The 2017 Iceland Winter Workshop ‘The Frozen North‘, with Daniel Bergmann is now sold out. If you missed out on a place you can still register to go onto the wait list. The workshop will run from the 23rd of February until the 5th of March 2017 and will focus on the incredible frozen northern landscapes of Iceland as well as the Aurora Borealis. We will be travelling in an Icelandic Super Jeep (modified 4-wheel drive) so that we can get off the main bitumen road and into the more interesting areas for photography and experience the true splendour of Iceland in Winter. In winter, the northern landscapes are covered in snow and the light is often soft and ethereal. There are fantastic opportunities to create wonderful images of the winter landscape.
If you missed out on a place but would like to travel an photograph in Iceland on a dedicated workshop with like minded individuals you can still register your interest to go onto the wait list by dropping me an email. You can visit the Iceland Portfolio on my website at www.jholko.com for more images of Iceland.
Category: Travel Photography
Photography from around the World
Photo of the Month November 2016 – Winter Polar Bear
The photograph of the month for November 2016 is of a teenage polar bear on the frozen Templefjord north of Svalbard. The image was taken during a winter snow mobile scouting trip in March last year with a Canon EOS 1DX camera and Canon 600mm F4L IS MKII Lens. What I really love about this photograph is the simplicity and balance in the image. The bear is walking into the frame with it’s paw nicely curled mid stride (we can see all four legs clearly) and is nicely balanced with the exposed ice covered rock on the left. There is also some really nice blowing snow around the feet of the bear that give great context of how cold it was when I made this photograph (around -20 Celsius). 
If you are interested in photographing Polar Bears on sea ice under the midnight sun there are now only a couple of places remaining before my expedition next July will be sold out. You can register your interest by dropping me an email. If you want to get an idea of what these expeditions are like be sure to read the Trip Report from this years expedition and check out the Kingdom of the Ice Bear Video below.
A small teaser for those of you who read to the bottom – I will be filming a new short movie with Untitled Film Works this coming Winter in Svalbard on what its like to travel to the top of the world and photograph Polar Bears on the frozen sea ice during the frigid winter months. Look for this to be released mid 2017.
Wild Planet Photo Magazine Features Part One – Bear Instincts
Wild Planet Photo Magazine is featuring a brand new three part series of articles on my Arctic Wildlife photography. The series kicks off with Polar Bears (Bear Instincts) in the new and current November 2016 edition. From the Wild Planet Photo Magazine website: We are showcasing a new feature series from the Global Arctic Photographer of the Year, Joshua Holko, who shares his fascinating experiences with Arctic species. The first of our three-part Arctic Encounter series, Joshua Holko narrates the scenes leading up to these powerful polar bear images as we go behind the lens with him.
About Wild Planet Photo Magazine: Published every month, WPPM and their accompanying websites have over 256,000 unique visitors in more than 190 countries, making them truly international photography magazines for the digital age. Packed with refreshing content, exciting features and stunning imagery from around the world – all provided by innovative professionals and enthusiasts who share one passion – that of landscape and wildlife photography. Wild Planet Photo Magazine is available via individual issue purchase or subscription.
The Emperors Expedition and South Georgia / Antarctica Packing List 2016
As is traditional for me, I like to post my packing list before an expedition and this particular list has probably give me more pause for thought than any in recent time. I am packing for both my Emperor Penguin Expedition and Photographers First light Expedition to South Georgia and Antarctica and although the two destinations are very similar (both in Antarctica) they require different approaches. Just as an aside, for those of you who have emailed me asking if I will be running another expedition to the Emperors in the future the answer is ‘maybe’ at this stage. I have pencilled in for a possible expedition in November 2018, but as yet nothing is confirmed. The best way to stay up to date on a possible future Emperor trip is to just drop me an email and register your interest.
