Photo of the Month December – Fox Huddle – Win a Fine Art Print!

Posted in Arctic, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs3 Comments

The final photograph of the month for 2015 is part of the Arctic Fox project I have been working on for the last few years in a remote part of Iceland during the winter months. This male and female fox were huddled together near my snow blind for about an hour during some pretty serious weather last winter. The wind was howling and the snow was flying – the ideal conditions I look for when photographing Arctic and Antarctic wildlife. Photographing in these conditions is challenging, but the results are incredibly rewarding.

I will be returning to Iceland to finish this project early in the new year and will subsequently be releasing a small portfolio of prints and a limited edition book later next year to celebrate the completion of the project on what is one of Nature’s greatest survivors. The portfolio will be available early in the New Year with the book to follow around the middle of 2016.Hornvik-9854-EditDon’t forget! You can win a free 13″ x 19″ Fine Art Print of this photograph including shipping anywhere in the world. All you need do is to be the first to comment on this post on the home page with your thoughts on why you like this photograph or why you would like to own a print of the image and then share the post with your preferred social media outlet.

This will be the final print giveaway for 2015. Over the course of the year I have given away more than a dozen prints (some months I sent out several prints) that have gone around the world and that have found their way onto the walls of homes and offices. The chance to give something back in 2015 has been something I have very much enjoyed and the feedback I have received from those who have won a print throughout the year has been incredibly fulfilling. I would very much to continue this series going forward, but due to a very heavy travel schedule next year I will just not have time to regularly make and send out the prints. As such, this will be final print give away for the foreseeable future – so don’t miss your last chance to own a fine art print from this contest.

Wishing you Seasons Greetings for the Festive Season

Posted in News and Updates, Photographs, Wildlife Photographs1 Comment

A few days ago I returned home to Australia from back-to-back expeditions to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.  I am slowly catching up on all my correspondence, office paper work and image processing (as well as getting over a horrible case of jet lag), but wanted to take a moment to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and to say thank you for what has been an extraordinary year in many ways. I will have more to say in my year in review post in a week or so, but I feel its important to take a moment and be thankful for a great year and to wish all of you the very best of festive seasons. Take care, stay safe and enjoy good times with family and friends.Antarctica2015-5242-Edit

Travel and Outdoor Photographer of the Year Finalist 2015

Posted in Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Wildlife Photographs3 Comments

A few days ago I wrapped up the South Georgia and Falkland Islands 2015 expeditions. Both of these expeditions were a resounding success with some incredible light and weather (my sincere thanks to all who participated and to my good friends and co-leaders Ole and Roy). I think we may actually have set a record for the number of shore landings in South Georgia during our time in this area and we certainly set a record for the number of incredible sunrises in a row. We were blessed with some really calm weather and stunning light in the early morning hours of our photographic shoots. Whilst I would have preferred it to be snowing more often (my favourite conditions for shooting) the weather was nevertheless ideal for the expedition. I will have more to say about both these trips when I return to Australia with full trip reports after Christmas.

Currently I am still in Punta Arenas in South America where bad weather and a huge storm over the South Pole have indefinately delayed my flight down to Union Glacier and the scouting trip to the Emperor penguins. Whilst it seriously sucks to be delayed from this trip, it has given me an opportunity to catch up on some of the back log of email I have accumulated whilst in South Georgia and the Falkland Islands (There is some limited internet access in the Falklands – but at ten GBP per hour for snail speed its far from efficient). I am now waiting on the next MET weather report from Union Glacier around eight pm local time tonight to see if its going to be possible to fly tonight or very early tomorrow morning – fingers crossed. In the meantime I received the exciting news that a number of my photographs have been selected as finalist images in both the 2015 Travel Photographer of the Year competition and the 2015 Outdoor Photographer of the Year Award. This is the fourth year in a row I have made the finals in both of these competitions (I have also previously won outright categories in both competitions). It is a huge honour to have had my work selected with such consistency and I am thrilled to be in the finals yet again. I cannot share which images are in the finals at present; but will do so as soon as the winners are announced. My congratulations also to the other finalists.

I am continually inspired to enter the Travel Photographer of the Year competition as it is one of the few photographic competitions remaining today that still judge the ‘print’ rather than a compressed jpeg. I wrote a couple of years ago of my disillusionment with so many of the photography competitions that make their judgements solely on a compressed jpeg file. The craft of producing a beautiful fine art print is one of the most enjoyable aspects of photography for me and is how I prefer to have my work viewed and judged. To this end, I am looking forward to processing and printing some of the photographs I made this year in both South Georgia and the Falklands when I return Australia at Christmas. In the meantime, please enjoy this image of a Southern Giant Petrel taking flight during a brief snow shower.Giant Petrel

Tamrac and Gura Gear News

Posted in Equipment, News and UpdatesLeave a comment

Earlier this year Gura Gear acquired the legendary camera bag company Tamrac. Over the last five plus years Gura Gear has become a highly respected brand in the world of camera bag manufacturers so what does this new acquisition mean for the future of both Gura Gear and Tamrac?GuraGear

What about Bataflae and Kiboko? Introducing TAMRAC G-ELITE

Built on Gura Gear’s DNA, the all new TAMRAC G-ELITE G32 and G26 introduce tougher, lighter fabrics with the world’s strongest fiber, Dyneema®, along with a new front pocket system that can accommodate a laptop, light reflector, jacket or whatever else you need for your photographic journey. G-ELITE is designed to maximize every cubic centimeter of the overhead bin space while being easy to use from the back seat of land rover chasing hyenas, lions, and wild dogs. G-ELITE is the apex of volume efficient, lightweight camera carrying. Take a sneak peek at the G32 and G26. Available in Olive and Charcoal. Pre-order yours before November 20 and save 15% plus get free shipping in USA by using code LOYALGURA at www.tamrac.com.

Where is Gura Gear going? The same place it has always gone. The the ends of the Earth.

Is the Gura Gear brand going away?
Yes, we are consolidating the brands as simply, TAMRAC. In the coming days, www.guragear.com will cease to exist and all traffic will be pointed to www.tamrac.com

Will my Gura Gear bag still be covered by a warranty?
Yes, the same warranty that applied when your bag was purchased will continue to apply.

Will there be special offers on Gura Gear branded products?
Yes, all current Gura Gear products in stock are now marked down and in our new Outlet as well as available at a discount through participating dealers.

If you bought Tamrac, why don’t you consolidate the brands to Gura Gear?
Great question. Simple answers. Tamrac has been around for nearly 40 years, has greater brand equity, is easier to remember, spell and say, and we simply like it better.

November Photo of the Month Winner – Nick Stafford

Posted in Arctic, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography3 Comments

Congratulations to the eleventh print winner ‘Nick Stafford’ for the photograph of the month for November 2015: ‘Polar Bear Breath’.

What Nick said: Wow ! I love this photo Josh! Such a special creature! Keep up the fantastic work!Svalbard-9725-Edit copyCongratulations Nick (and thank you for the wonderful comment!), your print will be sent to you when I get back to Australia at the end of December. Keep an eye out on my blog for the next print giveaway with the final giveaway for the year – the December photograph of the month. Remember the best way to get instant updates is to subscribe via email.