PhotoBizX Podcast Interview The Business of Wildlife Photography

A couple of months ago I sat down with new friend Andrew Helllmich from PhotoBizX for a podcast interview and discussion about the business side of my wildlife photography. If you are unfamiliar with PhotoBizX I encourage you to take a few moments out of your day and check out the many fantastic free podcasts Andrew has available on his website. There is a plethora of fantastic business content including marketing and social media tips for photographers as well as a premium monthly subscription option for those looking for a really deep dive (recommended for anyone interested in the business of photography). The full podcast of my interview can be heard HERE or by clicking on the image below. If you are interested in becoming a premium member of PhotoBizX you can get a free six week trial by using this LINK.

Joshua Holko of www.jholko.com started photography around 12 years of age, but it wasn’t for many years afterwards he turned full time professional. His passion has always been nature photography. Today, he would be classified as a wildlife photographer. In particular a polar photographer. That’s right. He spends most of his year down in Antarctica or up in the Arctic. He left a corporate job to pursue photography full-time. He travelled extensively – including to the polar areas he most wanted to photograph – at significant personal cost to help build a portfolio and his network. Today, he has too many awards to list here and one look at his portfolio, it’s no wonder. His work is incredible. And the places he’s seen – truly, amazing.

I’m talking about Melbourne based Joshua Holko and in this interview, he shares how he’s managed to build a successful, profitable photography business, photographing wildlife. It all comes down to building three profitable arms to his business –  licensing images, print sales and photo expeditions to some of the world’s wildest and remotest regions with paying amateur photographers looking to capture the incredible images Josh does.

 

Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Announces Finalists

Australian Geographic has announced the finalists for the 2020 Nature Photographer of the Year and all of the finalist images can be seen online: www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/event/NPOTY2020 One of my photographs from Gould Bay, Antarctica of Emperor Penguins made the finals in the Animal Habitat category.

The announcement of winners is scheduled for Thursday 27 August: More information on the timing and format of this announcement will be provided soon.

New Adobe Lightroom OnLine Mentoring Program

If you are interested in learning the ins and outs of Adobe Lightroom and taking your digital content management and image processing to the next level, I am now offering private online mentoring sessions via ZOOM. This is an opportunity for you to work one-on-one with a multi- award winning Master of Photography on all aspects of Lightroom. We will cover everything from how to set up your catalogue and manage your digital files, including how to key word your images and how you can use Lightroom to easily sort, edit and manage your photographs. We will extensively cover image processing of RAW files including a deep dive under the hood of the controls so you can really understand what the sliders are doing as you adjust them. Adobe Lightroom mentoring sessions are by appointment and are scheduled around my other workshop and expedition commitments. Please contact me at info@jholko.com for additional information.

Topaz Full Suite of Processing Products 15% Discount Extended

Topaz are offering an extended 15% discount off their excellent A.I Gigapixel, A.I Sharpen and A.I DeNoise products (in addition to the full suite of products). Just use the following link for the discount http://topazlabs.refr.cc/joshuaholko. The photograph below of the young wolf on the border between Finland and Russia was processed in Lightroom and then upscaled for a 40″ x 60″ print using Topaz A.I Gigapixel. I will have a future video on this very soon.

 

Wrangle Island The Russian Arctic Trip Delayed until 2022

My planned expedition to the Russian Arctic and Wrangle Island next year (2021) has now been delayed until 2022 . This delay is an indirect result of the ongoing COVID-19 situation with all ship charters being pushed back.

The Wrangle Island expedition crosses the Arctic Circle and includes the isolated and pristine Wrangel and Herald Islands and a significant section of the wild North Eastern Siberian coastline. It is a journey only made possible in recent years by the thawing in the politics of the region and the retreat of summer pack ice in the Chukchi Sea. The very small distance between Russia and the USA along this border area was known as the Ice Curtain, behind which then and now lies one of the last great undiscovered wilderness areas in the world. The voyage journeys through the narrow Bering Strait, which separates Russia from the United States of America, and then travels west along the Chukotka coastline before crossing the De Long Strait to Wrangel Island. There we will spend four to five days photographing under the guidance of local rangers on the nature reserve. Untouched by glaciers during the last ice age, this island is a treasure trove of Arctic biodiversity and is perhaps best known for the multitude of Polar Bears that breed here. We hope to photograph this beautiful mammal in its native environment. The island also boasts the world’s largest population of Pacific Walrus and lies near major feeding grounds for the Gray Whales that migrate thousands of kilometres north from their breeding grounds in Baja, Mexico. Reindeer, Musk Ox and Snow Geese can normally be seen further inland. A visit to massive bird cliffs on nearby Herald Island is also planned. Full details are available on my website at www.jholko.com/workshops.