Future Film Projects after Ghosts of the Arctic

The feedback I have received over the last few months since the release of Ghosts of the Arctic has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you very much to all of you who took the time to write to me with your thoughts on the short film. To date it has been screened or is scheduled to be screened at multiple film festivals across the globe, has been featured on multiple news sites including National Geographic, Daily Mail, Peta-Pixel and many, many more (I was even interviewed by the Today show on Channel 9 about the experience of making the film) and has been seen on both You Tube and Vimeo millions of times. One of the common and recurring questions I have received since the release of Ghosts was would I do any future films and if so what? Well…The answer is ‘maybe‘. The truth is these short films are extremely time consuming and very expensive to produce. Ghosts of the Arctic was more than two years in the planning and when I look back at all of the work and effort (and cost) that went into the planning and production from all who helped its difficult to quickly make the mental leap into the next project. I do have several future projects in mind, but it is honestly a matter of getting time, man power, love and money to all align in perfect harmony (not an easy thing!). I also want to push more into documenting the radical climate change we are experiencing in the polar regions through both the Arctic Arts Project and Penguin World vehicles in which I am involved. Any future film project will likely be focused in this area and most likely involve the full team involved in each project. At the moment though my focus is on finishing my new hardcover fine-art book on Antarctica, which I hope will be published late in 2018 (more details to come). 

National Geographic How to Photograph Polar Bears in One of the most Extreme Places on Earth

National Geographic have just featured Ghosts of the Arctic in their new post HERE How to Photograph Polar Bears in One of the Most Extreme Places on Earth.

Two polar bears, a mother and her cub, clamber over the sea ice with the pink winter sky glowing behind them. “These are the moments I live for,” says nature photographer Joshua Holko. [Edit – Its actually a large male and a female polar bear in the video]

High in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Holko is on a mission to document polar bears in the wild. Braving the elements for up to 16 hours a day, he is joined on his quest by cinematographers Abraham Joffe and Dom West of Untitled Film Works. Despite technical issues and frostbite due to the subzero temperatures, the crew persisted in the depths of winter to capture the haunting beauty of this frozen expanse.

In Ghosts of the Arctic, get up close to polar bears in their natural habitat and experience the breathtaking Arctic landscape in stunning detail.

Photo of the Month December 2017 : Ice Climber

The photograph of the month for December (and the last for the 2017 year!) is from my winter snowmobile expedition to Svalbard earlier this year. Taken on the sea ice on the East coast, this large male Polar Bear was climbing this wonderful blue ice to get to the female bear (out of sight behind the ice). I was extremely fortunate to encounter this bear in some absolutely wonderful soft light right at the very end of the day. This was one of many photographs I made during a period of just a few minutes as the bear climbed across the ice.  I am looking forward to heading back to Svalbard in March next year for a month of winter photography.

Loaded Landscapes Feature Interview

Loaded Landscapes recently published a new feature interview about my polar photography. Just click the link to read the FULL INTERVIEW.Joshua Holko is a landscape and wildlife photographer who specialises in the Arctic and Antarctic areas. He spends most of his time in remote destinations (or traveling to and from), photographing wild scenes that most people will never experience firsthand. I reached out to Joshua about an interview, and he graciously agreed to answer some questions for our audience. I’m sure you’ll find this interview to be insightful and inspiring.

Ghosts of the Arctic Nominated as Finalist at the Explorers Club Annual Polar Film Festival

Yesterday I returned to South America from two back-to-back expeditions to Antarctica (trip report coming soon). On my return last night I received some fantastic news that the Explorers Club will not only be screening Ghosts of the Arctic at its 4th Annual Polar Festival next month, but that Ghosts has also been nominated as finalist at the festival. Full details of the festival are available online at the Explorers Club.From the Explorers Club website: The Explorers Club is proud to present our 4th Annual Polar Film Festival, with events on Friday evening December 4th, and all day Saturday, December 5th.

Date: Friday, December 4th Time: 6:00 – 9:00 pm Location: Club Headquarters, 46 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021

Reservation Notes: Tickets for Friday & Saturday are FREE thanks to our gracious sponsors, Adventure Canada & Canadian Geographic Magazine. Lunch on Saturday is $35, and requires advanced reservations. This is the only charge for the festival, and is optional. To make a reservation, please call us at 212.628.8383, or email us at reservations@explorers.org.