Tag: art

Client Workshop Feedback and Testimonial October 2025

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Earlier today, I received a wonderful, unsolicited email from frequent traveller and photographer, Kevin Hall. Kevin has been a frequent traveller with Wild Nature Photo Travel in recent years, and his work from our trips has been published by both the BBC and BBC Travel. We live in a fast-paced, chaotic world today, where people rarely take the time to provide positive feedback or express gratitude, so I wanted to take a moment to publicly thank Kevin (thank you, Kevin) for taking the time to offer such wonderful feedback. From my perspective, it has been wonderful to share these experiences and to see your work published and in print from such high-profile organisations as the BBC.

“If you are reading this, you will probably be doing so because you are considering going on a workshop with Joshua Holko, and want to know what other photographers think.   So let me tell you how it is… 
Joshua Holko is out to mislead you.  He calls his trips ‘photography workshops’, as so many in the industry do.  Well, I can tell you, as someone who has been on eight of his ‘workshops’ in 2023-25 and signed up for two more in 2026-27, that they are not ‘workshops’, as the term ‘workshop’ simply does not do what Joshua Holko delivers anywhere near justice.  So don’t be fooled when he uses the term ‘workshop’!

If you sign up for a trip with Joshua Holko and Wild Nature Photo Travel, you get the ‘Big 5’ …

  1. Practical support from the best polar photographer on the planet.  

    From the time you sign up to the time you return, Josh deals with you personally.  He will answer any question you put to him regarding any aspect of the trip whether you require clarity or advice, with impressive speed providing he’s not out of signal travelling.  He will willingly pass on his experience based on his 20+ years of travelling to and photographing in some of the remotest places on Earth.  He is a man of integrity who provides honest, objective and helpful support and advice.  He’s also very passionate about what he does, and that comes through if you are one of his clients.
  2. Detailed packing lists sent out well in advance so you have time to prepare properly.  

    After all, most of his trips take you to some pretty isolated locations with extreme temperatures that few on the planet will ever get to see, so it is critical that you take the right equipment, be that clothing or gear, that will allow you to make the most of it.  Imagine going on what might be for you the trip of a lifetime and forgetting a vital item of clothing or gear!
  3. Excellent logistics.  

    Let’s face it, travelling to some of the locations on his list is not for the feint-hearted and impossible to do on your own.  It would be fool-hardy and dangerous to try.  Joshua Holko’s trip logistics are comprehensive and impressive at every level.  He thinks of everything and releases you from this burden so you can focus on your photography and enjoying the experience.  His trips attract a certain kind of person; generally people who are passionate about their photography, interesting to be around and good travelling companions.  And that matters when you are with people in close quarter for many days or even weeks at a time.  Many people who go on workshops with Josh have been on many workshops with Josh, and that speaks volumes in itself if you think about it. 
  4.  Getting your bucket list shots by placing you in the right place at the right time, with your photography and your safety as his number one priority.  

    Josh is quite incredible in this regard.  He won’t be found talking to camera for a YouTube video that he needs to post whilst you are in the field photographing.  He is not a YouTuber.  Similarly, he won’t be standing over you interfering with your photography.  But he will be leading you in the field to where you will get the best shots and assist with any settings if asked.  He will be photographing on the floor alongside the group, not in a ‘directors chair from afar enjoying a coffee’!  And this is probably what I like the most about travelling with Josh; he lets you realise your own creative abilities by inspiring you with his knowledge and experience of all matters photography, wildlife and nature.  
  5. And lastly an immersive ‘life and photographic experience’ that provides the opportunity for you to grow as a person and photographer.  Indeed, I personally think ‘photographic life experience’ far better describes what you get when you travel with Joshua Holko.  Never did I think that I would go to East Greenland on a 100 year old Dutch sail ship to take photographs of monumental icebergs that subsequently be published by the world’s leading on-line Fine Art magazine, or ride on a dog sled driven by an Inuit over pack ice to one of the remotest places on Earth to photograph polar wildlife and landscapes with an article that I subsequently wrote about the trip being published by BBC Travel, or spend nearly three weeks in the High Arctic photographing polar bears.  But I did, and have come back with some amazing life long memories and award-winning photographs.

