www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com

For the fourth year in a row (and my fourth time entering), I have multiple photographs in the final round of judging of Bird Photographer of the Year. For 2026, five of the eight photographs I entered into the competition have been accepted into the final round of judging. Which photogrpahs made the finals will come later (once all judging is complete). It feels this notification came at just the right time, in the middle of our Wild Nature Photo Travel Birds of the High Andes workshop here in Colombia. We were sitting today at 13,460 feet, high in the mountains, waiting for the Buffy Helmetcrest Hummingbird (one of Colombia’s rarest hummingbirds only found at extreme altitude) when I received the notification. Congratulations to all the finalists and very much looking forward to seeing all the entries!

A couple of days in Sweden have quickly come and gone, and I am heading back to the airport in just a few moments for the three-flight journey (Sweden > Amsterdam > Bogota > Cali) to Colombia for my Wings over Andes bird photography workshop. This sold-out workshop is dedicated to the photography of birds in the Andes, and it’s therefore a relatively easy trip to pack for. Both Canon EOS R1’S will be the bodies of choice, along with the RF 10-300mm f/2.8L IS USM and the RF 600mm F4L IS USM as my main glass. I am also taking an RF 24mm-105mm F4L for any wide-angle opportunities and, of course, a pair of binoculars. My podcast kit is also coming, and time permitting, I hope to squeeze in a podcast along the way. See you in Colombia.

I have just published episode 141 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this episode, I wrap up the photography festival Xposure in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and share my thoughts on this industry-leading event. Event organisers around the world should take note of what has been achieved and continues to be achieved in the UAE in relation to photography and photographic festivals and events. Sharjah and the Xposure organisers are setting both a world and industry-leading standard for others to follow. If you want to know where the cutting edge of photography festivals is occuring you need look no further than Xposure in the UAE. A full walk-through of my exhibition from Xposure Antarctica – White Silence is included below.

The photograph of the month for February 2026 comes from a prior workshop in northern Iceland to photograph the Arctic Fox in winter. This photograph was also recently featured in the January 2026 edition of Outdoor Photography magazine (my photograph is also on the cover). What I love most about this photograph is the heavy dusting of snow plastered to the fox’s face and fur, and the dramatic feeling of a winter storm and flying snow. This is further accentuated by the angle of the ground the fox is sitting on. All of these elements combine to create a highly evocative photograph that tells the story of the fox in its winter environment. Critically, the fox’s tail is included, which helps give the fox’s entire form a wonderful, pleasing geometric shape. I will be returning to this part of Iceland next month to lead two back-to-back workshops to photograph these amazing foxes. Both workshops are long sold out, but we are now taking bookings for 2027. Please contact me for details.

Our Wild Nature Photo Travel November expedition to the remote Sea Ice of Gould Bay in Antarctica to photograph the mighty Emperor Penguins in November this year is already sold out – thank you. This region of Antarctica is extremely remote and home to one of the largest Emperor Penguin colonies.  It is an absolutely incredible and surreal place to visit and photograph these remarkable birds. Our next expedition will be in November 2027, and full details are on the website at www.jholko.com/workshops.