Tag: travel

Arctic Fox in Winter in Iceland Expedition Report 2024

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In early February 2024, I led my annual winter expedition to the remote Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in northwestern Iceland to photograph the Arctic Fox. This is an expedition I have been leading every year for many years now (excluding the COVID pandemic) and is one very near and dear to my heart. Over a decade ago, I visited this remote Nature Reserve to find and photograph the Arctic Fox. Now, more than ten years later, and having guided many groups to this location, this is one of my number one preferred workshops to lead.

As I have written frequently, the Arctic fox is Nature’s most remarkable feat of engineering and is an incredibly photogenic subject in the snow-covered Iceland landscape. In the far north of Iceland, the Arctic fox is protected inside the Nature reserve, and it is possible to get extremely close to these wild animals. The north of Iceland is probably the best place in the world to photograph the Blue Morph variety of the Arctic Fox. While the white morph dominates most of the Arctic, the Blue Morph is more common only in Iceland. In Winter, the chocolate brown coat of the blu-morph makes for a stunning contrast against the winter snow.

For this expedition, our group convened in Isafjord in the northwest of Iceland early in the morning on our scheduled departure day. We then took the roughly one-hour boat ride (on our chartered boat) across the fjord on calm seas to our remote cabin—our warm and cozy home for our week-long workshop.

This year, we had five individual foxes around the cabin. Two of the five were two-year-old cubs we only saw on our last day. I have been photographing several of these foxes, including the dominant female and male for years, and we are very much old friends. Seeing at least two first-year cubs active in the area was also fantastic. There was no successful breeding last year, so it is excellent that the two-year-old cubs from the prior year are doing well.

Winter in Iceland can be particularly fickle, and one never knows what the weather will bring. It is possible to have everything from sunshine to blizzards to driving rain. This year, we began our workshop with fantastic snow conditions that saw us photographing for many hours across our days in the field. We were straight into the photography on day one on arrival. Bags were unpacked, camera gear assembled, and we were straight into photographing Arctic Foxes. The foxes are typically most active in the early morning and late afternoon, which at this time of year meant we were out shooting from about 9:30am until roughly 4:30pm. The winter light is short this time of year in Iceland, but the sun’s low angle makes for superb photography throughout the day.

Over the next few days, we experienced various conditions that perfectly summarised Iceland’s freeze/thaw climate. Conditions for our workshop this year were absolutely superb, with ideal conditions for capturing the drama of Iceland’s winter weather. We had everything from breaking sun to blizzard conditions, providing an excellent opportunity to create a diverse portfolio of images during the workshop.

This year, we had some wonderful snow cornices and deep snow drifts that provided outstanding opportunities to capture dramatic images of the fox in the landscape. It was possible to make photographs with everything from 16-35mm all the way to 600mm,

I will return to the far north of Iceland in the Winter of 2025 to lead another workshop for the Arctic Fox and then again in 2026. There are now just a couple of places remaining on my 2025 expedition. If you have ever wanted to photograph Nature’s most remarkable survivor in Winter, this is your opportunity. Our remote cabin is ideally situated as a cozy home away from home and provides a beautiful base from which to photograph the Arctic Fox. Places are minimal; please contact me for complete details.

Iceberg in Antarctica

Those who appreciate wildlife photography and would like to own some of the photographs from these expeditions can order my book on the Arctic Fox from my online publishing house – Melrakki Publishing.

Departing for Greenland in Winter Expedition 2024 Offline Update

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Early tomorrow morning (the 10th of March, 2024), I am leaving for Iceland and Greenland for my dog-sled expedition to photograph Polar bears, Iceberg landscapes and other wildlife in the Arctic Winter. Please note that I will be offline in Greenland from the 12th of March until the 22nd of March. If you are trying to contact me during this time, please be patient, and I will get back to you upon my return. The 2024 and 2025 winter expeditions via dogsled in Greenland have long been sold out, but I will soon announce dates for 2026. These expeditions are for those looking to get out of their comfort zone and have the opportunity to capture dramatic, powerful and evocative photographs of Arctic wildlife in winter on the frozen sea ice.

Just a couple of places remain on my Greenland East Coast Scoresby Sund expedition in September of this year for those looking for a less exposed, more comfortable adventure. This expedition is for photographers looking to photograph and capture evocative and dramatic photographs of Greenland’s incredible icebergs and landscapes from the ease and comfort of a warm ship. We will have the comfort and luxury of flying across the Denmark Strait from Iceland to Greenland in both directions. This will save us both time and a potentially uncomfortable crossing should the weather not cooperate in the open ocean between Greenland and Iceland. You can get an idea of what to expect on this expedition by checking out the 2023 Trip Report HERE or by visiting the Greenland portfolio on my website. If you have ever wanted to photograph the best icebergs on the planet in the best possible conditions and light – this is the expedition for you. Drop me a note for more information or to register your place.

Namibia Wildlife and Aerial Masterclass 2024 Availability

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Due to a medical cancellation, a single place has just become available for my May 2024 Namibia Wildlife and Aerial Masterclass workshop. The 2024 masterclass has been designed from the ground up to take in not only the best of Namibia but also luxurious accommodations in the very best private game reserves. We will also have multiple private doors-off helicopter charter flights to photograph the expansive dune sea around the Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei areas. If you have ever wanted to photograph the incredible dune sea of the Namib desert and take in the very best of wildlife this amazing country has to offer, then this is the workshop for you. The trip will run from May 10th until May 22nd and includes all transfers, food and accommodation, as well as all in-field instruction. You can download a complete trip itinerary online here: Trip Itinerary. Drop me an email for further information or to secure the place, first in best dressed.

