I was recently interviewed by the editor of Camera House’s Better Pictures magazine for their Christmas issue and the article ‘Outward Bound’ is now online. The magazine is free and can be viewed online in a web browser or you can download a PDF of the article HERE. Check it out if you have a few minutes spare.
Category: New Zealand
Travel Photography in New Zealand
CANON AUSTRALIA PROFESSIONAL SERVICES [CPS] INTERVIEW – ‘GEAR IN ACTION’
I was recently interviewed for Canon Australia’s CPS Pro website and the content of the interview is now online at CPS Australia. Although the discussion was wide ranging and varied there was an emphasis on large format printing and the fact that I do all of my own printing in-house. Printing is a critical part of producing photographic fine art and next to actually working in the field with my camera equipment is an aspect of my photography that I very much enjoy. Hope you enjoy the interview.
A small disclaimer: Although I both shoot and print exclusively with Canon cameras and printers I am not sponsored by Canon. I pay for all of my own equipment with my own hard earned money. I choose to use Canon cameras and printers because I have found them to offer outstanding results and reliability in my photography – not because I am incentivised by the manufacturer. I am a Canon CPS Gold Member and rely on CPS to assist me with sensor cleaning and loan equipment from time to time.
The Ultimate Photography Glove – A Sailing Glove?
I have written before quite extensively on the subject of outdoor photography gloves for cold weather and as of my last ‘glove find post‘ I thought I had finally found the best option out there – the Seal Skinz. I still believe the Seal Skinz are an excellent glove for outdoor photography in cold weather. However, I discovered another glove today that ticks all the boxes for cold weather photography by outdoor clothing company Helly Hansen. As is often the case with these things, I was not actually shopping for yet another pair of gloves; I was just picking up a few last minute thermals for Antarctica in a months time and spied these gloves on the rack. What immediately caught my eye is that these gloves (Sailing Gloves) are fingerless on only two fingers per hand – the thumb and forefinger (a very clever design). The very two fingers that are required for almost all of the fine manual dexterity when operating a camera’s controls. This makes them absolutely ideal for photography. In fact, the genius of this design strikes you the moment you slip a pair on and pick up your camera.
According to to the information on the website – These durable gloves provide extra protection for handling abrasive equipment. Made of Amaro leather with adjustable wrist and reinforcements in areas of maximum wear.
What I immediately noticed upon trying a pair on is how they felt like a second skin more than a glove. Most gloves are too thick for easy camera control and are a hindrance to operating the camera quickly and efficiently. These sailing gloves are exceptionally soft and malleable against the skin and are designed to provide warmth, protection yet still give sailors a high degree of fine dexterity control for operating rigging – just perfect for photography. And of course, being designed for use at sea these gloves are water resistant. Note they are not waterproof like the Seal Skinz; merely water resistant. I immediately purchased a pair and will be taking them to Antarctica with me along with my Seal Skinz.
NEW ZEALAND 2012 CALENDARS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Earlier this year I licensed some images to a New Zealand based company that is producing calendars that contain iconic landscapes of New Zealand (both the North and the South Island). The Calendars have now come back from the printers and can be ordered through Black Fish Design and Publishing in New Zealand. They will shortly be distributed around the country to tourist hot spots and major cities and towns for purchase. Additionally calendars can be ordered with custom text for any individual business requirements. Some of my New Zealand photography is featured in the Top New Zealand Destinations 2012, Southern Splendour 2012, and Beautiful New Zealand 2012 Calendars.
DRAGON EGGS – MOERAKI BOULDERS NEW ZEALAND
One of the locations I most wanted to visit during my recent trip to the South Island of New Zealand was the Moeraki Boulders. The Moeraki boulders are located on the East Coast of the South Island not far from Dunedin. The area is so named for the large and highly unusual spherical boulders which are grouped together on the beach. Wikipedia has a good explanation of how these boulders formed as well as additional information about them. The boulders themselves are only a short five minute stroll from the car-park making them a very popular tourist attraction. I was fortunate during my visit to the boulders that I had the entire location to myself at both sunrise and sunset on two occasions – one of the benefits of shooting in the dead of winter I guess.
I took this photograph not long before sunset as the tide was going out on a very overcast stormy afternoon. I actually prefer sunset at the Moeraki boulders even though the sun sets behind the photographer and is lost behind mountains quite early in the afternoon. I found sunrise somewhat problematic as so many of the boulders are deep in shadow and the moment the sun rises it is hard to exclude the sun from the frame if shooting wide angle lenses. That said, I do have some photographs from sunrise that I like very much and will post over the coming days.
I used Canon’s 17mm Wide Angle TSE lens for this photograph. A higher resolution version of this photograph is available for viewing on my primary portfolio website at www.jholko.com under New Zealand.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 