January 2018 – www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com

Skylum Luminar 2018 Update Available

January 31, 2018 Posted in News and Updates, SoftwareLeave a comment

Skylum (previously known as MacPhun) has released today a significant update to Luminar 2018 for Windows and Mac. See What’s New with Luminar?

The free update brings the following new and improved features to improve the Luminar editing experience:

MAC USERS

Improved Raw Support: We’ve improved RAW Develop support and added Leica Monochrom .DNG , HEIC formats. We’ve also improved support for Hasselblad and several other cameras.
Photos for Mac: Luminar works even better as an extension for Photos for Mac.
Adobe plug-in improvements: The plugins for Adobe products have been performance tuned.
Improved cross platform files: We’ve fixed issue with Dodge & Burn filter masks for documents created on Windows.

WINDOWS USERS

Language support: You can now enjoy Luminar in many more languages.
Brush Size: Use the left and right bracket keys ([ and ]) to adjust the size of your brush. Add the shift key (Shift+ [ or ]) to adjust the Softness. It’s now easier than ever to mask.
Curves: The Curves filter is improved for better results
Merge Layers: Permanently merge two or more layers with Merge layers feature.
Improved Sidebar: The sidebar controls are even easier to use and navigate.
Cropping improvements: The cropped state of an image is now correctly captured in the native Luminar file.
Adobe plug-in improvements: The plugins for Adobe products have been performance tuned.

If you have not as yet tried Luminar I would encourage you to give it a try. The software has been developing at a rapid rate and is proving itself a viable alternative to Lightroom in all except Digital Asset Management (Which will likely come in a future update later this year).

Melrakki Calendar 2018 SOLD OUT

January 30, 2018 Posted in Arctic, Book, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsLeave a comment

The 2018 Calendar Melrakki is now SOLD OUT. Thank you to all those who purchased a copy of this limited edition calendar.

Nature Photographer Joshua Holko presents photographs from three years of solitary winter expeditions to the Arctic in extreme conditions to photograph one of Nature’s greatest survivors; Vulpes lagopus. The Arctic Fox.

Printed in Australia by the Nulab Group the calendars measure 42xm x 30cm closed and 80cm x 30cm open and are spiral bound. The calendars are printed on the highest quality stock with a gloss laminate using the HP Indego printer process. The front cover includes an Arctic Fox logo cut out reveal and each month includes one photograph from the project as well as select project notes from the Limited Edition book.

Includes twelve photographs in total and field notes from the three years Joshua Holko spent photographing this remarkable predator during winter in the extreme north-west of Iceland.

Photographs and Text by Joshua Holko

National Geographic Magazine Feature ‘Re-Cut’ of Ghosts of the Arctic

January 26, 2018 Posted in Arctic, Media, News and Updates, Travel Photography, VideoLeave a comment

National Geographic magazine are featuring a re-cut of Ghosts of the Arctic on their social media platforms at the moment. On the humorous side they felt the need to subtitle it… I guess my Australian / Icelandic / Norwegian accent was a bit much for some – LOL. The re-cut is only available to view on Facebook at present HERE.

“High in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, photographer Joshua Holko is on a mission to document polar bears in the wild”

In other news, things have been a bit quiet on my blog of late. Mostly, I have been taking the opportunity whilst at home in Australia to catch up on some maintenance around the house and have some actual real down time.

I will be heading up to the Arctic in a little under two weeks for the winter season and there is still much to do before I leave. I hope to finish testing and publish my review of BenQ’s excellent new SW271 4K Photographic monitor as well as finalise details of some new future expeditions. More to come…

Arctic Fox Photography Expedition 2019 Announcement

January 17, 2018 Posted in Iceland, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

In just a few weeks I will be heading up to the Arctic to begin the winter season. It is a very exciting time for me as winter in the Arctic is without doubt my favourite place in the world to photograph. One of the expeditions I will be leading is to the very north of Iceland and the remote Hornstrandir Nature reserve to photograph wild Arctic Fox. This expedition for just five photographers has long been sold out, but I am today announcing dates and availability for the 2019 expedition.By way of a little background, I have been travelling to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve (Hornstrandir is Iceland’s northernmost peninsula, covering 580 km² at the northern end of the Westfjords, to the north of the Jökulfirðir and to the northwest of Drangajökull) in Iceland during the winter months for six years now specifically to photograph Arctic Fox in winter. You can read the trip report from last years expedition here: Read the 2017 Expedition Report. In 2016 I released a new limited edition book on the Arctic Fox (Melrakki) which was the culmination of three years of winter photography. The limited edition is long sold out, but the soft cover is open edition and available for sale HERE.The 2019 expedition is also limited to just five photographers and will run from the 22nd – 28th of February 2019.

