Canon EOS R1 users.
Yesterday, I published podcast episode 143, in which I talked at length about how I have set up the EOS R1 for AF wildlife photography. One of the key components for me has been how to best optimise the two-button press on the touch AF button – half press for specific AF location and full press for tracking. I am planning a future deep-dive video on how I have set up and optimised this camera for my style of wildlife work.
I have just published episode 143 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this episode, I wrap up the three workshops I just completed in Iceland (two back-to-back workshops for the Arctic Fox in Hornstrandir and a private landscape trip to the south-west and south-eastern regions – trip reports coming soon). I also discuss what I want to see next from Canon and why dynamic range is just not that important as a camera metric.
It is not very often I share a third-party video, but this one from David Bergman (for Adorama TV) on why Dynamic Range is not nearly as important as most people think just hits the nail on the head. Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a really great photograph with 12 or more stops of dynamic range? The answer is you probably haven’t, and the reason is that most great photographs actually have quite a limited dynamic range because they are taken in soft light. Just as an aside, I have long said that we should not measure cameras by their dynamic range but instead by their ISO performance (signal-to-noise ratio).
Contrary to some beliefs, dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio are not the same, although both measure camera performance in decibels and are closely related. Dynamic range is the ratio between the maximum signal a sensor can handle and its lowest detectable signal (noise floor), while signal-to-noise measures signal quality at any given specific intensity.
In layman’s terms, dynamic range measures the span between the brightest highlights and darkest shadows a camera can capture in a single exposure without losing detail (clipping). In effect, it defines the camera’s ability to handle high-contrast scenes. The signal-to-noise ratio measures the ratio of signal strength to noise at a specific brightness level. SNR is highest at full-scale output and decreases in lower light.
There are some important key differences between the two. Dynamic Range describes the range of intensity, while Signal to noise describes the quality of the signal at one point. A camera with a high dynamic range may still have poor signal-to-noise if the noise floor is high or high SNR with low dynamic range.
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