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Guest Photographer: John Hurshman Svalbard Winter Expedition 2017

Posted in Arctic, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

Following on from Dallas Thomas’s guest post I wanted to share some thoughts and photographs from John Hurshman who also recently accompanied me on my Winter Svalbard Expedition. It was a pleasure travelling and photographing with John and all aboard this expedition and I just wanted to again pass on my thanks to him for both his participation and for sharing some of his thoughts and photographs from this expedition here on my blog. I will have my own expedition report early next week from this remarkable expedition. All text and photographs by John Hurshman.

In March 2017, I fulfilled a “bucket list” dream of traveling to the Arctic Circle to see Polar Bear in the wild… while they still exist in that environment. The trip was organized by Joshua Holko, Australian wildlife photographer http://www.jholko.com, and, from my point of view, the workshop achieved all I had hoped for. The trip was timed to allow us to experience a glimpse of winter in the Arctic Circle, and also a potential for seeing Polar Bear and other wildlife in their natural habitat. The glimpse of the Arctic winter meant it was COLD… air temps bottoming out at -29º C (-20º F) with a 20kt wind for effective temp of -40º C/-40º F. We had daylight for more than 12 hours/day since we started out after Vernal Equinox (March 21), but the sun did not climb very high in the sky, so we had mostly very photogenic low angled light. It was cold, but ruggedly beautiful. We saw limited wildlife, three Polar Bear, a number of Walrus, Arctic Fox, and numerous bird species. While one of the purposes of this trip was photography, I found that I often put the camera down and experienced the moment through my eyes rather than through the view finder of the camera. Also, sometimes I didn’t have a choice, since my camera didn’t play well with the cold temps and sometimes decided to throw a temper tantrum. The following are some of the times camera was working and I was looking through the viewfinder…This was my first sighting of Polar Bear. Our keen eyed guides saw them from quite a distance and maneuverer the ship to our encounter. These two, a large male and small female stayed near the Origo for 48 hours, at which time we had to leave, because the ice was closing in behind us.The Convergence of ice and open water dusk.

Another male shows-up in the vicinity of the male and female we have been watching for 12+ hours. This interloping male show signs of a fight with blood streaks on his shoulder and under jawLate evening light on snow covered mountain. What photographers refer to a the “blue hour”, that time before sun rise and after sunset when the sky glows with color, was not an hour long… but more like 2+ hours long . By the end of our trip in the first week of April, it never really got dark. At 2AM, you could easily see. The formation of sea ice.Our Ship, M.S Origo parked in the ice for the night. To see more of John’s photographs from the expedition please visit his website.

Iceland Winter Workshop 2017 – The Frozen North Trip Report

Posted in Iceland, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

In late February 2017 I lead my annual Iceland Winter workshop with Daniel Bergmann. We have been running this workshop for the last five years now and have continually been refining our itinerary. For our 2017 workshop we based ourselves predominately in the north-east of Iceland which gave us access to some of the areas less frequented by the plethora of tourists that are flooding the south of Iceland these days (I will have more to say on this in a future post).

We kept our daily itinerary moderately flexible in order to allow us to take advantage of the best conditions, weather and light. As it turned out, this approach has continued to provide us with fabulous opportunities. In particular this years workshop included a unique opportunity to access and photograph the spectacular waterfall Selfoss in a winter setting. I have been wanting to visit and photograph both Detifoss and Selfoss in winter for many years but conditions have hampered access in recent times. This year we were able to drive all the way to the car park and walk the kilometre and a half through compact snow to the very edge of Selfoss. The waterfall was in superb condition with some spectacular icicles hanging from its rocky edges and fresh snow along its banks. Iceland is well known for its waterfall photography and in my experience winter frequently offers the most interesting and dramatic opportunities to photograph them.As is often the case in winter we lost one day during our workshop to bad weather (our very first day). We had a huge storm hit the south coast as we were leaving Reykjavik which delayed us for several hours due to road closure. Fortunately we were still able to make it to our planned accomodation on the first evening which meant we didn’t loose any real photography time. The Iceland SAR (Search and Rescue) have taken to closing the roads in recent times due to the high number of tourists who often ignore the weather warnings. Whilst the closed road caused us some delay it was better than spending our time rescuing stranded tourist vehicles. It actually never ceases to amaze me the number of people who travel to Iceland in winter and then expect to drive the roads during Arctic storms in little Toyota Yaris rental cars.  Do yourself a favour if you are planning a future trip to winter in Iceland and make sure you are properly equiped with a real 4-wheel drive and always keep an eye on the weather.

