BenQ SW320 31.5″ Wide Gamut Adobe RGB UHD 4K Monitor Review

Equipment, Reviews

Last year BenQ shook up the wide gamut monitor world with the release of the BenQ SW2700PT 27” Adobe RGB monitor (Reviewed here on my Blog and also on the Luminous Landscape website). This 27” monitor offers excellent performance for a wide gamut Adobe RGB display at a price point that was (and still is) far lower than the majority of competitor offerings. When I reviewed the SW2700PT last year I actually wrote that it offered exceptional performance at its price point. Having now lived with this monitor in my studio for the better part of a year I can say without doubt that this is still the case. If you are in the market for a wide gamut monitor with accurate colour and excellent uniformity on a tight budget I doubt you could do any better; or could you? benqsw320 BenQ SW320 Preview – In November last year at Photo Plus in New York BenQ showed us a sneak preview of it’s recently announced (but not yet available for sale) 32” SW320 4K UHD Wide Gamut Monitor. As of publication time of this review the SW320 has not yet been officially released to the public for sale, but I have been testing a production sample of this monitor in my studio for the last few weeks and have now had the time to write a complete review of this remarkable new display. To be clear, the SW320 is not designed to replace the previously reviewed SW2700PT, but rather to supplement the BenQ line up with a high quality 4K UHD wide gamut offering at a competitive price point. So has BenQ succeeded?

In a nutshell; Yes, they have. The SW320 builds upon the success of its exceptional smaller brother (the BenQ SW2700PT) whilst unequivocally setting a new performance benchmark for wide gamut monitors at a low price point. In addition to its UHD resolution the SW320 takes image quality to the next level with the addition of HDR capabilities (not found in the much more expensive Eizo CG-318 I also reviewed last year). According to the supplied literature from BenQ, High Dynamic Range (HDR) increases the overall dynamic range between black and white so the resulting image appears closer to what your eyes see in the natural world*.

*To view HDR content from your device, ensure that you use the HDMI cable provided with the SW320 monitor or a High Speed HDMI Cable or Premium High Speed HDMI Certified Cable.

Does this HDR feature make a difference in the real world? Its hard to say in my experience to date without rigorous scientific testing (which I have not had time to do); but in my own user experience thus far I have no hesitation in stating that the SW320 has outstanding contrast and dynamic range. benqsw320-2 In short, the new 31.5” 4K UHD monitor offers extraordinary performance with a true 10-bit panel with 99% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB colour space coverage as well as supporting HDR content. The knock out punch is that it does so at a price point previously unheard of for a monitor of this size with these features.

That isn’t the whole story though as the new BenQ SW320 has other improvements over and above monitor size, resolution and image quality. The overall quality of colour reproduction on screen has been further improved from the SW2700PT. In side by side comparisons the SW320 outperforms its smaller brother in colour fidelity and uniformity. Lets examine the features and performance in more detail as well as compare this new screen to other UHD and 4K Displays on offer in the marketplace.

SW320 Key Features

BenQ SW320 Monitor Key Features

31.5 inches, 16:9 3840 x 2160 true 10-bit IPS Technology Panel
99% Adobe RGB coverage, and 100% SRGB
Colour accuracy with 14-bit 3D LUT with a Delta E of less than 2
Palette Master Element Calibration Software with Hardware Calibration with LUT
High Dynamic Range (HDR) content support ready
Brightness Uniformity Function
GamutDuo function to support dual color space on one screen
Advanced Black and White Mode
Technicolor Color Certified *

* Technicolor® Color Certified is a designation reserved for devices — PC monitors, laptops, all-in-ones, and tablets — that satisfy the required Technicolor specifications during the device’s manufacturing process to meet the same strict standards for colour accuracy used in Hollywood and throughout the media and entertainment industries. All Technicolor Colour Certified devices display colours accurately, consistently and exactly as the content originators intended. Anyone can enjoy shopping, entertainment and gaming experiences with full confidence that the colour you see onscreen is accurate.

Specifications – There is no need to regurgitate a complete list of the SW320 specifications as those are already available on BenQ’s website. See the SW320 page on BenQ’s website for full details.

Out of the Box – Every single BenQ SW320 ships with an online factory Calibration Report. This detailed report includes some very useful information including Uniformity Measurements and Dealt E reports that tell you just how your individual SW320 performed when tested before it left the factory. It is worth noting that the report is serial number specific and not batch specific so BenQ are testing each and every monitor. These sort of reports are normally only found in much more expensive displays such as those from the NEC SpectraView Line and the Eizo Colour Edge monitors. The mere fact the BenQ SW320 ships with this sort of individual test report speaks volumes to the sort of high quality display BenQ have produced and the care and attention to detail they have invested in this new display. A copy of the individual calibration report included with the supplied SW320 as tested is included below: calibrationreportbenq Out of the box the BenQ SW320 is a breeze to set up and in less than ten minutes I had the stand fully assembled, the display plugged in (via HDMI) to my MacBook Pro and the system fully operable. It seems to me that with every new model BenQ have continued to refine and improve their display stand and ease of installation. Other manufacturers would do well to take note.

SW320 Performance – Like many displays the SW320 ships in ‘flame-thrower’ mode and out of the box was far too bright for my viewing environment. I know manufacturers do this to try and impress viewers who will no doubt see the display first in a brightly lit fluorescent showroom but I really wish they wouldn’t. Once calibrated however to a more reasonable 120 Candelas and D6500 Kelvin I was able to properly assess the SW320’s performance and make direct comparisons against other displays.

BenQ Palette Master Software – To get the very best results from the SW320, the profiling software you use needs to access the internal monitor hardware Look up Tables (LUT), and for that you need the supplied Palette Master Element software. For Apple users, the supplied software is installed as an application. I don’t own a Windows machine so did not test the software under a Windows environment.

The SW320 ships with the BenQ Palette Master Software; but it can also be downloaded for free from the BenQ website. By using the Palette Master Element software and a calibrator (X-rite i1 Display in my case), you can tune and maintain the colour performance of the monitor at its most optimal state.

The BenQ SW320 currently supports the X-Rtie i1 Display Pro / i1 Pro /i1 Pro 2 , and Datacolor Spyder 4/5 colorimeters. I tested all of these during my time with the SW320 and all performed without issue.

Palette Master Welcome Screen palettemaster-1 Palette Master Advanced Settings Screen palettemaster-2 Palette Master Measurement Screen
palettemaster-3 Palette Master Calibration Results
palettemaster-4 BenQ provide a user friendly instruction manual with the Palette Master Software that you can download from their website. There is both a basic and advanced mode to choose from. The instructions are clear, concise and easy to follow. Download the PDF Manual HERE.

Driving a 4K UHD Display – Before you rush out and purchase any UHD or DCI 4K display you should make sure your computer can actually drive the display at its native resolution. In my case I tested the SW320 with both a 2013 6-core Mac Pro with 64 gigabytes of RAM and dual AMD FirePro 500 video cards and a late 2013 15” MacBook Pro with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MBMB and both were able to drive the display at its full native resolution. I did notice the fan kick in more often on the MacBook Pro when driving the SW320 than with the previous SW2700. This is to be expected as the video card is being driven much harder with the higher resolution display. There were however no ill side effects and system performance and speed appears unaffected in general day-to-day use.

