News and Updates – Page 93 – www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com

Melrakki – The Arctic Fox Limited Edition Book Now Available for Pre-Order

July 13, 2016 Posted in Arctic, Book, Iceland, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsLeave a comment

I am extremely pleased and excited to announce today the pre-order release of Melrakki; my brand new Limited Edition Hardcover book on the Arctic fox. The culmination of three years of winter photography in the extreme north-west of Iceland, Melrakki is available now for pre-order exclusively as a Limited Edition hard bound fine-art book. Limited to just 100 copies, each edition is hand numbered and signed and includes an original 11″ x 09″ inch fine-art pigment on paper print.

With foreword by pre-eminent scientist and Arctic fox expert Dr. Ester Rut Unnsteinsdóttir, Melrakki includes over fifty photographs and field notes from the three years spent photographing this remarkable predator in the extreme north-west of Iceland.

Melrakki Limited Edition is printed using the highest possible quality Canon Dreamlabo inkjet printer system and is printed on beautiful 250gsm High Definition Lustre paper that fully captures all of the incredible colour and tones of the original photographs. The Canon Dreamlabo represents the current state of the art in book printing and was chosen for this project after extensive testing and proofing as it yielded the highest quality that most closely resembles the original fine-art pigment on paper prints. I am extremely proud to stand behind the print quality in this Limited Edition book.

The included fine-art pigment-on-paper print is printed on Moab Somerset Museum Rag 300gsm paper and is hand signed.

Melrakki Limited Edition is $245 AUD plus shipping and can be ordered online exclusively through my website HERE.

I hope that you enjoy the photographs, insights and field notes from this project into the frozen world of Melrakki – the Arctic fox.

Photographs and Text by Joshua Holko

Approximate Dimensions: 22cm x 30 cm

96 pages (over 50 photographs + field notes)
The photo book & the print are together in a protective cloth sleeve

ISBN: 978-0-646-95781-4

backcover Watch a short excerpt from the making of Melrakki on Vimeo

New Zealand South Island Masterclass Workshop Report 2016

July 8, 2016 Posted in Landscape Photographs, New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, UncategorizedLeave a comment

In May of this year I lead my annual masterclass workshop to the South Island of New Zealand with co-nature photographer and friend Phillip Bartlett. Our 2016 masterclass workshop itinerary was based on our years of prior experience operating in the South Island and had been designed to provide us the best possible opportunities for photography utilising a number of different locations as bases in the South Island. We focused our efforts on certain key areas to really maximise our chances to get everyone the best photographs. We then lead an extension to the northern tip of the South Island to further expand our opportunities.

The South Island of New Zealand is home to some of the most spectacular scenery and landscapes in the world. Perhaps nowhere else in the world can one see and photograph precipitous mountains plunging into temperate rainforest and wild ocean beaches in so short a space. New Zealand is home to an unbelievably diverse range of subject matter, all packed together in a very small land area. Glaciers, majestic mountain ranges, moss-covered rain-forests, hidden valleys, and ocean-beaten coastlines are among the incredible array of natural wonders found there. It is an island of ever-changing weather and spectacular light conditions. To quote myself, it is a country made for photography. _MG_5578-Edit This masterclass landscape workshop was about maximising our time photographing in some of the most spectacular parts of New Zealand. Our small group size of just six photographers provided us a really small intimate group that enabled us to put in some long hours in the field in some of the most spectacular parts of the South Island. The workshop ran for 12 days (11 nights) with an optional four day extension and we stayed in good hotels which were functional and clean. We travelled by private 4-wheel drive vehicles. We utilised several primary locations as bases from which we travelled to each shooting location. We had a good mix of weather and light during the workshop and although we encountered some rain in the Fox Glacier area we were still able to maximise our opportunities with some extraordinary light and conditions. We also managed all three of our planned aerial shoots from helicopter, despite some touch and go weather. Helicopters and aerial photography really add an extra dimension to photography in New Zealand’s South Island. The ability to quickly get up into the mountains to take advantage of weather and light is a significant advantage. NewZealand-1988 I wrote quite an extensive report on our South Island masterclass workshop last year (read the Full Report) and so rather than re-iterate the same itinerary with different language I have instead detailed our extension to the northern part of the Island as this aspect was a new addition.

