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CANON AUSTRALIA EOS1 WALL JUDGE – ‘ORDER IN NATURE’

Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

Every second month Canon Australia asks a professional photographer to set a challenge and guest judge the Canon EOS 1 Wall. 1Wall is exactly that: A wall that only the very best photos submitted for judging make it onto. The pro photographer sets a theme, and participants have the chance to submit the best photograph in line with the theme they can. The judging is as Canon say ‘bitter, but the victory is sweet’. The judges winner and people’s choice winner join the prestigious showcase of 1Wall conquerers, on display for all to admire.

It is with great pleasure that I present at the invitation of Canon Australia, my challenge for the months of October and November 2011 – ‘Order in Nature’ – If you feel so inclined – Give it your best shot! But… It’s going to take a lot more than just a postcard to get you onto my ‘Wall’…

OCTOBER PHOTO OF THE MONTH – HIGHWAY TO HELL

Iceland, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

I realised a few days ago whilst doing some ‘blog housekeeping’ that I had neglected to give one of my favourite photographs from Iceland ‘Photograph of the Month’ status. This photograph; which I titled ‘Highway to Hell’ was taken in the geothermal Namafjall region of Iceland and was travel photograph of the week over at National Geographic a few months ago. For me, this is one of my personal favourite photographs from Iceland as it portrays a landscape that is truly alien and highly evocative. A higher resolution version can be seen both on National Geographic’s website and on my portfolio website at www.jholko.com under Iceland.

ADOBE LIGHTROOM 3.5 FULL VERSION NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Equipment, News and Updates, Uncategorized

• Additional camera support for over 20 new camera models including the Nikon Coolpix P7100, Olympus E-PL3 and Sony SLT-A77
• Corrections for issues introduced in previous versions of Lightroom 3

See the Read Me Notes in the download for a full list of new camera support and correction issues.

Edit – Update also available for Camera RAW to 6.5 Updates

ANTARCTICA PACKING LIST PART TWO – CLOTHING : 66 NORTH IS HEADED SOUTH

Antarctica, Equipment, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

For the regular readers of my blog it will come as no surprise that I am a big fan of the 66 North brand of clothing from Iceland. It is therefore a fait accompli that 66 North is high on my packing list for Antarctica in November this year. For those of you who may be new to my site or have not yet become aware of this Icelandic brand of clothing allow me a moment to bring you up to speed. If you have spent any serious amount of time outdoors you will no doubt be well aware of brands such as The North Face, Patagonia, Mamut etc. These are staple brands amongst anyone who spends any time out in natures elements and many serious outdoor types (myself included) rely upon them. Well, 66 North fits right into this category; indeed in many ways (and certainly in my opinion) its better and in some areas a lot better.

I was quite excited when I first discovered 66 North clothing just over a year ago in Iceland. I new the moment I first picked up and slipped on one of their technical jackets that this was exceptionally well designed and manufactured clothing. I immediately purchased that Glymur Event jacket and it became my ‘go-to’ jacket during my Iceland trip. It has subsequently kept me warm and dry in the South Island of New Zealand in the dead of winter, Tasmania and the Victorian High Country. Everything about the brand exudes quality; from the choice of quality materials to the stitching to the embroided logo – this is extremely high quality clothing that many other manufacturers of outdoor clothing would do very well to pay attention to.

With my preferred brand of clothing established my  specific outdoor clothing of choice for this trip to Antarctica consists of a base layer of 66 North 100% Marino Wool. This is then layered with a soft shell Polartec® Power Shield® jacket and pant with a 66 North eVENT® 3 Layer waterproof shell jacket and pant. This combination provides plenty of warmth as well as an extreme level of protection against wind and rain. It should see me warm and dry no matter what the weather in Antarctica. This combination of clothing will be suitable for standing on a ship deck at sea in inclement weather, to shooting amongst icebergs from zodiac to walking the shorelines of the Antarctic peninsula photographing penguins and leopard seals.

Packing List Base Layer

Packing List Mid Layer

Packing List Outer Layer

Other
  • Xtra-Hand Khumbu Photo Vest (customised)
  • Cap
  • Sunscreen
  • toiletries and misc.

66 North is definitely at the top end of the price bracket in outdoor clothing and the above clothing represents a considerable investment. Especially when purchased here in Australia where we pay in Euro dollars when purchased online from 66 North’s own website. However, when you are standing in freezing weather, wind, rain or snow the price becomes irrelevant and all that matters is wether you can keep photographing despite the elements.

On top of the above Quark Expeditions (who are the expedition operator) will be supplying me with their own custom made fleece lined waterproof jacket and waterproof boots. I expect to use only the boots and will keep their jacket as a back up in case my own gear gets wet.

All of the above may not sound like much in the way of clothing for a three week expedition; however, the ship on which I am travelling (the Ocean Nova) has full laundry facilities; which means I can pack light on clothes (and heavy on camera gear).