Advanced Black and White Mode – The BenQ SW320 also includes an advanced Black and White mode that allows you to view your photos in a black and white film effect. You can choose from three different black and white presets to preview your photographs in before you perform actual adjustments in Lightroom or other image editing applications. I am not a black and white photographer so I didn’t test this feature other than to quickly check it actually functions as advertised; which it does. Black and White photographers should definitely test this feature to see if it fits within their workflow. bwmode Gamut Duo – The BenQ SW320 is equiped with a very cool new feature called GamutDuo. GamutDuo enables you to view content simultaneously on the screen in different colour spaces side-by-side for easy comparison. I found this new feature quite useful to soft proof images going from Adobe RGB colour space to SRGB for the web. By viewing the two images side by side it is very easy to see the differences. Users who have to re-purpose their photographs for different colour spaces are likely to find this a very useful feature. To activate the GamutDuo feature you switch to PIP/PBP mode.You can learn more about “How to use the GamutDuo function to view contents in different colour spaces side-by-side” by watching this short video:Hotkey Puck – Like the BenQSW2700, the BenQ SW320 ships with a The Hotkey Puck that allows the user to switch between Adobe RGB mode, sRGB mode and Black & White modes effortlessly. The hot key buttons can also be customised to map other modes or OSD settings, such as brightness and contrast to bring added convenience to photographers. The Hotkey Puck is a nice addition and it is worth taking a bit of time to properly understand its uses and how it might save you time in your own workflow. kotkeypuck You can learn more about “How to set up the Hotkey Puck to switch between modes rapidly” by watching this short video:4K Display Comparisons – Comparisons between the BenQ SW320 and the previously reviewed Eizo CG-318 4k DCI display are going to be inevitable so lets get those out of the way (since I have both displays side by side in my studio). Firstly, and perhaps most importantly there is a huge price differential between these two monitors. The Eizo retails for approximately $6000 USD MSRP and the BenQ will likely sell for under $1,500 USD when it goes on sale shortly. That difference alone is going to make the choice a no brainer for most people. There are however some other important differences worth noting. Wether those differences are worth the $4,500+ USD hit to your hip pocket depends on your needs and circumstances.

Firstly the Eizo CG-318 is a true DCI 4K Display with a resolution of 4096 x 2160. The BenQ SW320 is UHD (Ultra high Definition) with a resolution of 3840 x 2160. The DCI 4K standard goes above the UHD resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels that is often confusingly marketed as being 4K instead of UHD. Perhaps the easiest way of defining the difference between 4K and UHD is: 4K is a professional production and cinema standard, while UHD is a consumer display and broadcast standard. Whilst the difference on paper between 4096 pixels (DCI 4K) and 3840 pixels (UHD) on the horizontal access is only 256 pixels this equates to a not inconsiderable 7% increase in resolution across the entire display that makes for an overall larger workspace. However, unless you have specific need of a DCI 4K Display in your workflow there is frankly little benefit to the additional resolution in real world applications in my own experience. In fact, you may prefer UHD resolution for pixel mapping if you are dealing with 4K consumer video. photographer page 2 The Eizo CG-318 also has its own built in calibration device that can be automated and scheduled. The BenQ requires the use of an external colorimeter (like most displays including the NEC Spectraview range). This isn’t a big deal in daily use, although one could argue its awfully convenient to simply schedule the Eizo to calibrate itself once a week. The BenQ SW320 does include thoughtful nag warnings to remind you to calibrate the display on a regular basis. How often you choose to calibrate depends on your circumstances and how neurotic you want to be with your hardware. In general, I find every few weeks to be more than sufficient.

Measuring colour gamut between the Eizo and the BenQ SW320 is a pointless exercise since for all intent and purpose they are identical in real world applications. Both produce 100% of the SRGB colour space and both produce 99% of the Adobe RGB space. Any subtle differences in gamut are a quibble. In terms of brightness uniformity the SW320’s exceptional uniformity is achieved through a delicate process involving the utilisation of high precision apparatus to meticulously fine-tune hundreds of sub-regions on the entire screen. The results of this fine tuning is a noticeable and significant improvement in uniformity over the SW270 and outside of the extreme corners it measures almost as good as the Eizo CG-318. This is remarkable performance, regardless of price and BenQ are to be commended for their efforts in obtaining this exceptional level of uniformity. You can check how your individual BenQ SW320 monitor performed in its uniformity test on the supplied Factory Calibration Report.

Comparing a sub $1,500 USD MRSRP display to one that costs around $6000 USD MSRP might seem a bit unfair but the results illustrate just how good the SW320 really is and just how much bang it offers for the buck. Quite honestly, its ground breaking performance at this price point.

Perhaps a fairer comparison would be to compare the NEC Sepctraview UHD display agains the new BenQ SW320 but unfortunately I did not have access to this display for a direct comparison. Since the NEC Spectraview sits between the Eizo and the BenQ in terms of price it will no doubt perform equally well and I suspect any differences outside of calibration software in real world use to be a quibble.

Comparing the BenQ SW320 UHD display to LG’s 27” Ultrafine 5K display (as sold by Apple) is somewhat of a mute argument since LG do not quote how much of the Adobe RGB gamut their display is capable of producing; other than to say it produces ‘P3 wide color – 99%’. Nor are there any uniformity tests available for the 5K LG display that I could find (I did not have a display available to test uniformity for comparison with the BenQ SW320 at time of this review) and none of the online reviews I could find of this display even mention uniformity in passing. One other key point of difference is the LG has a high gloss screen and such screens are far from ideal for making fine art prints in my experience. I suspect anyone interested in a wide gamut display for making prints will dismiss the LG out of hand just because of its gloss finish.

Screen surface aside, purchasers of wide gamut monitors should be aware of the differences between the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB98 Colour Spaces. Whilst the overall volume of the two spaces is similar the red and green primaries are shifted in DCI-P3 and as result there are not insignificant differences between the two colour spaces. Technically, the DCI-P3 space isn’t new. It was established in 2007 by Hollywood as a standard for digital projection devices. This Colour Space was designed to best mimic the colour range of motion picture film, as projected. Since still photographers generally don’t digitally project in theaters, we’ve been more or less ignoring DCI-P3.

Here’s the problem though. The old video standard, Rec.709 was for all intents and purposes essentially identical to sRGB. Videographers and still photographers were basically getting the same thing. DCI-P3 is about the same size as AdobeRGB, only it’s skewed differently in the CIE colour model. AdobeRGB extends deeper into the greens and blues, while DCI-P3 extends more into the reds and a different set of greens.

For still photographers that means we’ve now got a mismatch we need to look out for. This mismatch is going to be most troublesome for people who shoot JPEGs in AdobeRGB Color Space or for photographers outputting RAW files into the Adobe RGB color space for print applications. AdobeRGB has colours in it that DCI-P3 can’t display, and vice versa.

Videographers beware that for true digital cinema work, just having a P3 colour space isn’t sufficient. The Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) standard also specifies a gamma of 2.6 and a luminance of 48 cd/m2 or 100 cd/m2 depending on whether you’re targeting movie theaters or television, and there are also various white point standards. You will still have to use a profiling device to make sure the display is hitting the correct gamma, luminance, and white point numbers for the specific standard you’re targeting. And of course the LG5K Display does not offer the much more powerful Hardware LUT capability of the other Wide gamut displays discussed above

Shade Hood – Knowing that ambient lighting can obstruct colour accuracy, all BenQ SW series photographic monitors include a detachable shading hood to reduce screen glare to deliver the most accurate colours possible. The newly-designed shade hood included with the SW320 can be used in portrait orientation as well as in landscape orientation (a very nice design consideration). What I really appreciated is the solid build quality of the shade hood. It feels like a high quality addition to the display and not a cheap plastic after thought; like it does on the much more expensive Eizo CG-318 display. In fact, the Eizo CG-318 shade hood looks positively cheap and nasty in side by side comparisons. Once secured in place the shade hood feels extremely robust and is nicely finished inside with anti-reflective black flocking. BenQ are to be commended for providing a shade hood with the display of such a high quality. Another nice touch is the addition of a small operable window at the top of the shade hood to pass a colorimeter through for screen calibration. Quite honestly, the shade hood included with the SW320 is the best I have seen regardless of the brand or price of monitor. shadehood

Watch a short video on how to mount the shade hoodThe Bezel and Stand – Attention to small details is very important in high end displays and I was very pleased to see that the bezel of the SW320 is finished in a dark grey matt that minimises any potential bezel reflection. I am told from the factory that extensive testing was done on various bezel surfaces in order to achieve the best result and most optimal viewing experience for photographic professionals. This sort of attention to detail might sound trivial but it ensures an optimal result when you are working for hours at a time in front of the display. In addition to coating changes, the monitor’s stand has been redesigned in a minimalist style, with a sleek L-shaped neck that streamlines with the monitor frame. It looks great on my desk and will likely fit well in most studio spaces. The stand is shipped in two pieces and is easily assembled without tools. There is some facility for cable management and over all the stand feels very solid and well made.