In terms of subject matter, the Emperors expedition is absolutely all about Wildlife (as is South Georgia), but the Antarctica portion of the First Light Expedition is ship based with a significant emphasis on landscape and icebergs and that requires some different equipment (at least it does for me). I have decided to take the 85mm F1.2L MKII lens as I have long wanted to use this lens in Antarctica and the Emperor Penguins provide the ideal subject. The lenses depth of field at f1.2 is razor thin making it the perfect tool for getting just the eye sharp. In addition, I am also taking my 600mm F4L IS MKII lens as I have really fallen in love with the telephoto compression of this lens and love the effect it has of bringing the background close to the subject. A 600mm lens is absolutely not required for the Emperor Penguins or South Georgia – it just so happens I love the effect enough to schlep it all the way to the interior of Antarctica and South Georgia Island. I am also packing a Really Right Stuff tripod with Satchler FSB-6 fluid head for the 600mm lens in my checked luggage. With all of that in mind I settled on the following as my selection for these two expeditions:
Gura Gear Bataflae 32L Camera Bag (Carry on Luggage)
– 2 x Canon EOS 1DX MKII bodies
– 1 x Canon EOS 5DSR body
– 1 x Canon 11-24mm F4L Lens
– 1 x Canon 24-70mm F2.8L IS MK II Lens
– 1 x Canon 85mm F1.2L IS MK II Lens (specifically for the Emperor Penguins)
– 1 x Canon 70-200mm F2.8L MKII IS Lens
– 1 x Canon 300mm F2.8L MKII IS Lens
– 1 x Canon 600mm F4L IS MKII Lens
– 1 x Sigma 15mm Fish Eye Lens
–
Gura Gear Chobe (Carry on Luggage)
– 1 x Apple MacBook Pro 15″ Retina (I plan to upgrade this to the new 13″ model early next year)
– 1 x Apple laptop charger
– 2 x USB 3 2TB external portable Sandisk SSD Drives
– 1 x Thunderbolt CFast card reader and CF card Reader
– 1 x Sunglasses and sunglasses case
– 1 x Leica Ultra-vid 10×42 HD Binoculars
–
Etcetera Case #1 (Inside Chobe)
– 1 x Canon 1-Series camera charger
– 2 x Power Adapters for on board ship
– 2 x Canon 1DX spare Batteries
– 2 x Canon 5DSR spare Batteries
–
Etcetera Case #2 (Inside North Face Duffle)
– 1 x Arctic Butterfly Sensor Cleaner
– 1 x Filter Wrench
– 1 x Zeiss Cleaning Fluid and Lens Cleaning Tissue
– 1 x Micro Fibre Lens Cloth
– 1 x Rocket Blower with Hepa-Filter
–
I have been toying for some time with the idea of adding the new Canon 100-400mm MKII lens to my arsenal (as a replacement for the 70-200mm), but in the end decided I really wanted the faster 2.8 lens for these particular trips. It should be said though, that the new Canon 100-400mm MKII lens is a really superb optical package at an incredibly attractive price. When you consider the much more expensive and much heavier 200-400mm F4L IS Lens is more than six times the price for very little increase in resolution (although it is faster and has an inbuilt teleconverter) it makes the new 100-400mm MKII a veritable bargain. If you need a flexible and versatile telephoto lens on a budget its really hard to go past this new lens.
In addition to all of the above, I am also taking a CamFi remote trigger system for the Canon EOS1DX MKII system. I recently reviewed the CamFi here on my blog (Read the Review) and am looking forward to trialling this very useful product it in Antarctica.
There is one other important piece of documentation that has become a must have on all my travels and that is an Australian Customs Declaration form. If you are travelling internationally from Australia you can read about the benefit arming yourself with this documentation HERE.
Photo Plus Expo in New York
Before I make my way down to South America and Antarctica I will be spending some time in New York for the Photo Plus Expo and will be presenting at both the BenQ and Canon Stands on Saturday and Sunday as well as the Community College of Rhode Island a few days later. If you are at the show be sure to come and say hello. See you in the New York!
P.S Christmas will be coming a little bit early for me this year… After much deliberation I placed an order this week for a Nauticam underwater housing the Canon EOS 1DX MKII camera and an optical glass dome port to accomodate the Canon 11-24mm F4L Lens. Although they wont arrive in time for the Antarctic expeditions this year; I am very much looking forward to using them in Svalbard in Winter early next year (with a new ‘polecam’ system for split level and underwater images). My sincere thanks to Peter at ScubaPix for all his assistance with the selection of dome port and accessories for this project.
Melrakki Book – Customer Feedback
Last week my book project on the Arctic Fox ‘Melrakki‘ began shipping out to all those who had pre-ordered a copy of the limited edition release. The culmination of three years of winter photography in the extreme north-west of Iceland, Melrakki is available 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. The feedback I have received to date from all those who have received their copy so far has been overwhelming and extremely flattering – thank you.
Josh, The book is a masterwork, it is truly beautiful. I am very pleased a bought a copy. It has exceeded my expectations. – Robert
Yesterday I received my gorgeous book – it is simply stunning. Thank you. I love it. -Brian
The book and your imagery is absolutely stunning. I have had a quick look through this morning but can’t wait to really take the time to look through it properly. Also, thank you for the ‘Arxtic Fox’ print – it is amazingly beautiful. – Clara
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. There are only very limited numbers remaining before it will be sold out.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 