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

Posted in Arctic, Media, News and Updates, Travel Photography, VideoLeave a comment

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.

Golden Emperor Penguin

Posted in Antarctica, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsLeave a comment

Recently I was reviewing my photographs from my Emperor Penguin expedition to Gould Bay in Antarctica last year (Read the Trip Report) and came across this image; which really captures for me the experience of what it was like to photograph these incredible animals on the remote sea ice at Gould Bay. This was our first evening out with the penguins and although we probably did not realise it at the time, we were extremely fortunate to have absolutely superb conditions with hours and hours of golden light and plenty of blowing snow.I will be returning to Gould Bay in November 2018 for one final expedition to photograph the mighty Emperor Penguin and will have all of the final details for this expedition early January 2018. Due to the initial registrations of interest there are only two places remaining before the expedition will be sold out.

New Zealand South Island Masterclass 2018 – Final Year

Posted in Landscape Photographs, New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

In late April / early May next year I will be running my final Masterclass workshop in the South Island of New Zealand for the foreseeable future. The workshop runs from the 30th of April until the 11th of May and is fully inclusive of all in country transport (private 4WD’s), food, helicopter flights (lots of them), tuition and more. Strictly limited to just six participants this masterclass is really designed to capture the best of the South Island. If you are interested in travelling to New Zealand and photographing in the spectacular South Island you can register you interest in one of the last available places by dropping me an email. Like the 2015, 2016 and 2017 workshops, the 2018 Masterclass workshop also includes extensive use of helicopters for accessing some of the most remote and spectacular country as well as aerial photography of the spectacular Southern Alps and glaciers. If you want to get an idea of the sort of photographs you can make on this masterclass be sure to check out the New Zealand portfolio on my website at www.jholko.com. Full details of the workshop are available on my website as a PDF HERE. You can read a trip report from the 2017 Masterclass HERE and client feedback HERE.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.

Photo of the Month November 2017 : On Winters Cusp

Posted in Arctic, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

The photograph of the month for November 2017 was taken on the second of two back-to-back expeditions to the East Coast of Greenland (read the trip report) in September and October this year. On the cusp of winter, the skies were heavily overcast and the sea was beginning to freeze in one of the many fjord systems we were exploring. I used the Canon 11-24mm F4L lens at 11mm and simply leant right over the side of the boat to get as low as possible. The aim with this sort of photograph is to try and lead the eye from the foreground ice to the distant icebergs and mountains. The key to making it work is to get as low as possible whilst still maintaining perspective and depth. 

MacPhun Pre-Order Luminar Neptune 2018 for Mac and Windows

Posted in News and Updates, Software, UncategorizedLeave a comment

MacPhun have just announced the new Luminar Neptune 2018 is now available for Pre-order for both Mac and Windows. Those of you who follow my blog or who have travelled and photographed with me in recent times know already that I am a huge fan of this time saving software.

About Luminar: Luminar 2018 offers everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing, including new filters powered by artificial intelligence, major speed improvements, a dedicated RAW develop module and a forthcoming in 2018;  a digital asset management platform.

A Digital asset management platform is huge news for those users looking for an alternative to Adobe’s rather bloated Lightroom software and increasingly annoying subscription model.

Users will also benefit from the new intelligent Sun Rays filter, LUT support, and real-time noise removal. With workspaces that match different styles of editing, Luminar adapts to deliver a complete experience that avoids clutter and complexity.

Luminar 2018 has been re-built from the ground up for dramatic performance boosts. Existing filters deliver richer colors and depth in less time. A brand new streamlined user interface speeds up working with presets, filters, and masks. With full support of pro options like layers, masks, and blending modes, complex repairs and photo composites can be easily accomplished.

Luminar 2018 is available now for pre-order on November 1, and released on November 16 2018. Pre-Order HERE.