There is one more thing I would like to add, and that is that I have never met anyone who is more knowledgeable about wildlife, nature and photography than Joshua Holko.  He truly is a master in his field.  His post processing knowledge of Adobe is also incredible and he will willingly sit alongside you during the trips to help you edit photos, again if you ask him, or sometimes will lead an impromptu class on editing if there is a desire by the group for him to do so.   So in summary, I have no hesitation in recommending Joshua Holko’s ‘life and photographic experiences’ to you.  Your only question should be ‘which one?’  And if it is, why don’t you do what I did when I first looked at his website, and that is ‘ask Joshua Holko’?  I guarantee you will be amazed with what comes back!

Note:  This testimonial has been written by me.  I offered to provide it; I was not asked by Joshua Holko, and Joshua Holko has had no involvement whatsoever in what I’ve said.  These are my words and my thoughts alone.  And if you would like to see some of his influences on my work, please check out my website and look at Galleries and Featured Location.  https://kevinhallphotography.co.uk

With best wishes,  Kevin (Photo Credit Below: Kevin Hall).

Departing for France and the White Horses of the Camargue October 2025

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Tomorrow, I am leaving Sweden for the last European workshop of the year, the White Horses of the Camargue in France. This sold-out workshop has been something I have been looking forward to for a very long time now. Actually, ever since I saw images of the horses more than a decade ago in an early tutorial Canon published on how to use their Digital Photo Professional software. I was never enamoured with Canon’s DDP software, but the images of the charging horses stuck in my mind, and I am excited to have my own opportunity to photograph these beautiful horses very soon, alongside all the participants on this trip. To be clear, there are not wild horses we are going to photograph. These are domestic, trained horses, and this is an opportunity to practice, hone and perfect techniques that can be applied to wildlife.

I am somewhat saddened that Canon was unable to supply me with the 100-300mm f/2.8L RF IS lens in time for this workshop (before I left Australia in August), as I feel this would have been the ideal glass for the occasion (fast and the perfect focal range). As such, I am packing both the 70-200mm f2.8L IS and the 400mm f2.8L IS. The 100-300mm is now waiting for me at Canon in Australia and will be joining my arsenal of lenses for next year’s workshops. I am particularly keen to put this lens to use on my Arctic Fox workshops in northern Iceland early in the year.

After I finish in France, I will head back to Sweden for a few days before wrapping up my European stay for the year and returning to Australia for the summer. The last workshop of the year will be to Antarctica for the Emperor Penguins in November before we kick off the 2026 year! I will write more about what is coming up in 2026 in a separate post later this year.

Australian Photographic Prize 2025 Wildlife Single Capture Gold Awards

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The Australian Photographic Prize Wildlife category was judged on Saturday, 19 July. This year, I decided to enter the single-image Wildlife category of the Australian Photographic Prize at the last minute due to my hectic travel schedule. I just caught up on the results on You-Tube this morning during some downtime here in Melbourne. Of the four photographs I chose to enter this year, all four made the final round of judging (top 35 entered images in the category). Two of the four received highly coveted Gold Awards, and the remaining two images both earned Silver with Distinction awards, with the Polar Bear being only 1 point shy of a third Gold award. I am not sure what held back the Polar Bear from Gold, as the average scores from the judges is 90.4, which should be a Gold Award? Screenshots of the judge’s scores and images are included below. The overall winner of the category will be announced in the next few days.

Zululand South Africa 2025 Ground Level Masterclass Workshop Last Places!

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Only two places remain on our 2025 Zululand, South Africa ground-level Wildlife masterclass this May before it will be sold out. This exclusive workshop will run from May 7th – May 16th, 2025 and is fully inclusive of luxurious accomodation, private game drives, private hides and all photographic tuition. This is a full camp takeover, meaning it will be just us in the entire reserve – no one else. This maximises the time we have available for game drives and hide sessions giving you the best possible opportunities. You will not be limited to the usual one hide session, but will have many opportunities over the course of the workshop. During this workshop you can also expect to get out of the safari vehicles and walk with Cheetahs (an incredible photographic experience). You can get an idea of what to expect from this workshop by reading the 2024 trip report HERE and by checking out the portfolio on my website HERE. This is the workshop for you if you have ever wanted to photograph African wildlife at ground and eye level and create truly incredible wildlife images. For more information, please drop me an email. First in best dressed.