Departing for Iceland Winter Arctic Fox Expedition 2024

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Please note that I will be offline for the next eight days (from tomorrow) while guiding my annual expedition to the far north of Iceland to photograph Arctic Fox in Winter. The expedition to the Hornstraidir Nature Reserve to photograph Arctic Fox is near and dear to my heart, and this year, it looks like we will have some fantastic snow conditions. I am really excited to get back up to this remote part of Iceland to find and photograph this tenacious predator. The area we are located for this expedition is quite far from the nearest town, without cell or internet coverage. If you are trying to contact me during this time, please be patient and I will get back to you on my return.

If you are interested in photographing the Arctic Fox, I now have dates available for the 2025 expedition, which will run from the 8th of February until the 14th of February 2025. The trip is eight days / seven nights and is fully inclusive of accommodation, food and transfers to and from Isfjordur to our remote cabin. On this trip, you can expect to have a great many fantastic photographic encounters with the Arctic Foxes that inhabit this remote peninsula. Full details are available on my website HERE. You can also check out the Adobe Spark Presentation. See you in Iceland.

Mongolia Pallas Cat Expedition Report 2024

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In January of 2024, I ran an expedition to Mongolia’s far eastern Steppe region to find and photograph the stunningly beautiful, rare and enigmatic Pallas Cat. This was my third expedition to this remote region of Mongolia, and it proved no less productive than the previous two (Read the 2023 Trip Report).

The camp where we based ourselves to find and photograph Pallas Cats resides in Mongolia’s far eastern Steppe region, nearly 700 kilometres from the capital, Ulaanbaatar. We used three large 4-wheel drive vehicles to reach the camp and to search for cats in the field. In good conditions, the drive is around 8-10 hours. The drive took us nearly twelve hours this year due to heavy snowfall. This year, I am including more behind-the-scenes photographs in the trip report to help paint a better picture of the overall experience of visiting and living in this remote region.

Widely unknown by many, the Pallas cat is a small wildcat roughly the size of a domestic house cat that is found in Mongolia, parts of China, Russia and Tibet. Typically, it is an ambush hunter living off small rodents such as vols. Unlike most cats that have an elliptical pupil, what makes the Pallas cat unique and special is its round pupils. Affectionately known as the ‘Grumpy cat’ by many, Pallas cats always tend to have an annoyed look that is undoubtedly part of their charm and appeal.

For 2024, Mongolia’s far east Steppe region has been buried under heavy snow, making for absolutely ideal conditions for finding and photographing Pallas Cat. Most years, the snow coverage is sparse in this region, and it is not uncommon for there to be little or even no snow. The lack of snow makes for easy driving conditions but can be problematic for photography. This year, the reverse proved true, with outstanding conditions for winter photography and adverse driving conditions that slowed us down on more than one occasion.

Over the week-long expedition, we photographed approximately six different Pallas Cats and sighted another half dozen or so as we traversed the landscape in our 4-wheel drives. Pallas cats can be challenging to distinguish, so it is impossible to be sure of the exact number of individual cats we sighted. Our local guides again showed their eagle-vision superpower of spotting the small cats at huge distances across the landscape. Finding Pallas cats in the vast, seemingly endless Steppe region would be impossible without their skilled eyes.

During this expedition, we also had a fantastic photographic encounter with a Corsak fox. This encounter was the first time in my visits that I could get close enough to Corsak Fox to photograph them. Completely relaxed, the fox allowed us to get close enough to fill the frame with a 600mm lens and a 1.4 teleconverter. Typically, the foxes in this region of Mongolia run away before you can get out of the car. This particular fox was found quite close to a nearby small village, and I suspect it was somewhat habituated to human activity. Nevertheless, it proved an incredible encounter.

During the trip, we also saw many raptors, including the Upland Buzzard (a fantastic black morph was also sighted), Golden Eagle, Saker Falcon, and the Cinereous Vulture.

Our final encounter for the expedition provided terrific images of a Pallas cat in backlight just as the winter sun was setting. This encounter was to be our last shoot for the trip, with the following day being lost to a snowstorm with poor visibility and high winds. In these sorts of conditions, Pallas cats prefer to hunker down in the rocks or fox and marmot burrows to seek shelter from the winds.

The following day, Our return to Ulaanbaatar took far longer than usual due to the heavy snow, which slowed us down considerably. The first part of the return journey (a distance of approximately 70 kilometres) is all off-road driving through the steppe region, and thanks to heavy snow, high winds and a snowstorm, this drive took us five and a half hours instead of the usual hour and a half. We left camp at 6am, anticipating the drive would be slow in the prevailing conditions. Indeed, the deep snow drifts saw us bogged down or stuck eleven times in our 4-wheel drives. Even once we made the main road, we were frequently slowed down by road closures and snow and ice conditions. Thanks to the tireless work of our local guides and drivers, we got moving each time and finally made it safely back to the capital an epic sixteen hours after our departure. Although this proved a very long travel day, the resulting photographs from the expedition were superb and totally worth the long hours in the car to and from the capital.

I will return to Mongolia this July for an expedition to photograph Pallas Cat and Pallas Cat kittens in the warm summer sun. This workshop is now sold out, but I am taking bookings for January and winter 2025. If you are interested in photographing this beautiful wildcat in winter snow conditions, drop me an email for more information or to register your interest.