The current issue (April 2016) of National Geographic Traveller Magazine features one of my photographs from Antarctica as the leading double page spread to an Antarctic travel article – 7 Trips, 7 Continents. Just click on the image below to download the image and article. The photograph titled ‘Fortress’ was taken back in 2011 in the Gerlache Strait during heavy overcast skies. This particular iceberg remains for me one of the most spectacular I have been fortunate to see and photograph. I will be leading a new expedition to Antarctica in late October next year (2017) that will be dedicated to iceberg photography. If you are keen to travel and photograph in Antarctica with a small group of passionate photographers please drop me an email to register your interest. No obligation at this point.
Arctic Fox Project – Behind the Scenes
A little over two weeks ago I wrapped up my winter photographic project on the Arctic Fox in the remote north east of Iceland. The project has spanned the last three winters with the final intent being a book to be released later this year. A portfolio of prints from the project is available now for purchase on my website. A behind the scenes video snippet from one of the last days on the project is included below. Just click on the image below to play the video. Full behind the scenes footage coming soon.
Daniel Bergmann and I also wrapped up our 2016 Iceland Winter Workshop a couple of days ago (full report coming soon). We had a mix of dramatic and challenging weather during the trip; as is often the norm for Iceland in winter.
I am now in the Lofoten Islands in Norway where I will be co-leading a nine day workshop for landscape photography with my friend Martyn Lucas. We are kicking off in the next couple of days and are looking forward to dramatic winter landscapes and possibly even some Aurora Borealis if conditions permit.
Participant Trip Report – Kingdom of the Ice Bear Expedition
In August last year Daniel Bergmann and I lead a ten day expedition (Kingdom of the Ice Bear) north of the Svalbard Archipelago in search of Polar Bears, dramatic Arctic landscapes and other Arctic wildlife. One of the photographers who joined us (Harvey Lloyd-Thomas) has just published a report on the expedition with On-Landscape magazine. Excerpt from the report below:
The Voyage of the Malmö
Harvey Lloyd-Thomas writes about his trip to Svalbard
The Svalbard archipelago – formerly known as Spitsbergen – high in the Arctic, is somewhere I’ve long wanted to visit. It is not clear when Svalbard was first discovered, was it the mysterious land of Thule written of by the Greeks? Was it even the cold shores recorded by the Norse from which Svalbard gets its name? What is certain is the sighting in 1596 of pointed mountains which translates as Spitsbergen, by the Dutch sailor Barents.
Historically Svalbard became know as a whaling base, in more recent times for coal mining and today tourism is on the rise. Politically Svalbard has had a unique status since a 1925 treaty ceded the lands to Norway, but retaining a Russian presence (illustrated by Vodafone sending me a welcome to Russia text as we sailed past the mouth of the fjord containing the Russian mining settlement of Barentsburg, then shortly after welcoming me to Norway as we neared Longyearbyen). Today Svalbard mainly makes the news for polar bear attacks (fortunately a rare occurrence) and the Doomsday seed vault buried in the permafrost.
While I must have seen Svalbard on maps before, I first remember reading about the archipelago in the Time-Life Photography Year 1974/75 book, which was in the art rooms during my time in the sixth form back in the 80s. The book included a feature on the then new phenomenon of photo safarisand the first such voyage to Svalbard. Subsequently I heard about and saw photos from a trekking holiday a friend made to the islands back in the 90s. So in 2014 when the opportunity arose to sign-up for a photo safari to Svalbard in the summer of 2015 aboard the MS Malmö, it was an opportunity – despite the expense – I felt I could not pass on. It would round off my exploration of North Atlantic islands and further north into the Arctic Circle, having previously visited the Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, east Greenland and northern Norway.
You can read his full trip report and enjoy all his photographs at On Landscape Magazine. Please also consider subscribing to this excellent magazine.
Watch the Expedition Video by clicking on the image below.
Iceland Winter 2017 – The Frozen North Expedition Open for Bookings
Daniel Bergmann and I are pleased to be announcing our 2017 Iceland Winter Workshop. The workshop will run from the 23rd of February 2016 until the 5th of March 2017 and will focus on the incredible northern landscapes of Iceland as well as the Aurora Borealis. We will be travelling in a highly modified Icelandic Super Jeep (very large 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. We will be focusing our efforts in the Northern part of Iceland in some of the less visited and more spectacular winter locations. 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.
In late February the darkness of the Icelandic winter is starting to lift and the days are becoming longer. We will have up to ten hours of good light during the day and with a little bit of luck the spectacular Northern Lights will increase our photographic opportunities well into the night. Winter conditions in Iceland can be stunningly beautiful: the glacial lagoons freeze, some of the waterfalls are partially frozen, the glaciers appear more blue with fresh snow on top, the landscape of the north is covered in fresh snow and with fewer visitors. With true darkness in winter comes the possibility of seeing the awe inspiring Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). We plan to make photographs of them whenever there are clear skies and intense Aurora activity.
This photography workshop will last for 11 days (10 nights). We will be staying in good hotels and guest houses that are functional and clean. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included and will generally be held at the hotels where we are staying. However, this workshop is all about photography and we will be putting in long hours in the field in order to ensure we get the best possible light for photography. We may take food and drink with us into the field to ensure we are in the right locations get the best possible light. There will be some moderate hiking on uneven ground and a reasonable level of fitness is recommended. There is no obligation to participate in any hikes and every effort will be made to accommodate any requests.
This is a unique opportunity to travel and photograph with two experienced professionals who have a combined total of more than 40 years of photographic experience and can take you to the best locations that are off the beaten track, and at the right time – when the light is best. You’ll be spending 10 days with others who are just as passionate about photography as you are, and to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention, the maximum number of participants is capped at twelve.
You can download a complete itinerary and information PDF HERE. The workshop is fully inclusive of all meals, accommodation and ground transportation as well as all tuition and image reviews. Our 2014, 2015 and 2016 workshops sold out in just a few days so if you would like to join us you can register your interest by dropping me an email or by filling in the registration form on my website at www.jholko.com. You can also visit the Iceland Portfolio on my website at www.jholko.com for more images of Iceland in Winter.
Photo of the Month March 2016 – Arctic Fox Fight
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).
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 