The northern part of the South Island is home to some pretty fantastic coastline that in many ways complimented many of the areas we visited in the southern part of New Zealand. We began our extension in the picturesque seaside town of Kaikoura and were out pre-dawn for our sunrise shoot of first light on the coast. The impressive Kaikoura mountain ranges tower above the clear, blue waters of the Kaikoura bay making for dramatic photo opportunities. Sunrise at Kaikoura ever disappoints and we were blessed with some pretty fantastic colour. After breakfast we left Kaikoura and travelled north along the coastline as we made for Golden Bay, at the top of the South Island. _MG_5607

An even earlier start this morning to drive into the Abel Tasman National Park for our sunrise shoot. This pristine coastal location has isolated beaches with rich, golden sand, backed by limestone rock formations and dense forest. After exploring this area we returned for lunch before going out to photograph the last light, and sunset, along the coast. _MG_5661 Another early start as we made for the North-west coast, which is completely different to the coastal scenery we had been photographing. Characterised by dramatic sea cliffs and imposing rock formations, there are also intimate lake and tidal inlet scenes so we were kept busy for the whole day in this unique location. We returned to our lodge in the evening. _MG_5656-Edit We departed early this morning for the drive back to Christchurch. This was a full day on the road and we stopped along the way to photograph forest, country and mountain scenery as we took the Lewis Pass route south. We arrived into Christchurch in the early evening and enjoy a relaxed dinner to conclude our workshop.

Our 2016 Masterclass workshop provided us with some fantastic opportunities to create really unique images and it was an absolute pleasure to share it with all the participants. The South Island of New Zealand is a fabulous country for landscape photography and should be high on any landscape photographers wish list of places to visit and photograph. Our 2017 masterclass workshop is now close to capacity with only one place remaining before it will be sold out. If you would like to join us, you can register your interest in this last place by dropping me an email.

APPA Australian Professional Photography Awards Interview

July 6, 2016 Posted in Media, News and UpdatesLeave a comment

The 2016 APPA Australian Professional Photography Awards are rapidly approaching. Entries open in just a weeks time and judging at the National competition begins in August in Melbourne. I won’t be able to attend or judge at APPA this year due to my workshop commitments in Iceland, but I did chat with good friend Peter Eastway recently on the current state of APPA, my thoughts on where the competition is heading and what we as judges should be doing to best serve the entrants work. A short transcript of the conversation appears in the current July 2016 AIPP Journal for Professional Photographers. Just click on the image below to download an excerpt.

Wild Magazine July / August 2016 Ice Bears of Svalbard Folio

July 4, 2016 Posted in Arctic, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsLeave a comment

The latest July / August 2016 issue of Australian Wild Magazine includes a portfolio of my photographs of Polar Bears from Svalbard in the Arctic. Wild magazine has previously featured my photography as dedicated folios in three separate issues back in February 2011, June 2013 and July 2015. The 2011 issue included a Portfolio of landscape images from Iceland. The 2013 issue included a Portfolio from Antarctica and the 2015 issue included a first release of images from my project on the Arctic Fox (look for a very limited collector’s edition fine art book containing the complete Arctic fox project to be released within the next four weeks). Just click on the image below to download the latest Wild Folio as a PDF.FootNote: Wild magazine was founded and originally owned by Chris Baxter – a well respected climber and outdoorsman in his own right who was largely responsible for a significant portion of the early rock climbing scene in Australia. I had the privilege of knowing Chris and climbing with him briefly during my youth at both Mount Arapiles and The Grampians. Chris forged many new climbs at both of these world famous locations as well as Mount Buffalo and was a full time character in the Australian climbing scene. Chris subsequently sold Wild due to health issues after building up a very successful publishing company that became the outlet for all things bush walking and climbing related in Australia. Unfortunately Chris passed away in 2010 after a long fight with cancer but ‘Wild’ and ‘Rock’ continue to be published under new new ownership. Svalbard-9725-Edit

The Wild Walk Feature Interview – Edge of the World

July 1, 2016 Posted in Media, News and Updates, PhotographsLeave a comment

Conservation website ‘The Wild Walk‘ has just posted a short interview I did with them about Polar Photography and Polar Conservation. Click HERE to read the interview. From the Wild Walk Website:

There is an immediate need to protect our bio-diversity from the mighty Himalayas to the backdoor of our homes. Only when this is protected, we can have access to clean water, healthy food and natural surroundings. Nature as always in its supreme command defines the quality of our life. We cannot be blaming or depending on the Governments all the time and it is up to us to roll up our sleeves and do our bit to give back to nature. This pre-supposes awareness amongst people about nature and the life that it supports.

The Wild Walk, firm on the belief that wildlife literacy is the only way to get others inspired and sustain the habitat, chalk out programmes and activities to spread awareness on the subject. We educate people across the country about the forest with the aim of transforming them into wildlife conservationists. We also give lectures on wildlife science, exchange mails with aspiring conservationists and wildlife novices, share our knowledge through our website, news blog and via our wildlife documentary movies.