The Asia Pacific Photography Awards have just announced the 2024 People’s Choice Award winner for the Nature category. I am thrilled to report my recent photograph of the Pallas Cat, titled ‘Regal Cat’, from Mongolia in winter was the overall People’s Choice award winner for 2024.
In 2022, I completely swept the pool in this category, taking First, Second, and Third place. This year, I won the Peoples Choice award in the nature category and drew with myself for third place in the judged category with the Pallas Cat photograph and the Pygmy Owl photograph. All three of my entered photographs were also top 20 and top 10 finalists.
I will return to Mongolia again in January 2025 and 2026 to photograph the Pallas Cat and the Snow Leopard. The 2025 expeditions are already sold out, but bookings are now open for 2026. You can email me for further information or to register your place. Full details are also available on my website at http://www.jholko.com/workshops.
Canon has released new firmware this month for the EOS R3 and the EOS R5 mirrorless cameras. The biggest update appears to be the enabling of power zoom control functionality for the new power zoom lenses. There are also additional bug fixes relating to stable use.
Canon EOS R3 – Canon EOS R3 V1.7.1 includes the following enhancements
Enables servo zooming to be remotely controlled from EOS Utility or Camera Connect when Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2/PZ-E2B is attached to a compatible lens.
Enables up to 2 TB to be used on CFexpress cards larger than 2 TB.
Fixes an issue that may cause the camera, in rare instances, to stop functioning when using GPS.
Fixes an issue that may display Error Code 70 when performing anti-flicker shooting at a shutter speed of 1 second or higher.
Enhances security for FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Security) connections.
Fixes an issue in which Mobile File Transfer may not function when connecting the camera to an iPhone compatible with USB 3.0 and higher.
Fixes an issue that, under specific circumstances, may prevent the image from being displayed in the viewfinder or on the screen causing the camera to stop operating, or Error Code 70 may be displayed.
Canon EOS R5 – Canon EOS R5 Firmware 2.0.0 includes the following enhancements
Enables servo zooming to be remotely controlled from EOS Utility or Camera Connect when Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2/PZ-E2B is attached to a compatible lens.
Enables up to 2 TB to be used on CFexpress cards larger than 2 TB.
Fixes an issue that may cause the camera, in rare instances, to experience a delayed restart after the camera has gone into Auto Power Off.
Fixes an issue that, under specific circumstances, may prevent the image from being displayed in the viewfinder or on the screen causing the camera to stop operating, or Error Code 70 may be displayed.
David and Shiela (wildlife cinematographers), who accompanied me this year on my February Winter Arctic fox expedition to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in northern Iceland, have just released their short documentary on Melrakki – The Arctic Fox. Shot over the entire 7-day duration of the workshop, the documentary chronicles the daily life of the Queen of Kviar – the Arctic Fox. It also demonstrates the incredible photographic opportunities we have during this workshop to make powerful, evocative and intimate photographs of this tenacious little predator. Please enjoy the fruits of their hard work and dedication in this short ten-minute documentary.
I will be returning to northern Iceland again in 2025 to lead two back-to-back workshops in this amazing location to photograph the Arcitc Foxes that inhabit and survive on this remote coastline. The first trip will run from February 8th until February 14th. Due to popular demand, I have just added a second trip that will run from the 15th until the 21st of February 2025. Places are limited and reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in photographing one of Nature’s greatest feats of engineering please drop me an email to register your interest or to request additional information. Full details are now available on my website HERE.
There is a disturbing trend (at least, I find it disturbing) I have been witnessing over the last few years that seems to be spreading like a noxious weed, primarily across social media circles (AI image making has done absolutely nothing to help). A trend I have come to term ‘The Disingenuous Nature of Modern Nature photography’. There are photographers acting and behaving disingenuously with their imagery to outdo, outperform, and get more social media gratification (not to mention win competitions!) than the next person. Witnessing what occurred in the Sony WWPO Awards not too long ago, this is also happening on a viral scale across photographic competitions (and has been for some time).
I am seeing more composite photographs (and AI images) than ever before that are being presented and sold as accurate depictions of ‘Nature’. These photographs frequently comprise different captures that are highly manipulated and then combined and sold through Social media as ‘Nature’ photographs as if they were an accurate representation and an actual capture of the true world. There is almost always no disclosure by the photographer that the scene is not representative of what they photographed, and that leads me to the only logical conclusion that there has been a deliberate attempt to deceive the viewer.
For the record, I have no objection whatsoever to composite photographs, HDR (High Dynamic Range imagery) or heavy-handed digital manipulation that materially affects the photograph’s authenticity, provided such techniques are disclosed by the photographer when the image is published or shared. (As an aside, I don’t use any of these tools or techniques in my photography. You can read my Ethics statement online). What I am seeing, however, is photographers posting these manipulated images in a disingenuous fashion and then lapping up the ‘Likes’ and commentary. Even worse, I see these images utilised for marketing workshops to entice participants to sign up. Potential participants could sign up believing and hoping they, too, will be able to craft such an image in the field. Unbeknownst to them, the image is a fraud, and they stand no chance to capture that photograph in a single image capture.
Now, before anyone gets too bent out of shape, let me state for the record again that I have no issue with highly processed composite photographs. If that is your ‘thing’, then by all means, go right ahead and pursue your passion. Have at it and be happy and comfortable! But please don’t misrepresent them as accurate ‘captures or depictions of Nature’.
From the dawn of the darkroom, photographers have manipulated their images. Ansel Adams would have been the first to acknowledge that his Clearing Winter Storm or Moonrise over Hernandez photographs were manipulated in post-production (in his case, in the darkroom). Post-production is an integral part of the photographer’s photographic workflow, and it always will be. To my mind as a Nature photographer, the key to post-production is “Post-production that does not materially affect the authenticity of the image”. It is about enhancing the capture and not about creating something that wasn’t there. After all, a great capture doesn’t need much post-production; it’s already a great photograph!
I have just published episode #94 of my Wild Nature Photography podcast. In this episode, I briefly wrap up my Greenland Winter dogsled expedition and discuss the roller coast ride that can be Arctic travel in Winter.
Two places remain on my Zululand South Africa ground-level masterclass workshop this June. If you are interested in photographing African wildlife from both luxury hides and ground-level hides (as well as ‘walking with Cheetahs), please contact me to register your interest or request additional information.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 