Real World Use – In Real world use the first thing you notice on turning on the SW320 is the incredible resolution that a UHD screen provides and the subsequent desktop real estate that this resolution enables. If you are used to working with a lower resolution display the vast real estate that this sort of display offers will be a revelation to you. Depending on how close you sit to the screen and the quality of your vision you may need to implement some scaling to increase the text size. In my studio I sit quite close to the monitor and have (as of last test 20/20 vision) no problem reading text on screen without the need for any software scaling. Daily life in a UHD environment under MAC OS X just works provided you have good enough eye sight to read the small text. If (like me) you like to work on a single monitor then you recognise the high value of having significant desktop real estate; something the SW320 provides in spades. Colour rendition is excellent on the SW320 and the UHD resolution makes for a powerful and versatile work space.

My daily use for a monitor such as theSW320 involves the editing, post production and printing of digital files in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud. I also use applications such as in-Design, Premiere Pro and other image related programs and plug-ins. On the whole most of my time is in the majority spent in Lightroom and Photoshop and thus this is the area that my comments are most related.

Working in Adobe Lightroom on the BenQ SW320 is a joy and a pleasure. It has always bothered me that the side panels in Lightroom are fixed and not tear away (yes, they can be hidden, but I prefer tear off). The SW320 has so much screen real estate and resolution to play with that the fixed panels are now an absolute non issue for me. I used to have to hide the panels to gain resolution for the actual image on the horizontal axis for a standard 35mm ratio image. On the SW320 however, the extra screen real estate provides sufficient resolution to negate this need and the side panels can now be left open all the time. This might seem like a very small benefit, but in real world use it’s actually extremely beneficial to my workflow. Again, your mileage may vary.

Contrary to what I have read on the internet in various places I experienced absolutely no issues with Lightroom or Photoshop running slowly with a UHD display. I suspect any such issues are almost certainly related to video cards being driven to their limit (and beyond) or because users are not implementing the latest software versions.

The colour rendition of the SW320 is exceptional and when combined with the excellent uniformity the display offers it is extremely easy to judge tone and contrast when processing RAW files. For those of you who place a large emphasis on printing (as I do) you will find the BenQ SW320 to offer very good performance. In fact, it offers performance that far exceeds its modest price tag.

Conclusion – The BenQ SW320 is a superbly constructed high quality UHD wide gamut monitor that offers users exceptional resolution, colour accuracy and uniformity at a price point previously unheard of. The monitor is simple and easy to assemble and operated without issue out of the box with both my laptop and main desktop computers.

Overall picture quality is exceptional with excellent linearity and uniformity across the screen that matches the much more expensive Eizo CG-318 in all but the extreme corners. This is outstanding performance that photographers and other graphic artists will really appreciate in daily use.

The SW320 is also packed with useful new features including GamutDuo and an Advanced Black and White mode that photographers are sure to find beneficial in their workflows.

When I reviewed the Eizo-CG318 Display I niggled that the HDMI ports really should have been version 2.0 and not 1.4 on a display at this price point. I was extremely pleased to see that the BenQ SW320 includes V2 HDMI (again at a price point well below the Eizo). In terms of connectivity it is also worth noting the thoughtful addition a USB hub with 3 USB 3 ports; one port dedicated to the HotKey Puck.

The display hood is extremely well constructed and provides a very solid black around the screen when working. The screen itself exhibits very low reflectance.

A few other nice additions worth noting include VESA mount compatibility and an inbuilt card reader (I prefer external readers but this addition will no doubt prove useful to some). The OSD menus can also be configured in a whopping seventeen different languages.

I am primarily a stills photographer who only occasionally works in video so I confined my testing to predominantly sill images. The video I did pass through the SW320 looked extremely good to my eyes and videographers should be extremely happy with the performance of this display. During the review I tested several 4K video pieces as well as upscaled 1080p video content.

The BenQ SW320 monitor offers the big and accurate colour space I need in my photography and the power of the hardware LUT means there is no banding or posterisation in any of the test images I tried when reviewing the screen. I tested the SW320 with a wide range of my own photographs as well as a large suite of ISF (Image Science Foundation) test images designed specifically to trip up displays (ISF test images are designed to show up weaknesses in displays not often found in general viewing). The SW320 performed without issue on all counts.

I feel it is extremely important that calibration software is intuitive and easy to use. In fact, the simpler the better in most cases as it means there is less chance of users making a mistake during the calibration process. To BenQ’s credit, the supplied Palette Master software is easy and intuitive as well as ensuring accurate calibration of the display. If you purchase an SW320 be sure to use the Palette Master Software to ensure you are accessing the Hardware LUT for the best possible results.

Overall the BenQ SW320 is a superb display that offers a huge UHD resolution workspace in combination with a wide gamut Adobe RGB display at a price point that puts the competition to shame. That is quite a combination that I feel will again see BenQ shake up the marketplace as photographers rush to embrace a display that offers performance and a feature set previously found only in much more expensive displays for those with much deeper pockets.

Full Disclosure – In the spirit of full disclosure I would like to be clear that BenQ provided me with the SW320 test unit at no cost (at least I have received no invoice to date). I also want to be clear that although I am officially an ambassador for BenQ they have in no way tried to influence my review and instead specifically asked me to be thorough and rigorous in my testing of the SW320. I only ever accept products to review on the clear understanding that I will be completely impartial and report anything negative I find as well as anything positive. Since I am using these products in my own workflow being clear, honest and forthright is my number one priority.

Greenland East Coast 2017 Expeditions – SOLD OUT

Arctic, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Workshops and Expeditions

Both of the the Greenland East Coast Expeditions in September and October this year are now sold out – thank you. For those of you who could not make the dates this year or otherwise missed out Daniel Bergmann and I may offer a future expedition in either 2019 or 2020 if time and circumstances permit. We will announce any future expedition here on my blog and on my website at www.wildnaturephototravel.com. You can also register your interest to be put onto the notification list via email. _H9P15170-Edit

I am really looking forward to these two back-to-back expeditions this year. The east coast of Greenland and the Scoresby Sund fjord system are absolutely spectacular and offer some of the Arctics most untapped photographic opportunities. Being located in the fjord system in late September and October should yield us some spectacular light and conditions and with a little luck perhaps even some Aurora Borealis.

Guest Photographer: Jose Antonio Rosas The Emperors Expedition 2016

Antarctica, Guest Photographer, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and Expeditions

A few years ago I started a new segment on my blog for photographers with whom I have travelled before in order to provide an outlet for them to share some of their own writing and photography amongst a wider audience. It has been a while since the last post but I wanted to share some thoughts and photographs from Jose Antonio Rosas who recently accompanied me on my Emperor Penguin Expedition last November. I have had the pleasure of travelling and photographing with Jose now in Antarctica on two occasions and I just wanted to pass on my thanks to him for both his participation and for sharing some of his thoughts and photographs from this expedition here on my blog. All text and photographs by Jose Antonio Rosas.

The Emperors Expedition 2016 – Jose Antonio Rosas

Last November, I joined a group of four photographers on an expedition to an emperor penguin colony in Antarctica. These penguins are among the most fascinating animal species in existence. They have been the subjects of such successful movies as March of the Penguins and Happy, in which they drew the world´s attention because of the extreme conditions in which they live and their complex mating habits.