During our workshop we had several opportunities to photograph Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). Aurora photography is hot right now and is one of the primary reasons many photographers actually travel to Iceland in Winter. To be honest, much of what I see in the way of aurora imagery leaves me pretty cold. Frequently there is little if any foreground interest and the viewer is left with nothing but some pretty colour in the sky. The key to strong Aurora photographs is to use the lights in the sky to add interest to what is already a strong composition. A well composed Aurora photograph should work well without any actual Aurora! The addition of the Aurora can take the image from good to great though and as such we spent some time trying to make sure we had strong and interesting foreground. We were fortunate to have some strong Aurora at Godafoss waterfall (although I did not personally make any Aurora images of it as I was instructing) which remains one of the most picturesque waterfalls in Iceland.We had several opportunities in the north of Iceland to photograph the geothermal fields in a winter setting. The geothermals of Iceland are one of the most photogenic areas in the country in my opinion. The landscape is a constantly changing sea of fumaroles and boiling mud pits that never ceases to disappoint. We were fortunate this year to have a fresh dusting of snow which added another element to an already dramatic landscape. One of the real pleasures of landscape photography in this area of Iceland is that the area is never the same between visits. Its possible to make truly unique and dramatic photographs by spending a little time exploring the area. My favourite photograph from this workshop was actually a drive by shooting in the north of Iceland. We stopped by the side of the road on our way to Myvatn to photograph one of the spectacular snow covered mountains looking south towards Askja. This particular scene reminded me of pencil sketch with its monochromatic colour palette and soft lines. Simple photographs such as this are often the strongest and usually connect with the viewer on a much deeper emotional level. As is often the case, the best photographs need very little in the way of post production. All I did to this photograph in post was to set the colour balance, white and black points and sharpen it. The rest was taken care of by mother Nature.Iceland in winter can be quite challenging with weather, but the opportunities in a snow covered landscape can be exceedingly beautiful. This was actually the last landscape photography workshop I plan to lead in Iceland for the foreseeable future. Tourism has exploded in Iceland in recent time to the point where it has become exceedingly difficult (even in winter in my opinion) to properly photograph many of the more commonly known and accessible locations (there are just tourists everywhere). The more accessible ice caves are now flooded with tourists throughout the day and the glacial lagoon and black sand beach are now overly saturated with tourists and photographers. Whilst many of these common locations remain absolutely superb for photography they now lack the remoteness and tourist free experience I prefer to offer those that travel with me on my workshops.

I will still be traveling to Iceland and photographing in this incredible country, but it will now be on far more specialised niche workshops that take us far into remote areas of the country where tourists cannot reach. These workshops and expeditions will be for small groups only and are designed to net us photographs that others simply cannot achieve (such as my Arctic Fox expeditions – read the recent trip report) and my upcoming Puffin workshop. These new workshops offer opportunities in areas otherwise inaccessible and provide participants with unique photographs that really set their work apart from the average Iceland visit.

Extraordinary Vision Magazine Features Choosing an Antarctic Expedition Part Two

Posted in Antarctica, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsLeave a comment

Extraordinary Vision Magazine issue #57 has just published Part Two of a recent series of Articles I penned on How to Choose an Expedition to Antarctica. Choosing the right expedition will make or break the photographic opportunities you will experience in Antarctica. If you are planning or considering a future photographic expedition to Antarctica I recommend you  take a few moments out of your day and check it out. Part Three and Part Four will be published in subsequent issues.Extraordinary Vision magazine is available fortnightly with a kick start free trial. Best of all its only $1.99 to subscribe per month – less than a cup of coffee. Do yourself and your creativity a favour and check it out. Available exclusively though the iTunes App store or Google Play.

