Category: Media

Media news including interviews, awards, print publications and articles

Better Photography Magazine – The Iceman

Posted in Antarctica, Arctic, Iceland, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel PhotographyLeave a comment

At the tail end of the Jewels of the Arctic expedition I lead this year with Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastway to Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland we sat down for a coffee (ok.. he drinks tea – even Grand Masters aren’t perfect!) in the small town of Longyearbyen for a brief chat about our experiences and life in photography. Peter took the opportunity to conduct an informal interview for his magazine Better Photography and the interview and article were just published in the new Summer 2014 issue. Peter has kindly allowed me to post the entire article in full as a PDF on my blog and website which you can download and read HERE. Peter has also published a separate report on our expedition together in the same issue of Better Photography magazine. To subscribe please visit www.betterphotography.com.au. Peter and I are currently in the early planning stages for a return to Greenland together in 2015 and we hope to finalise details in the first half of next year. As a teaser for those of you who read my entire posts – I will also be announcing a new  trip for 2015 for a maximum of just twelve photographers dedicated to photographing Polar Bears living and hunting on the pack ice north of Svalbard. With the sea ice in the arctic dwindling and the ring seal (the main prey for Polar Bear) disappearing this expedition will very much be a once in a lifetime experience to see and photograph Polar Bears hunting in their natural habitat.

In the meantime if the travel bug bites you or you have the urge to scratch that photographic itch,  Peter is leading a workshop to Patagonia early next year (2014). The workshop takes in Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno Glacier, Cerro Torre & Fitz Roy  and runs from the 15 – 28 March 2014 for 14 days. The trip includes accommodation, all meals, English and Spanish speaking guides, local travel (minibus) and transfers.  You can download the brochure from Peter’s Better Photography website. Having just returned from a week in Patagonia (on the Chile side) I can recommend this location as offering world class landscape opportunities.

A Joshua Holko Polar Photography Experience Short Film

Posted in Antarctica, Arctic, Media, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Video, Workshops and Expeditions4 Comments

If you follow my blog you may recall that in August this year I took a small two person film crew from Untitled Filmworks with me to the Arctic to film what it was like to travel with and be part of a dedicated polar photographic expedition. During the fourteen days we spent in the Arctic we travelled from the north of Iceland across the Denmark Strait to Greenland where we explored many of the wondrous fjords and amazing geology of this primordial arctic land. We encountered some incredible icebergs and wildlife and even visited a small native Inuit village. We then sailed across to Svalbard and Longyearbyen in search of Polar Bears, whales and seals. We spent fourteen days travelling and filming in the arctic using a combination of RED Epic 5K Cinema Camera and Canon 1DC Cinema cameras. We gathered more than 10 Terabytes of footage including a spectacular iceberg collapse and glacial calving and I am extremely pleased to now have the final short film back from editing and to be releasing it for everyone to enjoy. One of the most common questions I am often asked via email is ‘What is it like to go on a dedicated photographic expedition to the Arctic or Antarctic?’ Well, just sit back and watch this video to experience it for yourself.  Make sure you click on the image to watch it full screen in  High Definition – dim the lights and crank the volume! And be sure to share with your friends.

Testimonial from Nita Gulbas – Antarctica 2013

Posted in Media, News and Updates, Testimonials, Travel Photography, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment
What can you say about an expedition of a lifetime? We had many opportunities on this trip that came our way due to Mother Nature. Take her work, add Joshua, and you have a dynamic duo. This is the second trip I have taken with Josh, and after both, I came away with the same feelings: amazing, fulfilling, fun. Josh has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas he travels to. As a result, the trips are extremely well organized, yet have a looseness allowing the participant to freely pursue the environment in very personal ways. His chosen expedition company provided us with skilled, knowledgeable staff who went out of their way to meet the needs of photographers. This meant having Zodiacs ready to launch at five am, asking the chef to call for meals at altered times, or being allowed to stay longer on site (weather permitting) when the  conditions were tantalizing for a group of photographers.

Attendees varied from professional photographers, award winning amateurs, to point and shoot individuals. Josh was always available for input if one needed, and no matter how tired, he was there for his group whether during active shooting, or in the evening for review if one wanted his input.  I think everyone came away with images to be proud of.
In short, having been on other photo tours, Joshua’s rank #1 in my book.

Finalist: Natures Best Photography & Travel Photographer of the Year 2013

Posted in Antarctica, Iceland, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel PhotographyLeave a comment

I returned home a couple of days ago from an expedition I lead to Antarctica with my friend Daniel Bergmann and am starting to catch up on all of the missed correspondence whilst I was off the grid. I will have a lot more to say about the Antarctica expedition over the coming weeks as this was an extraordinary trip with some of the best weather and light I have experienced in this part of the world – including an absolutely incredible journey through the Lemaire Channel. In the meantime, I was very pleased to learn that two of my photographs were selected as finalists in Natures Best Photography and another in the Travel Photographer of the Year competition. This is the second time I have had images in the finals in both Nature’s Best Photography and Travel Photographer of the Year and am honoured to have had my photographs selected.  The overall winners for Natures Best Photography have already been selected and can be seen on the Natures Best Photography website. Travel photographer of the Year is still in its last round of judging and final winners should be announced in a few days time. Finalist – Natures Best Photography 2013: Landscape Category

Finalist Natures Best Photography 2013: Landscape Category

Finalist Travel Photographer of the Year: Single Shot Extraordinary Image Category

Australian Geographic Desk Diary 2014

Posted in Australia, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Travel PhotographyLeave a comment

The 2014 Australian Geographic Magazine desk diary was released a few days ago. Featuring photography from many different artists,  the diary is a week to a page, hard cover, spiral bound with a ribbon marker. Photographs are taken from around Australia and Antarctica and feature classic Australian landscapes, flora and fauna. The 2014 diary includes more than ten of my own photographs from Australia and Antarctica and can be ordered online from Australian Geographic.