SILVERSHOTZ 2011 PORTFOLIO ANNOUNCEMENT

Iceland, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

I received notification a few days ago that my Iceland Portfolio has been selected to be part of the Silvershotz 2011 Portfolio Awards. Silvershotz is a contemporary fine art photography magazine that includes folios ranging from landscape to abstract, social documentary to still life. The magazine is produced in a one hundred page coffee table book and is distributed around the world to galleries, and collectors of fine photography. The book also includes news on upcoming exhibitions and gallery openings as well as auction reports.

ANTARCTICA 2011 PACKING LIST – PART ONE: CAMERA GEAR

Antarctica, Equipment, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

I started a blog post about my packing list for the Antarctica expedition in November this year and quickly realised that it was going to be a very long list indeed. So, rather than try and squeeze it into a single post I am breaking up the list into different components to make it a bit more manageable. These lists are as much for my own reference as potential advise on what other polar travellers might consider taking. They are not completely exhaustive and I will continue to add to them as things occur to me or are otherwise suggested.

I am choosing to take both a Canon 1DS MKIII and a Canon 1D MKIV as my primary cameras for this trip. This gives me both a full frame 21.1 mega-pixel camera and 1.3 crop 16.1 mega-pixel camera capable of a blazing ten frames a second (for wildlife). Both of these cameras utilise the same battery system; which means I only need to take multiple of the same batteries; rather than multiples of different types. It also means I only need to take the one charger. Worst case scenario if my charger packs up I can always share with my room mate who also shoots a 1DS MKIII. Both these cameras are also all but waterproof and virtually indestructable. They should be right at home in Antarctica.

At first blush this is going to seem like quite a lot of gear (and indeed it is); but I don’t want to travel all the way to Antarctica and not have the lens I want to hand. So, I am taking pretty much everything except the proverbial kitchen sink. After much pondering I have decided not to take my High Definition Canon video camera. The mind and skill set required to shoot video is very different to still photography and experience has shown me that I struggle to shift gears into video mode when working in the field and I prefer to focus my efforts on my still photography first and foremost. The Canon S90 I am taking does have limited video capability and of course the 1D MKIV has amazing video capabilities should I change my mind or find myself in a situation where video is just a ‘must’.

I may not take the 35mm F1.4L even though it is included below as I can attain almost this focal length by putting the 24mm on the 1D MKIV with its 1.3 crop factor. If space and weight is becoming too much of an issue this will probably be the first lens I choose to leave behind. Likewise the 85mm F1.2L MKII’s focal range is already well covered in the 70-200mm F2.8L IS lens. The 85mm however has a creamy bokeh that I dearly love and it will be struggle not to take this lens with me. I have a few penguin portraits in mind and I think this lens would fit the bill nicely.

Amazingly all of this camera gear (except the tripod, laptop and accessories) fits into just my Gura Gear Kiboko Camera Bag and all of it will be taken as carry on luggage (except the tripod). If by chance you are not familiar with the Gura Gear line of camera bags then be sure to check them out – they are the best camera bags I have ever used and there are several previous posts on my Blog about them.

  • Gura Gear Kiboko 30L Camera Bag
  • Canon EOS 1DS MKIII 21.1 Mega-Pixel Full Frame Camera Body
  • Canon EOS 1D MKIV 16.1 Mega-Pixel 1.3 Crop Camera Body
  • Canon Back-Up Batteries for 1DS MKIII and a 1D MKIV x 3 (5 Batteries in total including those in the cameras)
  • Really Right Stuff L Bracket for Canon 1DS MKIII
  • Canon S90 Point and Shoot (For Happy Snaps)
  • Canon 14mm F2.8L MKII Wide Angle Lens
  • Canon 17mm F4L Tilt Shift Lens
  • Canon 24mm F1.4L MKII Wide Angle
  • Canon 35mm F1.4L Wide Angle Lens (From Borrow Lenses http://www.borrowlenses.com)
  • Canon 50mm F1.2L
  • Canon 85mm F1.2L MKII
  • Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS
  • Canon 300mm F2.8L IS
  • Canon 1.4X MKII Tele-Converter
  • Canon Macro Extension Tube
  • Canon Cable Release
  • Bubble Levels x 2
  • Waterproof Camera Covers x 2
  • LEE Grad Filter Holder and Step-Up / Step-Down Rings
  • LEE Grad Filter Pack with 1 / 2 /3 Stop Hard and Soft ND Grads
  • Sing Ray 3 Stop Reverse ND Grad Filter
  • Polarisers x 2
  • Rocket Blower / Lens Tissue and Lens Cleaning Fluid / Sterile Wipes / Micro Fibre Cloth
  • Zip Lock Bags (To protect cameras from rapid changes in temperature when coming in out of the cold)
  • Gigabyes of Sandisk CF and SD cards *
Amazingly all of this gear fits into the standard Gura Gear Kiboko Camera Bag.
  • Gura Gear Chobe 24L Laptop / Camera Bag **
  • MacBook Pro 17″ Laptop with Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS5
  • Sandisk High Speed Card Reader
  • 1 Terrabyte External FireWire 800  LACIE rugged Hard Drives x 2 for dual back-up
  • 500 Gigabyte External FireWire 800 LACIE rugged Hard Drive for Time Machine
  • Battery Charger for Canon 1DS MKIII and a 1D MKIV
  • Battery Charger for Canon S90
  • Laptop Power Power Plug Pack
  • Iphone and Headset
  • Arctic Butterfly and Sensor Loupe [EDIT ADDITION]
  • Gitzo Tripod Bag
  • Gitzo GT3530LSV 6 x Carbon Fibre Tripod
  • Really Right Stuff BH-55 Full Size Ball Head with Quick Release Lever
* Both the Canon 1DS MKIII and a 1D MKIV have the capability to shoot simultaneously to both CF and SD cards. This is my preferred method for recording my RAW files in the field as it provides an inbuilt redundancy should a card go bad or fail.  Both cameras will therefore be dual loaded with either 16 or 32 gigabyte CF and SD cards for storage and redundancy. The 1DS MKIII will store around 1200 frames on a 32 gig card. I could double this to 2400 by setting the cards to record sequentially; but as above I prefer to have more cards and record simultaneously to the second SD card. Its inbuilt RAID protection and another level of redundancy. Once I dump the files down to the two hard drives at the end of each shoot I will erase them and re-use the cards.
** This is Gura Gears brand new Laptop / Camera bag which I am ordering this month
The gear heads amongst you will probably notice that there is no flash amongst my gear list. Although I own a Canon 580 Flash I rarely if ever use it (I actually cant remember the last time I even got it out of the cupboard). I prefer to shoot with available light wherever possible. I do envisage some low light shooting during this trip from the deck of the ship; but the low light performance of the 1D MKIV is so amazing I have no concerns about bumping up the ISO as required. You also probably noticed that there is only one zoom lens amongst my whole line up (excluding the S90 of course). I just prefer prime lenses for the better image quality they offer and am prepared to shoulder the extra weight. Part of the reason I am taking a second camera body (as well as back-up) is so that I can shoot with two cameras with different lenses side by side.
Well thats about it for the camera gear list – Part two of this article will focus on clothing and miscellaneous accessories.