Like other penguin species, emperors spend their summer months next to the sea, fishing in the rich, cold waters of Antarctica. Starting in March, their behavior becomes different than that of other penguins: males and females leave the sea and walk between 70 and 100 kilometers over the ice until reaching the colony in which they were born. There, they will start their annual reproduction cycle. jar-emperors-30 These colonies are located in extremely cold and windy places, with no sources of food. However, since they are far from the sea, the risk of predators for chicks is reduced. Once they reach the colony, males and females start the pairing process: they will sing a special cry that will lead them to the penguin who will be their mate for the next year. Two months later, each female lays and egg and transfers it very carefully to her mate. The females have consumed too much energy and must now start the long walk back to the sea to feed. Meanwhile, the males will incubate the eggs, protecting them against the harshest winter conditions: temperatures of -70 Celsius, and winds of more than 150 km/h.
Chicks are born between late August and early September, still under their fathers care. A few days later, mothers come back, bringing valuable food for their young. It is now their turn to take care of the chicks, while the males walk to the sea to regain the weight they lost. During the following three months, males and females will take turns caring for the chicks and walking to the sea to bring back food.
It is very difficult to visit emperor penguins in the wild. The areas in the sea where they spend the summers are surrounded by ice and inaccessible to most ships that visit Antarctica. Their colonies are far from the sea and can only be reached by flying in specially adapted planes. The point of departure for our expedition was Punta Arenas, a city located in the extreme south of Chile. There, we waited for six days until the wind in Antarctica was adequate to fly. We reached our base camp in a Russian Ilyushin jet originally designed to fly to Siberia. After a four-and-a-half-hour flight, we landed on an ice runway in an area known as Union Glacier, which is nearly 80 degrees south.There, we utilised a large camp that is used as the starting point for different types of expeditions in Antarctica: skiers trying to reach the South Pole, climbers after the conquest of the tallest mountain in the continent, runners ready for the most extreme marathon of their lives. Also, those of us who wish to live up close with the largest and most fascinating penguin species: the emperors. The logistics required to operate this camp are astounding.
At Union Glacier, we waited for two days before flying to our final destination: Gould Bay, a large expanse of frozen sea ice in the Weddell Sea. We flew in a Twin Otter plane conditioned with skis. There, a small camp was waiting for us. This camp had high mountaineering tents and special condition sleeping bags. All of this was essential, because during the three days we spent there, the wind was never lower than 25 knots (45 km/h).
Living conditions are not the most comfortable, and the wind and cold are very harsh, but all of it is justified by the purity of the air, the absence of artificial sounds and the direct contact with nature.
At that time of the year, the sun never sets in Antarctica, allowing us to choose the best time to walk to the colony and photograph the penguins: after dinner, at around 8pm, when the low lying sun created excellent light conditions. The penguin colony was located 1.5 km away from our camp. The walk is not too long, but when the wind is blowing against you, every step feels like an accomplishment.

It is impossible to transmit in words one´s feelings at the first encounter with those 8,000 fascinating birds. When we arrived for our first visit, the evening light projected long shadows and the wind made the snow flakes fly, covering everything with a golden layer. I can think of no better introduction to this species.I spent a while sitting, enjoying the curiosity of the penguins, who were not timid about approaching us. Then came the moment to take out my camera and walk next to the colony to start making photographs. Soon, I saw the eight-week old chicks. Some were sheltered inside their parents´ brood pouches; others were standing at the feet of the adults, asking for food with a special cry; others were discovering how to walk, taking tentative steps away from parental protection. Parents were always close to their chicks, ready to step in and protect them at the first sign of danger. It is fascinating to witness how the colony´s entire life flows around the protection and growth of chicks.
Photography under those conditions is a big challenge: heavy gloves and goggles are essential at all times, but do not allow for operating the camera or looking through the viewfinder. I had to take them off to make a photograph, but could only do it for very short moments, because the weather seemed to guess when I was uncovered to throw snow in my face or freeze my hands. That first day, after four hours out in the cold, I could no longer feel my hands and decided to return.

During the next two days, we repeated our evening walks to the colony and received several visits of emperors in our camp. Ours cameras froze and became frozen bricks, the snow buried the entrance to our tents several times a day, and the visibility disappeared for long stretches. All of this was part of a unique experience, the best I have enjoyed in direct contact with nature.

Trips like this renew my appreciation of the need to keep spaces apart from all human activity, where our fellow species in the planet can live without threats. The worldwide population of emperor penguins has remained stable during the past few years, at 500,000 individuals. However, several studies have confirmed that the species might become endangered due the effects of climate change and overfishing in Antarctic waters. It would be a huge pity if that magnificent species becomes one more victim of our activity on earth.

More of Jose’s Photography can be found at www.joseantoniorosas.com

Wild Planet Photo Magazine Features Part Two – Snow Survivors

Arctic, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Wildlife Photographs

Wild Planet Photo Magazine has just published part two of the three part series of articles on my Arctic Wildlife photography. The series kicked off with Polar Bears (Bear Instincts) in the November 2016 edition. The new January 2017 edition features images from my Arctic Fox project. From the Wild Planet Photo Magazine website: We are showcasing a new feature series from the Global Arctic Photographer of the Year, Joshua Holko, who shares his fascinating experiences with Arctic species. The second instalment of our three-part Arctic Encounter series centres on a fascinating snow survivor that lives in some of the coldest places on Earth. Nature photographer Joshua Holko tells the tale behind these ethereal pictures of the Arctic Fox.

About Wild Planet Photo Magazine: Published every month, WPPM and their accompanying websites have over 256,000 unique visitors in more than 190 countries, making them truly international photography magazines for the digital age. Packed with refreshing content, exciting features and stunning imagery from around the world – all provided by innovative professionals and enthusiasts who share one passion – that of landscape and wildlife photography. Wild Planet Photo Magazine is available via individual issue purchase or subscription.

Canon EOS 1DX MKII Auto Focus Setting Guidebook

Equipment, News and Updates

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has been for me the best DSLR I have ever used, regardless of price, brand or model. I recently wrote that it was my gear pick of the year for 2016. Now, to help users get more from its advanced focusing system, Canon has produced a useful downloadable AF Setting Guidebook for smartphone and tablets. Canon has produced these sort of guides in the past and they are well worth reading if you want to better understand and fully take advantage of the auto focus systems.

From Canons website The 148-page guidebook explains in detail the technical elements of the AF system and highlights other key functionalities that photographers need to know and understand in order to get the very best from Canon’s pro-series flagship, such as Movie Servo AF, using Auto ISO and much more.

In the guidebook are detailed overviews and explanations of the new AF algorithm and AI Servo AF III+ along with a list of the AF Configuration Tool and Presets, with comprehensive explanations on how each Case Setting works and when to choose them.

The guidebook is divided into six parts, consisting of two chapters on the AF Configuration Tool (Presets and Parameters), as well as chapters on AF area selection modes, 61-point reticular AF cross-type points, release property settings and anti-flicker shooting plus utilising the AF and Movie Servo AF and other useful functions.

It’s a fascinating read for anyone wanting to get under the skin of their EOS-1D X Mark II and will appeal to professionals who want a handy guide which can be stored on phone or tablet. Included in the book is a lens guide which lists every major EF lens and the number and placement of cross-type points that can be used with them.

There are many useful shortcuts explained in the guide, such as using the M-Fn button to assign shooting functions and various other customisable options. As you read through the guide, it becomes very clear that this camera can be set up precisely as you need it.

Don’t just use it in the default mode from the box, get under the skin and make it work harder for you!

To download the new Canon EOS-1D X Mark II AF Setting Guidebook for smartphones and tablets just click on the image below.

