My winter workshop to the Lofoten Islands next February is now sold out – thank you to all those who are joining Martyn and I on this workshop – we are really looking forward to it! The landscapes of Lofoten are really quite something to behold and with a dusting of fresh snow and arctic winter light the entire area is akin to a fairy tail location and subsequently the photographic opportunities can be truly superb. This will be second workshop I am leading to Lofoten (Read the 2016 Workshop Trip Report) and I am really looking forward to returning next year to this magical group of Islands.
Melrakki Wins The Prestigious Benny Trophy at the Premiere Print Awards in the USA 2017
Book, Iceland, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsIn some very exciting news I learned a few days ago that my Limited Edition book Melrakki (now sold out as the Limited Edition) has just won best in category for digital printing as well as the the prestigious Benny Award at the Premiere Print Awards held by the Printing Industry of America. The Premier Print award goes to those print companies who demonstrate a unique ability to create visual masterpieces. The entry represents the unique partnership between designer, and printer, need and creativity, technology and craft. Of the more than 2,200 entries received Melrakki was chosen as exemplifying the highest standards in the printing industry! This new award follows straight on from the news that Melrakki also won Gold at the National Australian Print Awards a few weeks ago. It has been a great couple of weeks!
The entry edition for the both the Premiere Print Awards and the Australian Print Awards was produced by Nulab in Melbourne after extensive consultation on specialised custom finishes to ensure an absolute no compromise deluxe limited edition with the highest possible quality and finish. The final edition includes a hand bevelled glass cover, with leather spine with deluxe lay-flat album pages. Each page in the album represents the pinnacle of digital printing and matches the subtleties and nuances of the original fine-art inkjet prints.
I am absolutely thrilled with these results and I want to thank Michael Warshall and his amazing team at Nulab again for all of their efforts in the production of this super deluxe limited edition. Originally produced as a single one off edition just for both these awards we have decided to make this super deluxe limited edition available for sale in the limited quantity of just five (5) copies (the first edition is already sold). The remaining four will be made available for sale on my website over the coming weeks. Each of these four editions will be hand signed, numbered and include a 20″ x 30″ fine art print from the book printed on Moab Somerset Museum Rag. Each edition comes in a presentation box. For existing owners of the Limited Edition there will be an upgrade offer to upgrade your copy to this new edition if you so desire. The remaining four editions will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
Semi-Finalist: Nature’s Best Photography 2017
Arctic, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsI was very pleased to receive notification a few days ago whilst I was travelling back to Australia that I have had several of my photographs selected as a finalist images in Natures Best Photography 2017 competition. This is the seventh year in a row I have had my photography in the semi-finals and am honoured to have had my photographs selected again (last year I was also highly commended in the Polar Passion category). I can’t share which photographs have been selected at this point in the judging, but will post the images up as soon as the final judging is complete. In the meantime please enjoy this recent photograph from my Svalbard in Winter snow mobile expedition. 
I will also have some more news in the next few days about the super deluxe limited edition Melrakki Book that will be limited to just five copies.
Photo of the Month June 2017 – Ice Ahead
Antarctica, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel PhotographyIt is timely to have a landscape photograph from Antarctica as my photograph of the month for June both because I am currently reviewing my entire Antarctic Portfolio for a new large format fine art book to be released late next year and because I am starting to think about what equipment and lenses I am planning to take with me to Antarctica this November (this year I will also take with me an underwater housing which somewhat complicates the packing arrangements). This particular photograph was made last year on my Antarctica / South Georgia expedition from zodiac during overcast conditions and heavy snowfall on what was I felt our best day for photography. I used the Canon 11-24mm wide angle lens with the Canon EOS 1DX MKII camera held down low over the side of the zodiac just above the water line. I absolutely love the heavy brash ice in the foreground, the deep overcast sky and the beautiful shape and texture of the iceberg in the distance. I also prefer this sort of limited colour palette as I find it representative of the very best Antarctica has to offer (blue skies make nothing more than postcards). For me, these are the most evocative images of Antarctica that truly speak to me about the sublime beauty and ethereal tranquility of this stunning and most precious white continent.