NEW EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT – ‘COLOURS OF ICELAND’ AT THE WILDERNESS GALLERY

Iceland, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

I am excited to announce the upcoming exhibition ‘Colours of Iceland‘ at the Wilderness Gallery at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. The exhibition opens in the afternoon of December 2nd 2011 and will run for most of 2012. ‘Colours of Iceland’ includes approximately twenty four of my favourite and most evocative photographs from Iceland. Included amongst the photographs is the winning photograph in the World Extreme Environment People’s Choice Award ‘Blue Berg’; which also won Gold at APPA and one of the semi-finalist photographs ‘Well of Life’. Also amongst the collection are several other award winning photographs taken during my trip to Iceland in 2010 and some I have not yet displayed online. Each print has been made on Moab Somerset Museum Rag and will be available for purchase in Limited Signed Editions in various sizes directly from the Wilderness Gallery. I will post a complete catalogue of the photographs on display before I leave for Antarctica in November this year.

Burning Berg

If you have not yet visited the Wilderness Gallery I would encourage you to do so. The setting is wonderful with the gallery located not ten minutes drive from the spectacular Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain. Luxury accommodation is available at the nearby Cradle Chateau; or if you prefer a more toned down level of accommodation there are many nearby Bed and Breakfasts to choose from. The Wilderness Gallery is a purpose built showcase for photography with more than ten rooms of photography on display. Unfortunately I will be unable to make the opening of the exhibition in December as I will be in Antarctica; but I look forward to attending when I get back. Hope you can make it.

APERTURE ACADEMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER 2011

Australia, Iceland, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

Each month the International Aperture Accademy features a selected individual professional photographer on their website in the form of a question and answer interview. It is an opportunity to hear what other professional photographers have to say on various topics as well as being an outlet for them to tell their personal story and discuss interesting elements of their photographic career. In August this year Art Wolfe who has been one of my personal inspirations was featured on the Academies website and I am pleased to announce that I am following on as the September Photographer of the Month. My feature and interview is available HERE.

The photograph below was taken at the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon in Iceland during my trip last year and was provided courtesy of Tim Gray Photography. Tim, you caught me in a moment of contemplation in this frame – It is one that holds wonderful memories of the time I spent at the lagoon.

GODAFOSS – PHOTO OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER

Iceland, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

Sticking with the waterfall theme the photograph of the month for September is the waterfall ‘Godafoss’; which literally translated from Icelandic means ‘Waterfall of the Gods’. Godafoss is one of Iceland’s most beautiful and easily accessible waterfalls. The waterfall is formed by the cascading glacial waters of the river Skja’lfandafljo’t; which has cut a horseshoe canyon through the rock forming the shape of the falls. Despite the fact that Godafoss is smaller than many of Iceland’s famous waterfalls it is strikingly beautiful and was one of the many locations I had been really looking forward to visiting and photographing. As fate would have it the Gods would smile on my visit to Godafoss and deal an amazing hand with some of the most stunning light I have experienced for landscape photography. A higher resolution version of this photograph can be seen in my Iceland portfolio at www.jholko.com. If you enjoyed this post and photograph please hit the share button and share it with your friends.