Tag: Photography

WNPP Episode 104 – Canon EOS R5 Mk2 Musings from the Arctic

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have just published episode 104 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this episode, I discuss my thoughts on the new Canon EOS R5 MK2 camera now that I have had an opportunity to use the camera in the Arctic for several weeks of intense photography (Eastern Greenland and South Western Iceland). I first tested the camera back in September in Australia over three days of landscape photography down the Great Ocean Road. During this shoot, I was photographing only from a tripod and had not yet shot handheld with the camera in my preferred polar environment. My initial impressions from this shoot in Australia were all positive, and I was very keen to get the camera up to Greenland to see how it performed. After shooting with the camera in Eastern Greenland and Iceland for the last three weeks, I have (perhaps surprisingly) concluded that this camera is not for me. The files are excellent at low to moderate ISO (ISO800 and below) but fall far short of those from the EOS R3 at ISO800 and above. Since most of my photography is at moderate to high ISO (typically 800 and above), this is a significant factor in my decision-making process. Of more importance, however, is that the ergonomics of the EOS R5MK2 just don’t suit my size hands or my style of shooting. It is a wonderful camera that will undoubtedly make many people happy – but it isn’t for me. Find out more in this podcast.

Current Workshop and Expedition Update July / August 2024

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

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.

Wild Nature Photo Travel Team Launch 2024

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today, I am excited to launch a new and exciting cooperative initiative: the Wild Nature Photo Travel Team. The Wild Nature Photo Travel Team is an invitation-only team for photographers who have participated in at least one of our workshops or expeditions and would like to take advantage of our exclusive team membership benefits. Just one of the exciting benefits of membership is that there is NO single supplement on our workshops or expeditions (a huge cost saving for members). The full details of the team are already available online at Wild Nature Photo Travel Team.

ABOUT: The Wild Nature Photo Travel Team is an invitation-only team program for photographers and travellers who have participated in at least one of our Workshops or Expeditions and who would like to enjoy the travel and networking benefits of our exclusive team membership. We have quietly been inviting participants over the last couple of weeks, and our team already comprises photographers worldwide, many of whom have travelled and photographed with us across the planet, from the frigid polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic to the arid deserts of Africa and beyond. When you join the Wild Nature Photo Travel Team, you gain access to our exclusive membership benefits below and access to one of the most knowledgeable and experienced photography travel groups in the world today.

Membership Benefits

  • As a team member, you will enjoy no single supplement costs for any of our specified workshops or expeditions, which will result in huge savings on travel costs. Travelling with your partner? No problem, contact us on an as needs basis to be personally looked after.
  • Receive early notification of upcoming Workshops and Expeditions, including preferential cabin or room selection when available.
  • You will have exclusive access to the Wild Nature Photo WhatsApp Team group chat. Here, you can ask questions and get answers about your photography and printing needs. You can also network with like-minded travellers and photographers in a private, knowledgeable, and exclusive group.
  • Exclusive discounts on selected workshops and expeditions, including last-minute places or cancellation options.
  • Bespoke Wild Nature Photo Travel Team Jacket. A custom-made high-end polar fleece mid-layer jacket designed and made in cooperation with Icelandic clothing company 66º North (RRP $275 USD). Designed for use as either a mid-layer on those cold winter days or as an outer layer on warmer days or during more strenuous activity.
  • Selective discounts on partner products from companies such as BenQ Photographic Displays, Mr. Jan Gear Camera bags and X-Rite Color Management Solutions.
  • Early Access to each episode of the Wild Nature Photography Podcast
  • Preferred Insurance options with Global Rescue Travel Insurance Partner

Membership Fee

Your one-time investment of $500 USD ensures your membership in our exclusive team for five years.

Want to join the Wild Nature Photo Travel Team? Simply email us, and we will take care of your membership.

Australian Photographic Prize 2024 Nature Single Capture Gold Awards

Posted in Uncategorized1 Comment

Since the voluntary administration and closing of the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography), I have steered clear of the new Australian Photographic Prize Award. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the Australian Photographic Prize arose as a direct result of ex-AIPP member’s desires to maintain a high-level photographic (both print and digital) competition in Australia for both professionals and amateurs (after the Australian Professional Photography Awards that were an inseparable part of the AIPP became no more). I chose to avoid (not boycott) the Australian Photographic Prize (APP) in its first two years since I was on the board of directors that took part in the decision to shut down the AIPP via voluntary wind-up due to predicted and inevitable insolvency (based on projected cash flows). At the time, this was the fiscally responsible decision (although much has been touted otherwise), and I still believe this to be the case as a director who was privy to the full picture of the organization’s finances. As of today, there still remains a small chance the AIPP may be re-born – pending a Supreme Court decision on what is to become of the remaining surplus funds. I have a feeling we have not seen the end of the AIPP, and it may yet re-emerge in one form or another.

This year, I decided to put the closure of the AIPP behind me (since it felt like the dust had significantly settled) and enter the single-image Nature category of the Australian Photographic Prize. The Nature category was judged yesterday, and I just caught up on the preliminary results on You-Tube during some downtime here in Mongolia (on my summer workshop for Pallas Cats). Much like the deceased APPA awards, the APP awards are judged by a team of five professional photographers on a moderated panel. Of the five photographs I chose to enter this year, all five made the final round of judging (top 35 entered images). Three of the five have gone to receive highly coveted Gold Awards, and the remaining two racked up Silver with Distinction awards, with one photograph (of the two back-lit Cheetahs) being a single point off a fourth Gold award. Screenshots of the judge’s scores and images are included below. You can also watch the recorded live-steam for the Single Image Nature category below. The overall winner of the category will be announced in the next few days.

Addendum: Since this post, I have been notified that two of my photographs (the owl and Pallas cat) were in the final round of judging as grand finalist images.

Wildlife Photographic Emperor Penguin Cover Shot July / August 2024

Posted in Uncategorized2 Comments

The just-published July / August 2024 issue of Wildlife Photographic magazine includes one of my photographs of Emperor Penguins on the front cover and a feature article on my experiences photographing Emperors in the deep south of Antarctica. This is the seventh time I have been published in Wildlife Photographic and the sixth time I have been fortunate to score the cover shot! (the last five cover shot editions were on Walrus photography,  Grey Wolf Photography, Pallas Cat Photography,  Arctic Fox Photography, and Polar Bear Photography). I have also been previously been published in Wildlife Photographic for my Emperor Penguin photography.

Wildlife Photographic can be read on iOS and Android devices, as well as from any computer via our Web Reader at MagsFast. Please use the following link to obtain your free issue:  Free Subscription to Wildlife Photographic Magazine.