Melrakki Limited Edition Book Sold Out
Book, Iceland, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsMelrakki Limited Edition is now Sold Out. My sincere thanks to all of you who purchased a copy of this book that documented my time photographing Arctic Fox across three years in winter in the north of Iceland. As this book was limited edition it will no longer be available in this hardcover form. However, calendars for the coming 2018 year of the Melrakki project are now available for sale on my website and there may be a future open edition soft cover book of the project.
Extraordinary Vision Magazine Features Choosing an Antarctic Expedition Part Four
Antarctica, Equipment, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and ExpeditionsExtraordinary Vision Magazine issue #58 has just published Part Four of a recent series of Articles I penned on How to Choose an Expedition to Antarctica. Part Four is all about what equipment is going to best help you capture the majesty of Antarctica. Choosing the right expedition will make or break the photographic opportunities you will experience in Antarctica. If you are planning or considering a future photographic expedition to Antarctica I recommend you take a few moments out of your day and check it out. Part One, Two and Three were published in earlier issues and are available here on my blog and through EV magazine.
Extraordinary Vision magazine is available fortnightly with a kick start free trial. Best of all its only $1.99 to subscribe per month – less than a cup of coffee. Do yourself and your creativity a favour and check it out. Available exclusively though the iTunes App store or Google Play.
Melrakki Book Wins Gold at the Australian National Print Awards
Book, Iceland, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife PhotographsLast night I received some very exciting news that my book Melrakki on the Icelandic Arctic Fox has just won multiple Gold Awards at the Australian National Print Awards. Melrakki took out the Gold Award with High Commendation for excellence in print and the Gold Award for Limited Edition Books. 
The entry edition for the Australian Print Awards was produced by Nulab in Melbourne after extensive consultation on specialised custom finishes to ensure an absolute no compromise deluxe limited edition with the highest possible quality and finish. The final edition includes a hand bevelled glass cover, with leather spine with deluxe lay-flat album pages. Each page in the album represents the pinnacle of digital printing and matches the subtleties and nuances of the original fine-art inkjet prints.I want to thank Michael Warshall and his amazing team at Nulab for all of their efforts in the production of this super deluxe limited edition. Originally produced as a single one off edition just for these awards we have decided to make this super deluxe limited edition available for sale in the limited quantity of just five (5) copies (the first edition is already sold). The remaining four will be made available for sale on my website over the coming weeks. Each of these four editions will be hand signed, numbered and include a 20″ x 30″ fine art print from the book printed on Moab Somerset Museum Rag. Each edition comes in a presentation box. For existing owners of the Limited Edition there will be an upgrade offer to upgrade your copy to this new edition if you so desire. The remaining four editions will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
Wrapping up Australia and Packing for the Ultimate Puffins of Iceland Workshop
Australia, Iceland, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Tasmania, Travel PhotographyYesterday I wrapped up a private workshop to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria with a week long extension around Tasmania. Both the Great Ocean Road and Tasmania offer some of Australia’s most spectacular landscapes across a wide diversity of topography. The Great Ocean road is known for its impressive and towering sandstone sea cliffs and sea stacks and Tasmania for its World Heritage forests, mountains and spectacular granite strewn beaches. Both locations make for outstanding photographic sojourns and I hope to share more images from this workshop over the coming months. The photograph below of London Bridge at sunrise is just a small sample of what is on offer in this part of the world. I had hoped to have some more time to process a few more images from both this trip and my prior New Zealand South Island Masterclass but I have run out of time (I will have full trip report on this Masterclass in the coming weeks) and tomorrow I am heading back to the airport to start the long trek to Iceland for my Ultimate Puffin workshop with Daniel Bergmann.
The Iceland Puffin workshop is entirely focused on bird photography and as such my equipment for this workshop predominantly consists of longer lenses with the 600mm F4L IS MKII and 300mm F2.8L IS MKII being my main weapons of choice. Two Canon EOS 1DX MKII bodies will suffice as my cameras for this workshop. I am also taking a wide angle for close up images as well as my 85mm F1.2L MKII for some shallow depth of field work.