Lofoten Winter February 2018 Workshop Announcement

Posted in Landscape Photographs, Lofoten, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

In February next year I will lead a winter landscape workshop to the spectacular Lofoten Islands in Norway with long time good friend and fellow landscape photographer Martyn Lucas. If you are unfamiliar with Lofoten let me assure you that the landscape of these islands is really quite something to behold. Precipitous and ominous peaks that rise straight out of the ocean loom over small fishing villages that comprise of bright red houses lining the shorelines. With a dusting of fresh snow and arctic winter light the entire scene is akin to a fairy tail location and subsequently the photographic opportunities can be truly superb.The Lofoten Islands are approximately 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, west of Norway. Lofoten’s natural beauty, with incredible mountains and magnificent fjords offers our small, and intimate group (maximum six participants plus leaders – only 3 places remaining before it will be sold out) a chance to explore these remarkable and unique landscapes and seascapes. The breathtaking village of Reine on the island of Moskenesoya will be our base for six nights situated in some of the most picturesque mountain scenery rising precipitously out of the fjords. Reine has often been described as one of the most beautiful places on earth. If we are lucky and blessed with clear skies, we will be able to witness the Aurora Borealis and the magic of the Northern Lights as they flicker across the night skies. Besides the incredible wealth of photographic locations in the vicinity of Reine, we will use the local Fjordskyss ferry service to Vinstad and to the tiny hamlet of Kjerkfjorden, both of which are surrounded by towering granite mountains. Our private transportation will allow to access some of the iconic beaches near Leknes which might be covered in snow.Our home away from home while on Lofoten and in Reine, will be a quaint and venerable traditional house (built in 1906) which makes it a very cosy, but basic place that we will have all to ourselves. All guests of the house share one bathroom. Additionally, we will also have the use of a Rorbu, a style of housing historically associated with seamen now converted into homely accommodations complete with private bathroom and small kitchen. Our second base for two nights is Leknes where we will stay at a comfortable hotel. From here we can easily access the beautiful coastal beaches of Utaklieve, Haukland and Skagsanden.

During February, the days are short with sunrise at approximately 8:25am and sunset around 4:15pm. Given our northern location, the sun will be low in the sky providing soft, magnificent light conditions, for all day photography.

During our workshop we are also very likely to experience and photograph the Aurora Borealis (northern lights). Lofoten is blessed with fantastic mountains that rise almost vertically straight out of the ocean and that make for a superb back drop for the Aurora. As is always the case with Aurora photography the real key to getting interesting photographs is to try and include some sort of foreground and background elements. There is a temptation to focus entirely on the Aurora itself when photographing the northern lights and it is easy to be seduced by the colour and activity alone. The solution is to try and photograph the lights in the context of the environment around you. Much like wildlife, where the key is to place the animal in context; you need to put the Aurora into context with its surroundings. During this workshop we will be visiting very specific locations where we know from experience it is possible to get fabulous foreground. We will be providing hands on instruction on how to set up your camera for Aurora photography as well as how to compose and post process Aurora photographs.

Lofoten-0431-EditBeing surrounded by water Lofoten offers  great opportunities for seascape photography at just about every turn and we plan to take advantage of this by visiting and photographing many different beaches and areas of coastline. Much of the coastline is rocky or dotted with large boulders (JCB’s – Otherwise known as Joe Cornish Boulders) which provides limitless opportunities for foreground interest. Many of the beaches are also very accessible and only a short walk from car parks or pull off areas. We plan to spend quite a lot time exploring and photographing various areas of coastline.  In the right conditions, Lofoten in winter also has the added benefit of snow down to sea level for even more interest.Lofoten-4973-EditIt is worth noting that Lofoten isn’t just about landscape photography. During this workshop we will also take a private charter boat out to photograph White-Tailed Sea Eagles fishing off the coastline. The opportunity to photograph these remarkable raptors up close is not something to be missed.Lofoten-1554-EditFrom the moment the workshop begins in Leknes, Lofoten until it ends 9 days later, all costs are included – transportation, food, drinks (excluding alcoholic beverages), and accommodation based on a single room per person. If you have special dietary requirements you will be accommodated – please be sure to advise when booking. Packed lunches will be taken in the eld and we suggest you bring a thermos ask for soup, coffee or tea.

This is a unique opportunity to travel and photograph with two experienced professionals who have a combined total of more than 40 years of photographic experience and can take you to the best locations that are off the beaten track, and at the right time – when the light is best.

WORKSHOP AT A GLANCE

Dates: 10-02-2018 until the 18-02-2018
Duration: 8 Nights / 9 Days
Participants: Maximum 6 Photographers plus leaders Investment: $7,450 USD (only three places remaining)

Start: Town of Leknes in the Lofoten Islands Norway Finish: Leknes Airport Lofoten Islands Norway
Trip Leader: Joshua Holko
Trip Guide: Martyn Lucas

Trip Highlights: Stunning Mountains, Incredible Vistas and Landscape scenery, Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), White-tailed Sea Eagles and small group size

If you are interested in joining this workshop or if you would like additional information please do not hesitate to drop me an email. Places are filled strictly on a first come first served basis.

