Earlier this year, I ran a small group expedition to eastern Greenland in Winter (Read the Trip Report) in search of dramatic winter landscapes and Arctic wildlife. This was not a trip for the faint of heart as it involved winter camping in temperatures as low as -40º Celsius without facilities or heating. One of the participants, Kevin Hall, recently wrote about his experience on the expedition; the article has now been published by the BBC in the UK. You can read the full article online HERE You can also download a full copy of the article as a PDF.
A rare single place (private cabin!) has become available on my Svalbard Winter Explorer expedition in April next year. The expedition will run from April 15th to April 23rd, 2025, in late Winter / early Spring. This time of year is an incredible time to visit Svalbard. The sun is low in the sky, providing hours of glorious golden light. This expedition is for photographers who want to capture powerful and evocative photographs of Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, Arctic foxes, reindeer and walruses, as well as dramatic snow- and ice-covered landscapes in a winter setting. The cusp of Winter is a beautiful time to visit and photograph in Svalbard. At this time of the year the landscape will be wearing its winter armour. We will use the expedition class ship, M.S Freya, enabling us to push north into the permanent pack ice. Full details, including a PDF, are available on my website HERE. To get an idea of the style of photographs you can capture on this expedition please visit the Svalbard portfolio on my website. If you would like to take advantage of this rare opportunity or would like further information please do not hesitate to drop me an email.
I have just published episode 102 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this episode, I review the latest volume of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Now at Volume 33, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year portfolio offers a fantastic way to own the best images of the 2023 competition year and serves as an outstanding reference for wildlife and nature photographers. This book is highly recommended.
I am currently working on a new deep-dive podcast on both the Canon EOS R1 and the Canon EOS R5MKII that I hope to publish later this week. The podcast will discuss the two cameras in detail as well as who is the intended market for each camera. In the meantime, I wanted to do a quick update on what is available in the way of Workshops and Expeditions for the second half of this year and early 2025.
Greenland September 17th – September 28th 2024: In the next four weeks, I will be guiding an expedition to Scoresby Sund on the East coast of Greenland. There is currently one place available as a result of a medical cancellation. This expedition is for those photographers wanting to photograph the most spectacular icebergs and landscapes found anywhere on Earth in the best possible light and conditions. Late September is the ideal time to visit Scoresby Sund as the sun is low in the sky and the first sea ice begins to form. Full details of the expedition are available HERE.
Emperor Penguins November 26th – December 04th 2024: In late November, I will guide an expedition for a very small group of photographers to Gould Bay in the Weddell Sea region of Antarctica to the world’s most southerly Emperor Penguin colony. There is currently one place available as a result of a medical cancellation. Full details of the expedition are available HERE.
Arctic Fox Expedition February 8th – February 14th 2024 & February 15th – February 21st 2025: In February, I will guide two back-to-back workshops for Arctic Foxes in the far northwest of Iceland. There are currently two places remaining before the workshops are sold out. These are the workshops for you if you have ever wanted to photograph Nature’s greatest feat of engineering—the Arctic Fox. Full details of the expeditions are available HERE and HERE.
Zululand South Africa Ground Level Masterclass Mayth – May 16th 2025: We are now down to the last five places on my Zululand South Africa ground level masterclass workshop. This is the workshop for you if you have ever wanted to photograph Africa wildlife at eye level – from the ground and luxury hide. Full details on the workshop are available HERE. You can check out the Portfolio of work HERE to get an idea of the sort of photographs you can make on this unique experience.
Please drop me an email if you have any queries or are interested in securing one of these last places.
In July of 2024, I ran my first workshop for Pallas cat kittens in the far east of Mongolia. I am no stranger to travel and photography in Mongolia, having led multiple winter workshops to this fantastic country (for both Pallas cat and Snow Leopard) over the last 7+ years, but this was the first time I have run a summer workshop that was dedicated to the photography of Pallas cat kittens. It was a fantastic experience with many sightings of Pallas cats and their kittens! There is also something to be said for the packing requirements for a summer workshop that dictates shorts and a T-shirt!
During our nine-day workshop, we were fortunate to have numerous captivating encounters with Pallas cat kittens and their mothers. The absolute highlight was the rare chance to conduct multiple photographic sessions with a Pallas cat and her extraordinary litter of six kittens. Such a large litter is a rare occurrence, only happening in years with abundant prey. This year, the area was teeming with voles, ensuring a plentiful food supply. We also had the privilege of encountering another litter of five kittens and several smaller litters.
For the duration of this workshop, we are based in a permanent wildlife camp set up specifically to study and photograph Pallas cats. The camp is approximately eight hours’ drive east from the capital of Ulanbataar and is located in a region known as the Steppe. This area boasts the highest density of Pallas cats to be found anywhere on earth. It is a stunning location that comprises endless grass-covered rolling hills that stretch to the horizon in all directions.
For the duration of the workshop, we stay in traditional Mongolian Gyrs. Each Gyr is equipped with a comfortable bed, a small basin with clean, fresh water for washing, and power for charging via a generator. With average daily temperatures ranging from 25 to 35º Celsius and cooling down in the evenings, there’s no need for heating in the summer. The facilities include western-style pit toilets, a dedicated living and dining Gyr, and 4-wheel drives for exploring the Steppe region.
The photography of the Pallas cat kittens is done from portable blinds that we set up at a location out in the field. These blinds, which are quickly assembled on site, and allow us to photograph the cats and kittens without disturbing their natural play and hunting behaviour. As the blinds are portable, we can position them for the best possible backgrounds, light angle and to ensure the best opportunities. Telephoto zoom lenses are ideal for this workshop with focal lengths between 100 and 600mm.
The days are long this time of year in Mongolia, with sunrise around 5:00 a.m. and sunset around 8:30 p.m. As the cats are most active first thing in the morning and just prior to sunset, this means we are out in the field from 4:30 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. and then again from 4 p.m. until sunset. Time in between is lunch and downtime to download images and review the day’s shooting.
Toward the end of our workshop, we experienced two days of stormy weather and some heavy rain, which made locating the cats more difficult as they tended to relocate to higher ground at this time. Nevertheless, we managed some interesting opportunities of the kittens playing high in rocky areas.
On our final day, we were treated to an unforgettable morning and evening session with a different Pallas cat and her litter of five kittens. During the sunset shoot, the cats disappeared for a while, only to re-emerge during the best light of the day. It was a valuable lesson in the importance of patience and perseverance in wildlife photography. We also had several opportunities to capture the mother hunting voles near her den.
I will return to Mongolia in July of 2026 to lead another workshop for Pallas cat kittens in the Far East of this fantastic country. The workshop will be strictly limited to a maximum of five. Please drop me an email if you would like to register for this opportunity.
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