Happy New Year! January Photograph of the Month Polar Passion

Arctic, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs

2017 has arrived! (At least for those of us living in Australia). For those of you in America and Europe you still have a few more hours to go – but I i wanted to get in early and wish all of you a very safe, happy and prosperous 2017. I hope your year ahead is full of lots of photography, wonderful light and that you make some incredible photographs. 2017 is going to be a hectic year for me with a lot of travel and some exciting new destinations. I am keen to make a start…

I am kicking off 2017 here on my blog with my photograph of the month for January. An image I made in the Arctic in August 0f 2015 of a large Polar Bear cub resting on an ice flow in Svalbard. We were fortunate to spot this Polar Bear and to be able to manoeuvre close in our small ship M.S Origo. M.S Origo is the same ship I have chartered for a dedicated Polar Bear photography trip in late July in 2017 (one place remaining before the expedition will be sold out). M.S Origo is widely regarded as the best ship in the Arctic for photographing Polar Bears due to its low decks and operable portholes a mere fifty centimetres above the waterline. This enables the photographer to get down to eye level with wild Polar Bears living and hunting on the pack ice. I made this particular photograph with the Canon EOS1DX and Canon’s 200-400 F4L IS with inbuilt 1.4 Teleconverter. This photograph was recently High Honoured by Natures Best Photography in the Polar Passion Category. polarpassion Svalbard-1928-Edit

2016 A Retrospective and 2017 Whats in Store?

Equipment, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs, Workshops and Expeditions

As has become tradition on my blog, I like to do a “What’s in Store” post for the coming year as well as reflect back, and wrap up the year that was. In equipment or ‘gear’ terms 2016 saw the introduction of the much anticipated Canon EOS 1DX MKII camera and the Canon EOS 5D MK4. Two of the Canon EOS 1DX MKII cameras have a permanent home in my camera equipment and have been my weapon of choice since I picked them up earlier in the year (there is actually a fair chance I will add a third for my new Nauticam underwater housing). I haven’t bothered with the 5D MK4 (although I do own a 5DSR); quite honestly, the Canon EOS 1DX MKII is the best DSLR camera I have ever used regardless of price, brand or model. Although I prefer the Canon EOS 1DX MKII camera for the majority of my photography, there is no denying the huge resolution advantage of the 5DS/R when making giant prints. Outside of sheer resolution though I prefer the ergonomics of the 1-series 1DX MKII and overall I prefer the files from this camera as well.

Despite my initial misgivings that the 11-24mm might be too specialised and too wide for most applications it has proved a superb optic and a regular tool I have utilised throughout the 2016 year. Back in 2015 I ditched gimbal heads for long lens work and moved to a Sachtler FSB-6 Fluid head. Last year I wrote that this move represented what was probably the best equipment investment I made in 2015 in terms of improving my photography and ratio of keepers. Now, more than a year on I can say with complete certainty that I would not go back to a gimbal head.

My best investment for 2016 quite honestly has to be the Canon EOS 1DX MKII. I know some photographers felt this camera was only an incremental upgrade on the already superb Canon EOS 1DX; however, after shooting with both extensively I can assure you that the upgrade is overall very significant in my experience. I also recently invested in a Nauticam underwater housing for the Canon EOS 1DX MKII as well as a large glass dome port for the 11-24mm F4L lens. I am looking forward to using this new tool over the coming year. My sincere thanks to Peter at Scuba Pix for all his assistance in choosing and specifying the housing options. DSC_9367__19597.1462232108.1280.1280 My gear pick of the year for 2016 is split this year between the outstanding Canon EOS 1DX MKII and the brand new BenQ 4K Sw320 32″ UHD monitor (look for the full review in coming weeks). This brand new (not yet released to the public) 4K display offers stellar performance and resolution at a price point previously unheard of for a monitor of this resolution. I expect this new wide gamut monitor to be a game changer for a great many photographers when it goes on sale early next year.

2017 should be a very interesting year in equipment terms. I expect to see several new L series lenses from Canon. As always, the jury is still out on what lenses Canon will actually deliver. We just have to wait and see as Canon don’t publish a road map and outside of certain specific models I have no more idea than anyone else. Rumours still persist of a new 600mm F4 DO lens (a patent has been filed by Canon and they have shown a prototype) and there has also been a patent lodged for a 400mm F2.8L IS Lens with inbuilt 1.4 and 1.7 Teleconverters (Canon please make this lens!). Such a lens would be quite specialised and very expensive, but would be a one stop solution for wildlife photographers who wanted a fast, no compromise all in one telephoto lens with an extraordinary focal range. A 400mm F2.8L IS Lens with 1.4 and 1.7 teleconverters would yield focal lengths of 400mm, 560mm and 680mm all in one fast telephoto lens. Quite honestly, if Canon decide to make this lens I would sell my 200-400mm F4L IS and 600mm F4L IS MKII lenses on the spot.

Last year I gave my book pick of the year to the very deserving Arctique by Vincent Munier (Read the Review). Arctique was an absolutely superb presentation that deserved a place in any photographic library. If you don’t yet own a copy you should pick one up immediately. This year I am giving the nod again to Vincent Munier for his new book Adelie. I have not as yet had time to review this book, but I have been enjoying it for the last few weeks and it is in my opinion one of the best books I have seen on Antarctica. I hope to review it over the coming months. See my previous comment about owning a copy.

2016 also marked the year I published my own first book, Melrakki. The culmination of three years of winter photography in the extreme north-west of Iceland, Melrakki is available now exclusively as a Limited Edition hard bound fine-art book. Limited to just 100 copies (only a few remaining), each edition is hand numbered and signed and includes an original 11″ x 09″ inch fine-art pigment on paper print. Copies can be ordered online HERE. Cover In 2016 I was extremely honoured to be asked to join the Penguin World Project as a project photographer and to continue to work with Kerry and the Arctic Arts Project. Both of these groups are actively working toward significant conservation issues in both the Arctic and Antarctic (and the world’s oceans). It is my hope to tie in Penguin World with a future exhibition of Polar Photography here in Australia. I also hope to join the Arctic Arts team for a winter Greenland scouting trip next year (if time permits).

Over the course of this year I also published my own favourite twelve photographs here on my blog. Please be sure to check them out and let me know what you thought. I don’t usually have an overall favourite from a given year, although I definitely have a soft spot for the photographs I made recently at the Emperor Penguins at Gould Bay in Antarctica (Read the trip Report). Be sure to check out the full portfolio of images at my website www.jholko.com emperorsexpedition2016-20062-edit In competition terms, 2016 was a brilliant year for me with an overall win as the Global Arctic Photographer of the Year. In total I was fortunate to take out five medals across the different categories including Gold, Silver and the FLAP Special award in two categories as well as the overall Grand Prize of Global Arctic Photographer of the Year. As an added bonus, I was also the first photographer outside of Norway to win this award. In 2017 I will be Special Guest Judge for the Global Arctic Photographer of the Year competition and as a result will not be entering the competition. This year I also had concurrent finalist positions in the 2016 Canon APPA Professional Science, Wildlife and Wild Places Photographer of the Year as well as finalist in the Epson 2016 Professional Science, Wildlife and Wild Places Photographer of the Year and Epson 2016 Professional Documentary Photographer of the Year. I was also a finalist in the 2016 Outdoor Photographer of the Year and 2016 Travel Photographer of the Year competitions as well being short listed in BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Lastly, I was also highly honoured in Natures Best Photography 2016 Polar Passion Category for one of my Polar Bear photographs below. Overall, it was a great year and I am thrilled with the results. Svalbard-1928-Edit 2016 was also the biggest year yet for me both with destinations visited and sheer number of international miles travelled. 2016 also marked my first visit to the Lofoten Islands in Norway; a location I am very much looking forward to returning to in 2018 (details to be released soon). I have no idea how many actual miles I covered in 2016 in total, how many aeroplanes I boarded, how many times I went through airport security or how many tens of hours I spent waiting around in airports for connecting flights, but it was an awful lot. 2017 is shaping up to be an equally hectic year and I am trying to work through as much office work as possible in the next two weeks before I board the next plane in mid January.