Iceland Winter Arctic Fox Expedition 2017 Expedition Report

Posted in Iceland, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and Expeditions1 Comment

In early March 2017 I lead a new expedition to the extreme north west of Iceland for a small group of five photographers to photograph what is perhaps Nature’s greatest survivor: Vulpes lagopus – The Arctic Fox.

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 four years now specifically to photograph Arctic Fox in winter. Late last year I released a new limited edition book on the Arctic Fox (Melrakki) which was the culmination of three years of winter photography.For the uninitiated, 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. What is especially compelling for wildlife photographers is that Iceland is one of the very few places in the world where it is possible to reliably photograph the Blue Morph Arctic Fox (the rarer of the two colour morphs across most of the Arctic). White morphs are also found in Iceland, but in smaller numbers.We began our expedition in the small town of Isafjord in the north-west of Iceland on the morning of the 8th of March with a visit to the Arctic Fox centre in the nearby town of Sudavik. Here we all had an opportunity to learn a little bit more about the biology and history of the Arctic Fox in Iceland before we departed on our expedition in the early afternoon.

From the small town of Isafjord, we travelled by private charter boat to the remote north-western Hornstrandir Nature Reserve (approximately one and a half hours by boat) where we  stayed for the next six nights in a small remote private cabin. The Hornstrandir Nature reserve can only be accessed by private charter boat (there are no roads or other services into this part of Iceland – and hence no tourists). Once we arrived in the reserve we had no contact with the outside world except via satellite phone for emergencies. The cabin we stayed in for the duration of the expedition is privately owned and facilities include shared bathroom, toilet and shower as well as a kitchen with hot and cold water, a communal eating area and lounge. There is even an outdoor sauna available for use. Bedrooms are a shared bunk bed arrangement. The cabin is heated with both a hydronic heating system and a log fire. During our stay in the cabin we had a dedicated person to clean and prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for us each day; which enabled us to focus solely on our photography. 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 been restored. Although no one lives there permanently, the cabin was a great getaway and the perfect place to accommodate us whilst we searched for and photographed Arctic Foxes. Curious Arctic Foxes frequently stopped past the cabin to investigate during our stay and it was even possible to photograph them from right outside the cabin on several occasions.Arctic Foxes are predominantly territorial animals that roam and patrol vast areas of the Arctic. The Arctic Foxes of Iceland are particularly tough and hardy. They have to deal with constant freezing and thawing conditions throughout the winter months in areas where this is little or no food available. During our winter expedition we experienced temperatures a few degrees either side of freezing (0º Celsius) plus wind chill. Although this was a low snow year we were fortunate to still have sufficient covering during most of the expedition.  We also had a real mix of weather and light which provided us with a lot of different opportunities during our time in the reserve.During our expedition we saw and photographed four individual blue morph foxes. As the foxes are territorial they visited us repeatedly on a daily basis (often several times per day) which provided us with multiple opportunities to photograph them. Arctic Foxes are by their nature inherently very curious animals and on many occasions approached within just a few feet of our cameras. Best of all the foxes are most active in the morning and evening – when the light is usually at its best for photography.

In addition to the Arctic Foxes there was also bird life along the coastline including Iceland Gulls, Eider Ducks, Ravens and Ptarmigan in winter plumage. I have in the past also seen and photographed Gyr Falcon in this area of Iceland and Eagles are also seen on occasion.The winter landscape in this part of the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve is simply stunning in its wild beauty. As a  result, there were also many opportunities to make landscape photographs during this expedition. Several participants also took advantage of clear skies and solar activity to make some wonderful Aurora Borealis images.We were met by the boat again on the morning of the 15th of March for our return trip back to Isafjord and were transferred to the airport in time for our return flights to Reykjavik. We concluded our expedition in the evening of the 15th of March in Reykjavik.

During the expedition the participants made between ten and twenty five thousand plus photographs per person which gives you a really good idea of just how many incredible opportunities and encounters with Arctic Foxes we experienced during our time in the Nature reserve. Many of our encounters lasted several hours and on multiple occasions we had the luxury of choosing our backgrounds and angle of view for our photographs. If you are interested in photographing wild Arctic Fox I will be repeating this expedition early next year (2018) for a small group of just five photographers (only two places remaining before the expedition will be sold out). Full details are on my website at www.jholko.com or you can register your interest in one of the two remaining places by dropping me an email.