This is a unique and special opportunity for a small group of just five photographers to photograph wild Arctic Foxes in the remote north-west of Iceland during winter. We will be photographing what is perhaps Nature’s greatest survivor – The Arctic Fox.Arctic Foxes are unfortunately hunted and shot across most of Iceland making them extremely shy and difficult to find (and even more difficult to photograph). In the remote north-west however the Arctic Foxes are protected inside the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve and can be more easily approached and photographed.

This photography expedition will last for 7 days ( 6 nights). We will be staying in a small remote cabin that is rustic, but functional and clean. During our stay in the cabin we will have a dedicated staff member to clean and prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for us (all included). However, this expedition is all about photography and we will be putting in long hours in the field in order to ensure we give ourselves the best possible opportunities to photograph the Arctic Fox. We may take food and drink with us into the field to ensure we are in position and ready to photograph when the foxes are active. We will have up to 10 hours of good light during the day with which to photograph the Arctic foxes. With luck, we may also see and photograph the spectacular Northern lights.The cost for the expedition is $7,650 US Dollars. This is an all-inclusive price, but excluding your airfare to and from Isafjord in Iceland. If you have special dietary requirement you will be accommodated – please just be sure to let us know when you make your booking.

Our accommodation for the expedition is a cozy but rugged haven for photographers to enjoy a great atmosphere after a day out in the cold photographing Arctic Foxes. The house was originally built in 1921. In 1948 (just 27 years later), the last inhabitants left this isolated arctic peninsula in search of a better life. The cabin was abandoned for many years and has only recently begun to be restored.Although no one lives here permanently, the cabin is a great getaway and the perfect place to accommodate us whilst we search for and photograph wild Arctic Foxes. Curious Arctic Foxes frequently stop past the cabin to investigate visitors and it is possible to even photograph them from right outside the cabin on occasion.

The cabin includes:

– Bathroom, toilet and hot shower.

– Bunk-bed accommodation with duvets provided

– Full kitchen (chef to prepare meals and clean)

– Hydronic and log fire heating

– Power for laptops and battery charging (generator provided)

– Outdoor Sauna

If you are interested in photographing wild Arctic Fox now is the time register your interest. Places on the expedition are extremely limited and once spoken for thats it. You can download a complete PDF on the expedition HERE and register your interest by dropping me an email to info@jholko.com

Presenting at Lenscape 2018 in Queensland Australia

January 15, 2018 Posted in Media, News and UpdatesLeave a comment

Later this year I will be presenting at the 2018 Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Lenscape Conference (formally known as ‘The Event’) at Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The two day conference runs from Saturday the 5th of May until Sunday the 6th of May.

I will be presenting with Giclee Media on my Fine Art printing and work with M1, M2 and M3 printing profiles as well as how to get the very best black and white points with matt art media using tonal curve and levels adjustments. It will be an advanced presentation for those already intimately familiar with inkjet printing.

From the Lenscape Website: With over 40 sessions including specialist speakers presenting on thought-provoking and inspiring content. Two full days where you can sit back and soak up seminars or jump right in with hands-on workshops. Our annual conference is the time for you to come together, with your community, your colleagues and your friends. Expand your knowledge, open your mind to new ideas, learn new tricks, it’s your chance to hit all your personal and professional development in one go, do it once, do it right.

Together with our trade partners, we’ve got some intimate interactive experiences in store for you. For the adventurous; how do you feel about getting up and close with sharks? Or all action with some water sports stunts? Maybe even getting your togs on and finding yourself underwater with your camera. Or maybe a swim with dolphins. Head on a photo excursion with a hands-on-all-the-latest-gear. For our early birds; we’ve planned morning yoga sessions daily. (Edit – Yoga sessions at a photography conference? I must be getting old….).