2016 kicked off in early February with a brand new expedition to the Weddell Sea in Antarctica (Read the Trip Report). The Weddell sea side of Antarctica is far less visited than the western side of the peninsula and offers a very different experience to the standard peninsula visit. Home to giant tabular icebergs and large colonies of Adelie penguins the Weddell Sea is usually inaccessible before February due to sea ice conditions. Quite honestly, February is not my favourite time of the year to visit Antarctica as there is far less snow and ice than earlier in the season. However, we had some superb conditions and magical light for iceberg photography during our time in the Weddell Sea as well as some really fabulous landings. We were also very fortunate to encounter some wonderful tabular icebergs. Antarctica-7509-Edit After Antarctica I returned to the extreme northwest of Iceland and finished the work on my Arctic Fox Project. This personal project spanned three years of winter photography in Iceland and was published as the Limited Edition book Melrakki late in 2016. Next year I will again be returning to the northwest tip of Iceland in Winter, but this time to lead an expedition with a small group of photographers keen to experience and photograph the Arctic fox in its winter habitat. More on this below. Cover In March Daniel Bergmann and I ran our annual Winter Iceland workshop ‘The Frozen North’ (Read the Trip Report) that included destinations in both the north and south of the Island. Iceland in winter is an incredible experience and this workshop provided us with wonderful opportunities in a snow covered landscape. During our winter trip we had a small window of opportunity for Aurora Borealis (northern lights) whilst we were at Jökulsarlon glacial lagoon and again in the north near Myvatn. Our opportunity at Jökulsarlon was somewhat anticlimactic due to heavy cloud cover that obscured the best display. Our chance was better in the north with a faint display during mostly clear skies. If you haven’t photographed the Aurora before it can be an incredibly exciting experience. The camera sees and captures a great deal more colour than the naked eye – so even a faint display can yield some very impressive results in camera. We also had an absolutely superb session in one of the ice caves. IcelandWinter-4124 After Iceland I travelled to Lofoten to lead a brand new winter workshop to these spectacular islands (Read the Trip Report). If you are unfamiliar with Lofoten let me assure you that the landscape of these islands is really quite something to behold. Precipitous and ominous peaks that rise straight out of the ocean loom over small fishing villages that comprise of bright red houses lining the shorelines. With a dusting of fresh snow and arctic winter light the entire scene is akin to a fairy tail location and subsequently the photographic opportunities during our workshop were truly superb. On our last day we made the decision to mix things up and took a private charter boat out to photograph White-Tailed Sea Eagles fishing off the coastline. This proved a worthwhile gamble with a couple of hours of really wonderful eagle photography in occasional light snowfall. I am very much looking forward to returning to Lofoten in the winter of 2018 and hope to release details here on my blog and website soon. Lofoten-4779-Edit Lofoten-0426-Edit After Lofoten I travelled to Namibia where I lead a Desert Fire Safari that included the ghost town of Kolmonskop, the giant dunes of Sossusvlei, salt pan of Dead Vlei and more. This overland Safari provided some wonderful landscape and wildlife opportunities and I very much enjoyed returning to the Namib desert after a two year hiatus. I neglected to write up a trip report from this Safari but hope to do so over the coming weeks. I will be returning to Namibia again in 2018 and will soon announce details of that safari here on my blog. Namibia After Namibia, I ran my annual two week New Zealand South Island workshop which saw us circumnavigate the South Island via private 4-wheel drives and that included significant helicopter time over the spectacular southern Alps as well as the Teanu region. We also visited Milford Sound, Queenstown, Fox Glacier, Mount Cook and a great many other off the beaten track locations during the workshop. This year I also included an optional extension to the northern coastline region of the South Island which proved very fruitful for coastal scenery (Read the Trip Report). _MG_5656-Edit After a short break, I then travelled back to Svalbard for my Wild Polar Bears expedition (Read the Trip Report). This was a fabulous expedition that saw us encounter twenty Polar Bears on the sea ice (including an absolutely superb encounter with a very curious mother and cub) in just the first three days. We also had numerous close encounters with Arctic Fox, Walrus and Reindeer and some outstanding images resulted from all aboard. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to watch the video from the 2015 expedition – Kingdom of the Ice Bear by clicking on the image below. Svalbard2016-24158 After Svalbard I returned to Iceland for the Summer season and lead two back-to-back expeditions into the Highlands with Daniel Bergmann (Read the Trip Reports). I never tire of returning to Iceland and eagerly look forward to each return visit and the incredible landscape and light this miraculous country continually serves up. This year we decided to specialise and spend as much of our time as possible off the tourist path, deep in some of the more remote highlands regions. Our first trip took us into the northern area of the highlands and the second into the southern region. Each offered unique opportunities for landscape imagery and each served up its usual share of Iceland weather and light. _MG_6290-Edit In November I lead a brand new expedition to a very remote area of Antarctica to camp with Emperor Penguins on the sea ice in Gould Bay (Read the Trip Report). It took four years of planning, including a scouting trip last year before our expedition group would finally arrive on the frozen sea ice and get the opportunity to photograph the world’s largest and most difficult to reach penguin, the mighty Emperor. This was a life changing expedition for me and I am already putting plans in place to return to the sea ice and the Emperor Penguins in 2018. Be sure to check out the full portfolio of photographs on my website at www.jholko.com emperorsexpedition2016-20569-edit After the expedition to the Emperor Penguins I guided one final trip to South Georgia Island and Antarctica – Photographers First Light. This fifteen day expedition saw us photographing in some of the world’s best locations for wildlife in South Georgia (full trip report coming soon), before we headed down to the Antarctic Peninsula. We had mixed weather and light on this expedition and quite frankly too many blue sky days for my liking. Nevertheless there was some wonderful opportunities to be had during a brief snowstorm in South Georgia and a heavy blizzard on the Antarctic Peninsula. I have really been enjoying seeing the fantastic photographs being shared on social media taken by all who participated on this expedition. My special thanks to Jenn and Erin from the Canon Collective for all their invaluable help and assistance during the expedition – thank you. southgeorgia2016-25481-edit antarctica2016-26430-edit-2 All up I led a total of eleven separate international workshops and expeditions in 2016 spread across the globe (not including some local private workshops to the Great Ocean Road as well as one-on-one Print workshops). A brief count tallies up around fifty plane segments and just over forty thousand exposures (wish they were all keepers!) and a lot more than forty hours of lost sleep. It was a fantastic year and I just want to thank all of you who I was fortunate to meet, travel and photograph with throughout the year. It was real privilege to share in such remarkable destinations with so many fantastic passionate photographers – thank you. antarcticaunionglacier-02027 2017 is shaping up to be an even bigger year than 2016 in terms of both miles and locations and I am really excited about whats in store. In January I will be heading back to Italy (I was last in Italy back in 2012) to be part of a new television series being filmed about photography that will be screened across Europe next year (more on this later). From Italy I am travelling to Finland on a private project to photograph Great Grey Owls and Hawk Owls (and hopefully Wolverine) in winter. I am really looking forward to this trip as I have not visited Finland before and to be heading there in winter is very exciting. I hope I can also offer this trip as a future workshop at a later date.

