This past weekend saw the annual running of the Australian Professional Photography Awards; affectionately known to all who enter as the APPA’s. I have blogged before quite extensively on the APPA awards and the APPA award system so I wont repeat myself again here (If you are interested you can do a quick search on my blog). I will simply add that the APPA awards are very near and dear to my heart as the only professional print awards in Australia for working professional photographers. Yes, the majority of the work entered is not representative of what most working professional photographers do on a daily basis, but that isn’t the point of APPA.
The APPA awards is an event (run across three days) of heavenly highs and abyssal lows. It can be incredibly uplifting and utterly soul destroying all in a matter of mere moments. There are audible whoops of joy from entrants in the APPA corridors and simultaneous streams of tears from other judging rooms. I have myself had a print score a lofty 98 Gold with Distinction at state level only to have it crash to an 81 Silver Award at Nationals. Its a sobering reality to have your work fall so far short of your hopes and dreams; but it happens to all of us at some point. Fortunately for me I went on that year to win the overall category with two more Gold images and another Silver with Distinction. The key to staying mentally stable at APPA and not working yourself into a twisted knot of anxiety is too simply accept your scores for what they are: The average of five different judges opinions on a given day. You have to accept that judging photographs (be it prints or digital files) is utterly subjective and whilst we as judges look for all sorts of different technical merit in a print that can be quantified, we are also looking for creativity and the vagaries of emotional content. And that magical, elusive and mystical element rarely speaks to the panel of judges simultaneously.
I have been entering for some years now and chose again this year to enter my four prints into the Science, Wildlife and Wild Places category. The four photographs I decided to enter were relatively recent captures and had not been entered at State level for ‘testing’. I decided to take a gamble, back my gut instinct and simply enter the images untested (You have to have the courage of your convictions at APPA). As it turned out my gamble paid off with all four prints scoring Silver with Distinction Awards. This is an absolutely fantastic result that I am extremely pleased with. Subsequently, I was asked by one entrant at the awards dinner last night if I was disappointed at not receiving Gold for two of the images that this person felt were of absolutely the highest Gold standard (I did very much appreciate the compliment). I had to take a moment to consider my feelings on the matter before I responded. Now, with the passage of a little more time I have had more of a chance to consider how I feel about this. And, yes, of course I wish the images had received Gold Awards (I certainly felt they met all the criteria!) but that isn’t at the heart of why I participate in the APPA awards and being disappointed about not getting Gold awards would be missing the point of entry. You also have to keep in mind that the difference between a Gold and Silver with Distinction can be as little as one point!
Wether you are a judge or an entrant (or both as in my case) you have to keep an open mind to critique and comment (good, bad and indifferent). And you absolutely have to maintain a degree of mutual respect for your fellow entrants and the panel of judges. I will admit that it is not easy to accept a print score you disagree with when you have sweated bullets over the final print but there is almost always something positive you can take away from the result and quite honestly that is how I feel about my own print scores this year. Even though I feel two of them should have got up for Gold awards I feel satisfied that the panel of judges I had on the day did overall, do justice to my prints. After all, they scored not only in the Silver Distinction award range, but fell just short of Gold and that very small difference is nothing more than a few points in total across the average of the five judges scores on the given day. Once you accept the decision from the panel and realise its just a point score average you free yourself from any potential disappointment. Take on board any constructive critique and you may find ways improve your work even further. And that is the key to improving your photography at APPA.
After I finish in Greenland I am heading down to Antarctica for my White Nature expedition. Timed as the first of the season we have planned our expedition to take advantage of dramatic and variable weather as well as giant icebergs and lots of snow and ice. I have been travelling to Antarctica annually for many years now and have found early November to consistently offer the best photographic experience for all aboard. I recently published a full guide on how to choose the right photographic expedition to Antartica and it can be downloaded for free 
2018 will kick off with sold out expeditions to Lofoten for Winter landscapes and Iceland for Arctic Fox in winter. My last workshop to Lofoten was in 2016 and I am looking forward to returning to this incredible archipelago. The rising and precipitous mountains that climb directly out of the sea and the rugged coastal landscapes make for a photographers paradise. And of course, the chance of Aurora Borealis (northern lights) only sweetens the pot and adds that magic element to what is one of the most picturesque places I have ever been fortunate to visit and photograph.
My annual expedition to photograph Arctic Fox in winter in the remote and wild Hornstrandir reserve in Iceland has also long been sold out (
After Iceland I will travel to Svalbard to lead a winter expedition north of Longyearbyen in search of polar bears and dramatic winter landscapes. Svalbard in winter is an absolutely breathtaking location. With newly formed sea ice, snow and ice covered mountains and chance encounters with the worlds largest land predator in a stunning white environment this expedition rates as one of my absolute all time favourites (
Earlier this year, Daniel Bergmann and I completed a brand new workshop to photograph Atlantic Puffins and other Arctic birds at several different locations in Iceland that included the remote northern Grimsey Island, inside the Arctic circle. (
In July I will return to Svalbard for my annual summer Polar Bear expedition. This expedition has been designed from the ground up to provide the very best possible opportunities to Photograph Polar Bears in their natural environment. With the reduction in Arctic sea ice the Polar Bears in Svalbard are dwindling in number and the number of years left to photograph them is unfortunately now extremely limited. Late July and August are the ideal times to photograph Polar Bears north of Svalbard due to the dwindling ice around the archipelago. On this expedition we will be carrying a naturalist/biologist who specialises in locating Polar Bears and an expedition leader and captain who have years of experience in placing us in the ideal position to make the best photographs. Their expertise will allow us to approach the king of the Arctic as closely and safely as possible and make incredible photographs under the spectacular midnight sun. To get an idea of what this workshop entails be sure to read the 
In October I will return to the gigantic sand dunes of Namibia for a new Desert Fire Safari. This will be my fourth visit to Namibia to photograph the ancient sand dunes of the worlds largest and oldest desert. It is the perfect juxtaposition to my usual polar landscape and wildlife photography and offers an alternate landscape of extremes. Our workshop will sea us visit the giant red sand dunes of Sossusvlei, the eerie ghost town of Kolmonskop as well as the relentless Skeleton coast and the Etosha wildlife reserve. Places are now limited. 
Finally in November 2018 I will return to the sea ice of Gould Bay in Antarctica for my Emperor Penguin expedition (
Peaking into 2019 I will be leading a brand new workshop to the north of Finland in February in search of Golden Eagles, Hawk Owls, Wolves and wolverine (full details coming very soon). The workshop is going to include a significant amount of photography from private hides and will afford opportunities to photograph rare species not often seen and even less often photographed. I am not quite ready to start taking bookings for this new workshop but you are welcome to register your interest by 
You can see a little of the making of this photograph in the recent Channel 9 Today show interview by clicking on the image below.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 