Royal Canadian Geographic Society 2013 Calendar

One of the real joys of Polar photography (both North and South) is the abundance of wildlife and the myriad of photographic opportunities available for not only landscape, but also wildlife photography. I am still sorting through the thousands of frames I shot of penguins and seals on my last Antarctic trip even as next years new and exciting Jewels of the Arctic expedition and Antarctic Expeditions are rapidly approaching.

One of my favourite wildlife photographs from Antarctica last year is of an Antarctic fur seal wallowing in the snow not far from the waters edge. This was a fun photograph to take as I was lying in the snow during a shore landing only a few metres from the seal; which seemed totally oblivious to my presence. I shot this with a 300mm lens to get nice and tight and simply waited for the seal to raise its head and yawn (as they are prone to do – seals seem to get bored very easily 🙂 ). This photograph was recently picked up by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and I am pleased to say is featured in their 2013 Calendar as the image for September. Copies of the calendar are available from the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.A larger version of this photograph can also be seen on my portfolio website at jholko.com under Antarctica.