Testimonial from Nita Gulbas – Antarctica 2013

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What can you say about an expedition of a lifetime? We had many opportunities on this trip that came our way due to Mother Nature. Take her work, add Joshua, and you have a dynamic duo. This is the second trip I have taken with Josh, and after both, I came away with the same feelings: amazing, fulfilling, fun. Josh has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas he travels to. As a result, the trips are extremely well organized, yet have a looseness allowing the participant to freely pursue the environment in very personal ways. His chosen expedition company provided us with skilled, knowledgeable staff who went out of their way to meet the needs of photographers. This meant having Zodiacs ready to launch at five am, asking the chef to call for meals at altered times, or being allowed to stay longer on site (weather permitting) when the  conditions were tantalizing for a group of photographers.

Attendees varied from professional photographers, award winning amateurs, to point and shoot individuals. Josh was always available for input if one needed, and no matter how tired, he was there for his group whether during active shooting, or in the evening for review if one wanted his input.  I think everyone came away with images to be proud of.
In short, having been on other photo tours, Joshua’s rank #1 in my book.

Jewels of the Arctic 2014 Open for Bookings

Posted in Arctic, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and Expeditions1 Comment

Jewels of the Arctic Expeditions for 2013 are done and dusted (watch for the video here in the next few days). The good news if you missed out is that I will be leading back-to-back Jewels of the Arctic expeditions again in August and September next year 2014. These expeditions are designed to take in the very best of the Arctic and are geared towards Arctic photography. As per the sold out trips this year I will be leading both expeditions. My friend and Pro Photographer Antony Watson will be assisting me on both trips with lectures and photographic instruction. The first expedition departs from Longyearbyen in Svalbard and takes us across to Greenland and Iceland. The second begins in Iceland and sails to Greenland and Longyearbyen in Svalbard. The two expeditions are identical; but are run in reverse order.

The 2013 Jewels of the Arctic trips sold out quickly and many places for 2014 have already been filled from those who missed out this year (the first trip is almost sold out and only a few places are remaning). If you are interested in joining us on one of these photographic adventures you can download a detailed itinerary and PDF flyer from my website or contact me for additional information.

Look for a short film I am excited to be releasing very soon here on my blog of our Jewels of the Arctic experience this year.

Finalist: Natures Best Photography & Travel Photographer of the Year 2013

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I returned home a couple of days ago from an expedition I lead to Antarctica with my friend Daniel Bergmann and am starting to catch up on all of the missed correspondence whilst I was off the grid. I will have a lot more to say about the Antarctica expedition over the coming weeks as this was an extraordinary trip with some of the best weather and light I have experienced in this part of the world – including an absolutely incredible journey through the Lemaire Channel. In the meantime, I was very pleased to learn that two of my photographs were selected as finalists in Natures Best Photography and another in the Travel Photographer of the Year competition. This is the second time I have had images in the finals in both Nature’s Best Photography and Travel Photographer of the Year and am honoured to have had my photographs selected.  The overall winners for Natures Best Photography have already been selected and can be seen on the Natures Best Photography website. Travel photographer of the Year is still in its last round of judging and final winners should be announced in a few days time. Finalist – Natures Best Photography 2013: Landscape Category

Finalist Natures Best Photography 2013: Landscape Category

Finalist Travel Photographer of the Year: Single Shot Extraordinary Image Category

Photographers South Georgia Island and Antarctic 2014 Polar Photography Expedition

Posted in Antarctica, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and Expeditions10 Comments

I am very excited to announce that after months of organisation and planning Andy Biggs and I are now opening bookings for a brand new and very exciting photography expedition to South Georgia Island and Antarctica.  This twenty day (yes, 20 days!) photography expedition will depart Ushuaia in South America on the 3rd of November 2014 has been designed to provide the definitive South Georgia Island photography experience. We will cross the Drake Passage where we will spend time photographing amazing icebergs and the spectacular Antarctic Peninsula. We will visit Elephant Island, home to twenty two of Shackleton’s men for four months. We will then enter the Scotia Sea detouring to the remote and rarely visited mountainous South Orkney Islands. We will zodiac cruise through a maze of icebergs before landing ashore on a beach bedecked with penguins, seals and lichen encrusted boulders. This location alone promises fantastic wildlife and landscape opportunities. We will then continue across the Scotia sea bound for South Georgia Island where we will see and photograph the world’s largest King Penguin rookeries, majestic albatross nests, seals and a plethora of bird life. Kelp strewn beaches are cluttered with basking elephant seals, feisty fur seals and hundreds of penguins that will prove a wildlife photographers dream.  Stromness and Grytviken harbour 3000 metre rocky peaks that rise up from the ocean to form amazing backdrops to the remains of whaling stations that will fulfil every landscape shooters wishes for dramatic landscape.  South Georgia’s remote, untamed landscape is simply stunning. Scattered across the mighty Southern Ocean, the tiny arc of windswept islands and harbours are some of the world’s greatest wildlife sanctuaries set against world class landscapes. Famed for its abandoned whaling stations and Shackleton’s heroic journey, South Georgia is home to literally millions of fur seals and penguins, wallows of elephant seals, and nesting albatross. After we finish photographing in this breathtaking area we will sail back to Ushuaia where we will dock on the 22nd of November and conclude our once in a lifetime expedition.Andy, and I wanted to put together a dedicated photography expedition to both Antarctica and South Georgia Island that really gave photographers the best possible opportunity to photograph big icebergs, and amazing wildlife. We wanted to ensure sufficient time in both Antarctica and South Georgia Island so this is a brand new itinerary that has been planned from the ground up to really maximise the opportunities for photography. We have specifically timed our expedition early in the season in order to give us the best opportunities for plenty of icebergs as well as wildlife at South Georgia Island. The ice and snow at South Georgia island will be pristine and as yet unvisited by man after the Antarctic winter. If you can only travel to Antarctica and South Georgia Island once in your life for photography then this is most definitely the trip you want to be on.KEY FEATURES

  • Dates : 3rd of November 2014 to the 22nd of November 2014 : 20 days / 19 nights
  • Ship : Ice Hardened Expedition Class Ship ‘Polar Pioneer’ Regarded by many as the best vessel for polar photography for its ability to get really close to big ice and ample deck space for photography.
  • Leaders : Andy Biggs, Joshua Holko
  • Dedicated to Wildlife and Landscape Photography

If you would like to register your interest to secure a place on this trip you can email Andy or I at andybiggs@andybiggs.com or info@jholko.com. Places are very limited on this trip and given the unique nature of this expedition we do expect to sell out quickly. Due to early expressions of interest the Captains Suite and Mini Suites are already sold out and there are only limited twin private and twin share rooms remaining. We have the entire vessel so this trip is solely for photographers and is 100% dedicated to both landscape and wildlife photography. Places are booked strictly on a first come first served basis. Additional information and a detailed itinerary can be downloaded from my website at www.jholko.com

Australian Geographic Desk Diary 2014

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The 2014 Australian Geographic Magazine desk diary was released a few days ago. Featuring photography from many different artists,  the diary is a week to a page, hard cover, spiral bound with a ribbon marker. Photographs are taken from around Australia and Antarctica and feature classic Australian landscapes, flora and fauna. The 2014 diary includes more than ten of my own photographs from Australia and Antarctica and can be ordered online from Australian Geographic.