From Finland I am heading directly to Iceland to lead my annual winter workshop (Sold Out) with good friend Daniel Bergmann. We have continued to refine our itinerary from last year and will again spend the majority of our time in the frozen north seeking out spectacular snow covered landscapes and Aurora Borealis. We are also looking forward to partially frozen waterfalls, ice caves and more. Iceland in winter never disappoints and I look forward to returning to this miraculous country as often as I can. On the way to the End of the World - Antarctica After our winter Iceland workshop I am leading a small group of photographers on a sold out expedition to the remote northwest peninsula to photograph Arctic Foxes in winter. This expedition will take us by boat to one of the very the same locations on which I worked on my Melrakki project over the previous three years. We will spend the better part of a week living with the foxes in a picturesque winter landscape. I will have a full trip report on this expedition on completion next year. Fox Attack After I finish in the north of Iceland I am heading further north to Svalbard to make a new short film with good friend Abraham Joffe from Untitled Film Works (videographer from Kingdom of the Ice Bear). We have planned a snow mobile expedition out into the frozen winter landscape of Spitzbergen in search of Polar Bears. It is our hope to photograph and film both newborn cubs emerging from their dens and a seal kill on the frozen fjords. Look for this new short movie around the middle of next year. Polar Bear Blues On return to Longyearbyen I am leading a new sold out winter expedition by ship to photograph both the frozen winter landscape of Svalbard as well as Polar Bears, Reindeer, Arctic Fox and Walrus in winter light. I have been looking forward to this expedition for more than two years now, having conducted a scouting trip back in 2013. The opportunities in Svalbard at this time of year for golden winter light are truly superb. svalbard-9725-edit copy In May I am going to make the short hop across to the South Island of New Zealand to co-lead a Masterclass workshop with friend Phillip Bartlett. We have some really exciting locations lined up for this trip that include helicopter access into the remote back country and aerial photography over the spectacular Southern Alps. I always look forward to any chance to photograph in this spectacular country. Due to a cancellation we have one single place available on this Masterclass before it will be sold out. Please drop me an email if you are interested in joining us. NewZealand-2816-Edit52015 After New Zealand I will lead a private workshop to the Great Ocean road in Australia and then down to Tasmania for photography down both the east and west coasts. Look for a future photography, food and wine workshop to Tasmania in 2018.

After Tasmania I will be returning to Iceland to lead a new Puffin workshop with Daniel Bergmann. The workshop is dedicated to photography of the Atlantic Puffin and other birds of Iceland including Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Guillemots (Murres), Arctic Terns and Razorbills. Iceland is one of the best places in the world to photograph Puffins and other Arctic birds in their natural environment. We will visit a number of different locations during this workshop where we will have outstanding access to the Puffins living in burrows on the edge of sea cliffs. We have timed our 2017 workshop to ensure we are in the best locations at the best times to photograph these wonderful birds. We will have hours of golden light under the spectacular midnight sun – ideal conditions for photography of the Atlantic Puffin. We still have a few spots available before the workshop will be sold out. UltimatePufins In July I will head back to Svalbard to lead my Polar Bears of Svalbard Expedition. We will depart from the small town of Longyearbyen and sail up to the edge of the permanent pack ice where we will spend out time searching for and photographing the king of the Arctic. Svalbard2016-5843-Edit In September I am travelling to the east coast of Greenland with Daniel Bergmann for two new back-back expeditions into the spectacular Scoresby Sund fjord system. Home to some of the most extraordinary geology to be found on earth, the red and orange glacial scarred landscape of Greenland stands in stark contrast to the electric blue icebergs that carve off its many glaciers and drift slowly down its precipitous fjords. It is a remote land of untamed and unbridled beauty that is rarely visited and even less rarely photographed. It is an incredible place to inspire the imagination and fuel your photographic desires.

The landscape and geology of the East Coast of Greenland is both stunning and extraordinary. Photographing this incredible landscape under soft golden Arctic light is our main objective. In fact, our entire expedition has been planned around us being on location at the best time of year for soft golden light. We will also see and photograph incredible castellated icebergs that have calved off the many glaciers of Greenland. Dramatic glaciers, plunging cliffs and beautiful drift ice formations will be present as well. _H9P15170-Edit Finally in November I am heading back to Antarctica for my White Nature Expedition to the peninsula. The main focus of this expedition will be Antarctic wildlife including penguins, seabirds, seals, and possibly even whales. We also plan to photograph snow and ice covered landscapes and icebergs. Our expedition has been timed as the first of the season so we expect fantastic icebergs and a breathtaking winter landscape. Very few photographers have visited Antarctica this early in November, and experience has shown us that this will give you the best possible photo opportunities. Iceberg in Antarctica Amongst all of the above I hope to get back to Greenland in Winter after my Svalbard expeditions (we will see if time permits) to photograph with the Arctic Arts group.

Lastly, I want to wish all of you a very safe and happy New Year and may 2017 be one of amazing light and experiences for all of you. See you in the New Year.

The 2016 Emperor Penguins Expedition Report

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

In November of 2016 I lead a new expedition to a remote area of Antarctica to camp on the sea ice and photograph Emperor Penguins. The genesis of this expedition began a little over four years ago when I decided I wanted to set about photographing one of the large Emperor Penguin colonies living on the sea ice in a remote area of Antarctica. It took four years of planning, including a scouting trip last year before our expedition group would finally arrive on the frozen sea ice and get the opportunity to photograph the world’s largest and most difficult to reach penguin, the mighty Emperor. I have mostly included only behind the scenes photographs in this trip report to try and give a good sense of what the expedition was like. To see the full portfolio of images from this expedition please visit my website at www.jholko.com Disembarking the Russian Ilyushian emperorsmap There are plenty of species the world over that are much harder to find than Emperor Penguins. To my knowledge however, none is as difficult or as expensive to reach as the Emperor Penguin; and thats the conundrum of Emperor Penguin photography. We know exactly where they are located, we just cant get to them without great difficulty and significant expense. Living on the sea ice in remote and difficult to reach areas of Antarctica the Emperor Penguin is therefore as difficult to reach as the enigmatic snow leopard is to locate in the wilds of its mountainous territories. It is an odd problem for wildlife photographers to recognise and accept that we know exactly where our subject is located but that we just cant get to it.After months of anticipation, our expedition began with the five of us meeting in the small town of Punta Arenas in Chile at the bottom of South America. Expectations and hopes were high and we were all buzzing with excitement at the prospect of getting underway. Our plan involved taking a flight on a Russian Ilyushin cargo aircraft and landing on the blue ice of Union Glacier in the deep interior of Antarctica at approximately 79º south. We had planned to depart on or around the 7th of November depending on the prevailing weather. Once at Union Glacier we would establish a camp from which we would take a twin-otter aircraft equipped with skis out to the remote sea ice in Gould Bay where we would establish our advance camp around 1.5 kilometres from the Emperor Penguin colony (and around ten miles from the ice edge). We would then commute by walking on the sea ice to the colony for photography during the small hours of the night when the sun was at its lowest and the light at its softest. emperorsexpedition2016-19435-edit antarcticaunionglacier-01660 As is often the case, the best laid plans can easily go astray and we were delayed for approximately five days in Punta Arenas waiting for the winds to drop and a suitable weather window when we could depart and safely land on the ice. When we finally received the call and positive news that the winds had dropped sufficiently at the glacial ice runway we high tailed it to the airport and within a couple of hours we were in the air and on our way south to the interior of Antarctica. The flight time from Punta Arenas to Union Glacier was approximately four hours. antarcticaunionglacier-02027 antarcticaunionglacier-01755 The Ilyushin cargo aircraft is equipped with military jump seats, little insulation and few feature comforts; making the ride exciting and far removed from the average commercial flight. Landing at Union Glacier on blue glacial ice is a surreal experience that is unmatched by any other flight I have ever experienced. When the rear cargo door of the big Ilyushin swings open and you step down onto Antarctic blue ice that is approximately a kilometre thick at the point of touchdown there is a real visceral thrill. Temperatures out on the blue ice were around -20º Celsius with wind chill on our landing. We took the opportunity to photograph the plane whilst all the luggage and supplies were unloaded before it took off for its return flight to Punta Arenas (The Ilyushin has to turn around as quickly as possible due to the risk of the plane and engines icing). We then loaded up the specially modified super jeeps and made our way across the glacier to basecamp. After a short unplanned stop to dig ourselves out of a deep snow drift we arrived at our basecamp location. emperorsexpedition2016-14203 With basecamp established we now needed a second weather window with sufficient visibility for us to take off from Union Glacier and then land on the sea ice at Gould Bay. After a couple of days at basecamp (during which time we took the opportunity to explore a little and do some landscape photography) visibility was finally improving and we were able to load up the twin-otter plane and make the three hour flight from Union Glacier out to the remote sea ice at Gould Bay. We made a quick stop for fuel at a pre-prepared fuel cache on the sea ice and landed at our planned destination on the sea ice in the early afternoon. The sea ice at our chosen camp site was approximately 2.5 metres thick and extended ten miles from where we were camped out to open water (a distance the Penguins commute for fishing on a daily basis). We quickly set about establishing camp and devouring a hot meal before we prepared to walk the 1.5 kilometres across the sea ice to the main penguin colony for a night of stunning photography. We used sleds to carry our gear which we dragged behind us across the ice. This is actually far easier than it sounds and even fully laden with camera gear the sleds slide with relative ease across the ice. Hike across the ice to the Emperor Colony Emperors Going Fishing _dsc8024 The sun never sets this far south in Antarctica during the summer months so we planned to do most of our photography during the night hours when the sun was at its lowest and the light at its softest. This plan proved fruitful with some really dramatic golden light and back-lit blowing snow that lasted for hours and hours at a time. We spent hour after hour photographing the penguins during the midnight sun and I confess that I completely lost track of time during these sessions. It wasn’t until fatigue and hunger set in that I would glance at my watch and realise we had been photographing for more than five hours; at which point I realised I could no longer feel my fingers. Temperatures averaged around -20º Celsius with wind chill with only our last evening being warmer at around -8º Celsius. 2016-1113-gouldbay-1844 Click the image below for behind the scenes video.I felt we were extremely fortunate to have really consistent 20-25 knot winds during our time on the sea ice which made camping and commuting to the colony difficult but proved absolutely superb for photography (we had to dig our tents out several times a day to prevent them from being buried under the snow). With strong winds and blowing snow the Emperors and their chicks were often plastered with snow which made for very emotive and dramatic photography. The opportunities for back-lit blowing snow were superb and everyone in the group made some absolutely incredible images during our time with the Emperors. jar20161114_154430 Getting down low with Emperors jar20161113_234163 Click the image below for behind the scenes video.In the early hours of the morning, when we had tired and could no longer tolerate the cold, wind or hunger took over we would hike the 1.5 kilometres back to our mountain tents for a meal and some warming drinks. We would then grab a few hours shut eye before breakfast and more photography sessions with the penguins. Penguins on an ice pressure ridge emperorsexpedition2016-20569-edit Camping with the Emperors is a life changing experience. Listening to their calls above the wind as they waddle and belly slide slowly past your tent on their march to the ocean to fish for their chicks is surreal to say the least. For me, the experience moved me deeply and bought me closer to Nature than I think I have ever felt. It also bought me a greater appreciation of how special and precious Antarctica (indeed all wildlife) truly is. I don’t want to turn my trip report into a spiel about global warming, global over population and our planets destruction (I think we all know we are well and truly on that path), but I do want to take a moment and ask you to please head on over to Penguin World when you finish reading this report and to please consider a small tax deductible donation to this worthwhile NGO project.