Gura Gear Bataflae 32L Camera Bag (Carry on Luggage)
– 2 x Canon EOS 1DX MKII bodies
– 1 x Canon 16-35mm F4L Lens
– 1 x Canon 85mm F1.2L IS MK II Lens
– 1 x Canon 70-200mm F2.8L MKII IS Lens
– 1 x Canon 300mm F2.8L MKII IS Lens
– 1 x Canon 600mm F4L IS MKII Lens
–
Gura Gear Chobe (Carry on Luggage)
– 1 x Apple MacBook Pro 15″ Retina (I plan to upgrade this to the new 13″ model early next year)
– 1 x Apple laptop charger
– 2 x USB 3 2TB external portable Sandisk SSD Drives
– 1 x Thunderbolt CFast card reader and CF card Reader
– 1 x Sunglasses and sunglasses case
– 1 x Leica Ultra-vid 10×42 HD Binoculars
– 1 x iPad Pro 9.7″ Tablet
See you in the Iceland!
Extraordinary Vision Magazine Features Choosing an Antarctic Expedition Part Three
Antarctica, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and ExpeditionsExtraordinary Vision Magazine issue #59 has just published Part Three of a recent series of Articles I penned on How to Choose an Expedition to Antarctica. Choosing the right expedition will make or break the photographic opportunities you will experience in Antarctica. If you are planning or considering a future photographic expedition to Antarctica I recommend you take a few moments out of your day and check it out. Part One and Part Two have already been published. Part Four will be published in a subsequent issue.
Extraordinary Vision magazine is available fortnightly with a kick start free trial. Best of all its only $1.99 to subscribe per month – less than a cup of coffee. Do yourself and your creativity a favour and check it out. Available exclusively though the iTunes App store or Google Play.
New Zealand South Island Masterclass Feedback 2017
Landscape Photographs, New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Testimonials, Travel Photography, Workshops and ExpeditionsA little under a week ago I completed my 2017 Masterclass workshop in the South Island of New Zealand with my good friend and co-leader Phillip Bartlett. This workshop was extremely productive in terms of the sheer number of shoots we were able to squeeze in (as well as the locations we visited) and I wanted to share some feedback I just received from those who participated on the workshop.
Dear Josh and Phillip, I’m going over my images while waiting to depart from the Christchurch airport – what an amazing trip! Thanks so much for your instruction, sherpa and guiding, my images are so much better due to y’all. I really enjoyed my time spent with everyone, I could not have asked for better traveling companions. Please keep in touch, I would love to see everyone’s future photographic adventures. Y’all take care and let me know if you ever need a guide around the Bayou State! – Suzanne
I also want to thank everyone, in a group we made this class an unforgettable experience. In a group you learn all the time, even by just seeing what the others are doing, and how. I learned a lot about camera settings, composition, light and right moment and much more. I also learned something about the difference between a good picture, a postcard picture, art and fine art – this is essential on my way to artist! It’s nice to return home with all these good feelings and memories, – Matti
Dear Josh and Phillip, Now it is time for me as well to “saddle my horses” again, but only to move further up north towards St. Arnaud, Nelson, Takaka (Golden Bay), before then moving on to the North Island. While having another look at the images taken on our voyage together and thinking about the excellent time we had with our group I cannot help my eyes welling with tears (again). It was indeed worthwhile to have taken the “plunge” to come to the other end of the world and to put the travel schedule into your hands. Your careful planning and knowledge of this beautiful island we explored together, paired with your professional know how has given us invaluable memories for a long time to come. I enjoyed the time together immensely, could take home pictures and experiences I could never have made without you. The food was good, our vehicles an excellent choice, and I especially liked the cameradie with you all. The tips you gave to me/to us were incredibly helpful, not just for my future undertakings, but already for the rest of my time here (although without having you looking over my shoulder 🙂 ). I wish all of you still on the road save travels and yes, let us keep in touch. – Best and hugs, Angelo
Twas an adventure with you all! It was a pleasure getting to know everyone and having the opportunity to experience some pretty magical places together. Thank you Josh and Phillip for putting on a first class expeditionand leaving me with new tools and memories to treasure. – Julia
If you are interested in travelling and photographing in the majestic South Island of New Zealand then I am now taking bookings for the 2018 Masterclass (limited places remaining only). 2018 will be the last year I run the South Island Masterclass workshop for the foreseeable future so if you have been considering adding this workshop to your calendar now is the time to get on board. This workshop is strictly limited to six participants and due to initial registrations there are already only a couple of places remaining before it will be sold out.
Holko's Test 