WNPP Episode 111 Wrapping up 2024 and 2025 Whats in Store?

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I have just published episode 111 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast.  In this episode, I look back at the incredible year 2024, the travel, the countries, experiences, and photographs, and I look forward to travelling and participating in workshops in 2025. 2025 kicks off in just a few days with travel from Australia to Mongolia for back-to-back workshops for Pallas Cat and Snow Leopard in both the far east and west of this amazing country. This will be quickly backed up by two back-to-back Arctic Fox workshops in the far north of Iceland. It’s promising to be a huge year, and I am super keen to get underway.

Although I am covering most of the review content for the 2024 year and the upcoming 2025 workshops in the podcast I do want to single out a few items below.

In competition terms, 2024 was consistently positive for me. I was a finalist in Bird Photographer of the Year (for the second year in a row), took first place in the people’s choice award in the Asia/Pacific Photography awards in the Nature category. I was also very pleased to take out both Gold and Silver awards in the Australian Photographic Prize and was a grand finalist in the same award. I was also a finalist in both the portfolio and single shot categories in the Travel photographer of the Year competition (winners yet to be announced). Lastly I was delighted to represent Australia again at the World Photographic Cup (the Olympics of Photography). I still lament the loss of the APPA’s (Australian Professional Photography Awards) as the then only photographic print awards. Hopefully, new print awards will emerge in the Nature / Wildlife category in another competition in the near future. On top of the above, I was also announced as a multiple semi-finalist in Nature’s Best Photography. 2024 has been a solid year; despite my lack of entries in the various competitions, I managed to either win, place or be a semi-finalist in almost everything I entered.

In equipment terms, 2024 was the year of the EOS R3 for me (I did not take delivery of the EOS R1 until December this year). The Canon EOS R3 has been nothing short of a game-changing tool in my photography and has served me faithfully in everything from the extreme -55º Celsius of Ellesmere Island in Winter to the heat of the African desert. It was my first serious commitment to the RF mirrorless line, and I have never looked back. I only recently updated to the all new EOS R1 just in time for my last workshop of the year (the Emperor Penguins – Read the Trip Report). Summing up the EOS R1 is easy – It is an EOS R3 dialled up to 11. With the addition of pre-capture, 40 frames per second RAW shooting, world leading auto focus and an EVF to die for it unsurprisingly gets my vote for camera equipment of the year. I am very much looking forward to shooting with the EOS R1 next year.

My book pick for the year goes to my recently reviewed ‘Munier’ (Listen to the Podcast) by Vincent Munier. This is not the first time Vincent has graced my book of the year list (I believe this is the third time!), and this 2024 addition should be no surprise, as I am a big fan of his work. ‘Munier’ is a masterpiece and deserves a home in every Nature photographer’s library. If you do not yet own this book, you should run to order it. If you only buy one book this year – this should be it.

If I had to sum up 2024 in one word, it would be ‘gratitude.’ I am grateful to have shared my passion for photography with many like-minded individuals. I am likewise grateful for a safe and prosperous year and for the incredible experiences throughout the year. My sincere thanks to all who travelled and participated in one of my trips this year; it was beautiful to have such fantastic shared experiences. It was an incredible year of travel and photography that sometimes left me breathless at the pace and intensity. Don’t forget to check out my twelve favourite photographs for the year HERE.

For those of you who have managed to make it this far and want a glimpse into 2026 and beyond, I have now uploaded most of 2026 and a hint of 2027 to the workshops page of my website at www.jholko.com/workshops. With Russia and the Siberian Tigers still currently shut down indefinitely, I am working on several other large cat projects. I also have a very exciting all new fly-in fly-out Antarctic peninsula expedition for just ten people in early 2027. More to come next year.

Last and certainly not least, I wish all of you a very safe and happy New Year, and may 2025 be one of health, happiness and one of travel, amazing light, and experiences for all of you. See you in the New Year!