Click the image below for behind the scenes video. emperorsexpedition2016-19594 On occasion we had to walk no further than a few metres from our tents to photograph lines of Emperors coming and going on their way to the ocean. Everyone in our group took the opportunity to make photographs whenever the chance arose (which was often). I think we each only slept a few hours a day in total; although I don’t really remember as that part of the expedition already seems somewhat of a blur. The constant daylight and 20-25 knot winds whipping the mountain tents around makes sleep somewhat more difficult than usual. Thankfully though, the tents themselves are solar heated by the 24 hour sun and as such are actually quite warm inside. During the day I found I only needed a base layer of marino wool to stay warm in my tent. Anything else was too hot.

Click the image below for behind the scenes video.Changing lenses was pretty much impossible because of the flying snow and high winds on the sea ice (I tried it once and ended up with a camera and lens full of snow) so I chose to shoot with two cameras (2 x Canon EOS 1DX MKII) pretty much the entire time. Although I took my 600mm F4L IS MKII lens I only used it on two occasions and in both instances I could have simply walked closer and used something shorter. By far my most used lens was the 300mm F2.8L IS MKII and the 11-24mm F4L. I also shot with the 70-200mm F2.8L IS MKII and made a few images with the 85mm F1.2L MKII. Having now had the experience of camping on the sea ice with the Emperors I would not bother with the 600mm F4 Lens. Quite honestly I could go back with just the 300mm F2.8L IS MKII and the 11-24mm F4L or 16-35mm F4L and be completely content with that selection. Two of the other photographers with me shot extensively with the new 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS MKII lens and found this worked extremely well for them. There were no camera failures during the expedition, although I managed to get both my 1DX MKIII cameras so frozen on occasion that I could no longer turn the top or bottom dials (although the shutter kept firing without a problem). This problem is caused by snow hitting the camera and then melting under warm fingers before it runs into the side of the dials where it refreezes almost instantly. The key to avoiding this problem is to turn the dials frequently to prevent too much ice from building up. I spent a lot of time lying in the snow to be at eye level with the penguins so found this more of an issue than others on the expedition. The Sony camera on the expedition fared surprisingly well only suffering from the need for regular battery changes because of its small power cell. By comparison I only needed one battery charge per day in each 1DX MKII camera. Frozen Canon EOS 1DX MKII w/ Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS MKII emperorsexpedition2016-20062-edit I had arranged for a small step ladder to be taken down with us to our camp on the sea ice with the idea that we could use it to get some height over the colony. The idea I feel was a good one, but in practice it was impossible due to the winds. Any effort to erect and climb a ladder would have met with disaster so we had to make do as best we could in this respect. In practice it wasn’t really an issue I was able to find some pressure ridges to climb near the colony to get the required height. After four days of camping with the Emperors we made the decision to take advantage of a weather window to reverse engineer ourselves back to Union Glacier and back onto Punta Arenas. Union Glacier itself provides a plethora of landscape photographic opportunities and it was great to also take advantage of our time there to create some really dramatic images of the interior of Antarctica. The interior of Antarctica is a magnificent white landscape that is very much an untapped jewel for photographers. Only a small handful of photographers ever visit and photograph the interior of Antarctica. By comparison approximately thirty thousand people visit the peninsula of Antarctica annually. As such, in 2018 I plan to lead a second expedition to both the remote frozen sea ice and the interior of Antarctica for both the Emperor Penguins and the interior landscapes of Antarctica. We will use snow mobiles to access some of the incredible interior features including fields of blue ice, giant wind scoops, beautiful snow patterns, spectacular mountain ranges and much more. The expedition is also going to include an option for aerial photography of the spectacular and dramatic Mount Vinson Massif (the tallest mountain in Antarctica) and surrounding mountains. You can register your interest in this unique expedition by dropping me an email and I will keep you updated as logistics progress. There is no obligation at this point. I have mostly included behind the scenes photographs in this trip report. To see the full portfolio of images from this expedition please visit my website at www.jholko.com

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings

Antarctica, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Wildlife Photographs

I just wanted to wish all of you who may have travelled and photographed with me either past, present or future, who follow my blog and photography or even just stumbled across my work somewhere, a very happy and safe Christmas and festive season. I hope the elves brings you some wonderful new photography toys and that you are fortunate to spend this festive time with close friends and family. Wishing you good health and happiness and all the very best for the festive season and New Year.

It is going to be a busy couple of weeks for me before I head overseas again. I hope to finalise my 2016 What’s in Store Blog Post as well as finish the trip report from the Emperor Penguins. I hope to also process and share some of the images I made during this expedition (first preview below). For now though, its time to celebrate Christmas with friends and family, say thanks for a wonderful 2016 year and prepare to usher in the New Year. Roll on 2017. emperorsexpedition2016-13757-edit

German Magazine Fine Art Printer Magazine Features Portfolio from Antarctica and Iceland

Antarctica, Arctic, Iceland, Landscape Photographs, Media, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs

German magazine Fine Art Printer has just featured and published a portfolio of my photography from Iceland, Australia, the Arctic and Antarctica in issue #117. You can check out the feature by clicking on the image below to download a PDF of the article. You might need to brush up on your German!