This photograph from winter in Svalbard this year is my photograph of the month for September 2017. I actually wanted to post this last month but was saving it up for the 2017 APPA awards so that the judges would see it with fresh eyes. What makes this photograph work so well is the body language and position of the bear in relation to the snow drift, the quality of the light and of course that wonderful gesture of the dragging paw all crusted in ice. Winter in Svalbard is often best time of the year in my experience for Polar Bear photography as you have optimum light conditions. With the sun low in the sky this sort of rosy pink glow is only found on the very cusp of winter. 
I will be leading a new expedition for Polar bears and arctic landscapes to Svalbard in winter this coming March. If you are interested in joining me or would like some additional information please drop me an email for further details. There are now only a few places remaining before the expedition will be sold out.
AIPP Journal Issue #255 Features – The Toughest Print
The latest September issue of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Journal features an article I recently penned titled ‘The Toughest Print’. The article was also recently featured on the Luminous Landscape website. You can download a copy of the article by clicking on the image below (you do need to be a full AIPP member to download the complete issue).
Departing for Greenland Expeditions 2017
Time has rolled around all too quickly (I feel as though my feet have not touched the ground in Australia) and as soon as I finish this post I am heading back to the airport to start to the long trek to Iceland and then onto Greenland for my two back-to-back expeditions to the east coast and the spectacular Scoresby Sund fjord system. I have been looking forward to returning to the east coast as it has been a few years now since I last visited Greenland. It will be interesting to see how the area has changed and in what sort of state of disrepair the glaciers are now in. With more water melting off the Greenland icecap in a day than France uses in an entire year I am expecting to see some significant change.
As is my custom I like to do a packing list of what photographic equipment I am taking with me. Although these are primarily landscape expeditions we will also be doing quite a lot of photography from zodiac (the east coast of Greenland is home to some of the worlds most dramatic icebergs) and as such I am taking equipment for both the tripod and hand-held work. I am packing my Really Right Stuff Tripod with the new Arca Swiss D4 geared head as well as a full set of LEE filters for land-based work and a couple of Canon EOS 1DX MKII cameras for zodiac work. I am also packing my 300mm F2.8L IS MKII lens in case of any wildlife encounters.
Lightroom Roller (Carry on Luggage)
– 2 x Canon EOS 1DX bodies
– 1 x Canon EOS 5DSR body
– 1 x Canon 11-24mm F4L Lens
– 1 x Canon 16-35mm F4L IS Lens
– 1 x Canon 24-70mm F4L IS Lens
– 1 x Canon 100-400mm F4-F5.6L IS MK II Lens
– 1 x Canon 300mm F2.8L IS MKII Lens
– 1 x Canon 1.4TC MKIII
– 1 x Sigma 15mm Fish Eye
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Gura Gear Chobe (Carry on Luggage)
– 1 x Apple MacBook Pro 15″ Retina
– 1 x Apple laptop charger
– 1 x 1 TB external portable SSD hard drive
– 1 x USB CF card reader
– 1 x Sunglasses and sunglasses case
– 1 x Leica Ultra-vid 10×42 HD Binoculars
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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
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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
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There is one other important piece of documentation I will be taking with me on this expedition 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.
I am fortunate to meet and travel with some fabulous people who are not only talented photographers in their own right but also a source of continual inspiration. Many of these participants have become friends (and there are quite a few across these two Greenland expeditions) and I just want to take a moment to acknowledge their photography and thank them for their participation and input.
See you in Greenland!
P.S For those of you who have contacted me asking if I will be running a future expedition to the East Coast of Greenland: The answer is not in 2018 – but I have now confirmed a charter for 2019 and will have more details later this year.
Australian Geographic Feature Awarded APPA 2017 Photographs
Australian Geographic Magazine has just featured nine of their favourite photographs from the recent 2017 AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards. The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) has announced the 2017 winners of its prestigious annual photography awards. Both Australian and international photographers competed across 24 categories, including travel, landscape, animals, science and people. Here are our favourites of the stunning award-winning shots.
Journey Weaver Magazine August 2017 Feature – The Ice Whisperer
International magazine, Journey Weaver, has just published new interview “The Ice Whisperer” in their latest issue (catchy title!). “Multi-award winning Arctic photographer Joshua Holko knows a thing or two about shooting captivating images of rare wildlife in extreme conditions. He speaks with Crystal Leung about the shot that won him Global Arctic Photographer of the Year, polar travel essentials and his love affair for the world’s coolest destinations.” Just click on the image below to download the full PDF. 
