I am currently in Iceland and have just completed another ten days in the remote north of this amazing country gathering images for my project on the Arctic Fox. This was most likely my last visit to this very difficult to reach area of Iceland in winter as I now have all of the photographs I feel I need to complete the project (the project will be released later this year in book form and a portfolio of prints is available to purchase now). I am going to miss spending time in the field with these incredible animals, but am looking forward to completing the book project when I get back to Australia. This particular photograph is of a male and female Arctic Fox pair that were play fighting in fresh snow about fifty metres from my snow blind. This was also one of my winning photographs in the 2015 Global Arctic Photographer of the Year Award. This photograph is also available to purchase as part of the newly released Arctic Fox Portfolio collection. Details are on my website at www.jholko.com.
I will be leaving Reykjavik tomorrow and kicking off my annual winter workshop with Daniel Bergmann. We are looking forward to frozen waterfalls, snow covered landscapes and with a little luck the Aurora Borealis (northern lights).
Access to these two islands is only obtained by first flying into Mount Pleasant near the capital Stanley and then taking a much smaller B-2 Islander plane out to the smaller Saunders and sea Lion Islands. The weather around the Falklands is a constantly changing variable and as such flights to these islands are never assured – everything is a weather dependant. Our first stop at Saunders Island was roughly a forty five minute flight from Stanley. We were touch and go for this flight due to very low cloud and fog in the area, but in the end we made it by flying under the cloud and super close to the water. I knew we were low when I looked out the window at the passing cliffs and saw a flock of sheep looking down on us.
On arrival at Saunders Island we made the 45 minute drive by 4-wheel drive out to the ‘Neck’ area which would be our home for the next few days. The Neck is a remote part of the island with only basic self contained accomodation. The wonderful thing about this location however is the sheer plethora of bird life literally right outside the window. The Neck is really a very special area and we certainly got our moneys worth with changing conditions and amazing wildlife. In addition to Gentoos, Magellanic and Rockhoppers there was also a group of King Penguins out here, as well as one pair of Macaroni Penguins in the Rockhopper colony. The Caracaras (Johnny Rooks) and the Turkey Vultures were also very active here and there were a great many small birds including Meadowlarks, Black Throated Finches, Plovers and more. In addition there were Oyster Catchers, Gulls and other sea birds. Some of us also made the trek out to two of the remote ponds where we were able to photograph Black-headed Swans and the beautiful Silver Grebe. At the Rookery we enjoyed the Rockhoppers and also a huge number of breeding Black-browed Albatross in spectacular landscapes. I know of no other place in the world where you can photograph Black-browed Albatross in flight with a wide angle 16-35mm lens!
When we had finished at the Neck we took another small plane ride to Sea Lion Island where we spent three more days photographing Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins and also Rockhoppers and Cormorants a short drive from the lodge. In addition we had some fantastic shorebirds, Caracara, Blue Eyed Cormorant as well as several different species of the wetland birds found in the Falklands (several of them endemic to the islands). One of the highlights for me personally was the short-eared Owl which I spent the better part of two days to locate and photograph.
The Falkland Islands is a world class location for bird photography and is a remarkable location for any wildlife photographer to spend time. With so many of the birds being approachable the photographic opportunities are extensive. As yet I have only had time to process a small handful of the photographs I made in the Falkland Islands, but hope to find time to work through many more over the course of this year. I am also looking forward to returning to the Falklands for a future workshop.
Day 3 – 9.11.2015 In the morning of day three we passed Shag Rock (which was hidden in fog) and soon after we spotted Bird Island and the north western point of South Georgia. After lunch we headed to shore in Right Whale Bay for our first landing of the trip. On the beach we were welcomed by a good number of Fur Seals, Elephant Seals and King Penguins. With some snow still on the ground several of us took the opportunity to photograph the Kings against a white backdrop. During the afternoon it started to snow lightly and the clouds covered the dramatic mountains. The last Zodiac left just as it was getting dark. A Great start.
Addendum: This was in my opinion our best landing during the expedition. The opportunity to photograph King Penguins in snow was something I and many others aboard had really been hoping for. I personally spent my entire landing with the King penguins in the snow and made several photographs that I am extremely happy with.
Day 4 – 10.11.2015
Day 6 – 12.11.2015 St. Andrews Bay is possibly the best wildlife destination in the world and after detailed planning and a bit of luck with the weather we were able to land everyone on the beach long before sunrise. The operation started before 2am and by 3 o’clock everyone was ready to shoot. 15 minutes later, when the sun washed over the beach, thousands and thousands of King penguins and seals were covered in golden light. The photography was out of this world and we were only back for breakfast 5 hours later.
After a well deserved rest mid day we landed on Moltke Harbour after lunch. This small beach is a peaceful place compared to St. Andrews, but the many Elephant seals kept everyone busy until the night.
Mid day we arrived in Cooper Bay. The area is exposed to the weather and since the conditions were favourable we went for a mid day landing at the Macaroni penguin rookery. This is one of the easiest places to see this flamboyant bird at the nesting place. A short climb over snow and tussock grass we found ourselves pretty much in the colony. Heading out some of us were also treated with a Chinstrap penguin on the nearby rocks.
Day 9 – 15.11.2015 We did try for our fourth sunrise landing, but the weather was grey and wet when we got up. Therefore we waited until after breakfast before landing at Salisbury Plains. Its was still wet, but after a couple of hours the clouds lifted and we had some very nice moods as the mist and clouds covered the nearby mountains. Just as we packed up and started bringing clients back, the katabatic winds came falling from the mountains and within minutes we had 60 knot winds offshore. It did make our departure difficult, but with a sturdy expedition leader everyone was relaxed on the beach.
This expedition has been designed from the ground up to provide the very best possible opportunities to Photograph Polar Bears in their natural environment. With the reduction in Arctic sea ice the Polar Bears in Svalbard are dwindling in number and the number of years left to photograph them is unfortunately now extremely limited. Late July and August are the ideal times to photograph Polar Bears north of Svalbard due to the dwindling ice around the archipelago. On this expedition we will be carrying a naturalist/biologist who specialises in locating Polar Bears and an expedition leader and captain who have years of experience in placing us in the ideal position to make the best photographs. Their expertise will allow us to approach the king of the Arctic as closely and safely as possible and make incredible photographs under the spectacular midnight sun.
Our intention is to sail directly north from the small town of Longyearbyen in Svalbard to approximately 80 degrees North to the very edge of the permanent pack ice. At our northerly most point we will likely be less than 600 miles from the North Pole.
We will be using the ice hardened expedition ship M.S Origo which will enable us to skirt the edge of the pack ice searching for and photographing Polar Bears. M.S Origo is widely regarded as the best ship in the Arctic for Polar Bear Photography and has been my ship of choice for this expedition for the past three years. With its super low decks we can photograph at eye level with wild Polar Bears. Our expedition ship is also equipped with sufficient zodiacs and crew for all photographers to be shooting simultaneously with plenty of room to spare for camera equipment – So bring what you need! On this expedition we will also likely photograph Walrus, Seals, Whales, Arctic Foxes and the many Arctic sea birds including the rare and angelic Ivory Gull. To get an idea of the sort of wildlife photographs you can take on this expedition please visit the 
