Overview – Newfoundland Photography Workshop

Newfoundland is an astonishingly wild and beautiful island in the North Atlantic. The easternmost province in Canada provides the nature and wildlife photographer a multitude of subjects to satisfy your photography cravings. Imagine photographing playful puffins, glamorous gannets, humongous humpbacks, electrifying lighthouses, and eye-popping scenics too numerous to list all in one magnificent location…Newfoundland!

Newfoundland is a nature photographers dream. There are 35 million shorebirds (140 times the human population) and 22 species of whales including the largest population of Humpback Whales in the world to keep your camera clicking. The last of Newfoundlands photography trifecta is the icebergs. Newfoundland’s Iceberg Alley is the best place on earth to photograph the beautiful 10,000-year-old ice.

We invite you to join us on this exciting expedition on the eastern coast of Newfoundland for seven days as we photograph the natural wonders of the 16th largest island (150K square miles) in the world. During these seven days, we will photograph Newfoundland’s spectacular coastlines, lighthouses, icebergs, whales, puffins, gannets, and so much more.

Newfoundland Photography Workshop Highlights

  • 6 Nights and 7 Days
  • 3 Charter Boat Trips
  • Lodging and Local Transportation
  • Classroom and In-the-Field Instruction
  • Max Attendees: 6
  • 2 Veteran Pro Photographer Instructors

Arrive

Arrive in St. John’s NFLD by noon on July 24, 2022

Depart

Depart St.John’s after noon on July 30, 2022

Location

St John’s Newfoundland

Tuition

$5495 USD (C$6866) single and $4995 USD (C$6242) double

tagline

Arrive in St. Johns July 24, 2022, by 5PM
Depart from St. Johns July 30, 2022, after 1PM

July 24, 2022 – Day One

Arrive in St. Johns, Newfoundland and meet everyone at the hotel in St. Johns. Your arrival should be before 5pm. We will meet for a group dinner and discuss the itinerary for the week.

July 25, 2022 – Day Two

This morning we’ll be up early to head south for a sunrise photo shoot at Cape Spear Lighthouse. Stark white Cape Spear Lighthouse pierces a sky swirling with seabirds atop a craggy headland. It overlooks a vast expanse of indigo ocean where glittering processions of icebergs glide by, Humpback whales breach and pods of porpoises send misty spouts into the Atlantic air. On North America’s easternmost point of land, historic Cape Spear Lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador, offers a glimpse into the lives of 19th-century lighthouse keepers and their families.

In the afternoon we will photograph the historic waterfront area of St. John’s. You will be amazed as you watch massive cargo vessels glide past the Jelly Bean Houses that dot the cliffs about the bustling harbor.

July 26, 2022 – Day Three

Today we will drive north and explore the many seaside villages and lighthouses on our way to Bonavista Peninsula.

Photo opportunities may include the abandoned fishing village in Tickle Cove, the Red Cliff and the lighthouse at Kings Cove. If all goes as expected, we should also have a great day with the icebergs drifting offshore!

July 27, 2022 – Day Four

Today is about the icebergs, the Bald Eagles, and the awe-inspiring Humpback Whales. Whale watching is one of the most exciting activities you may ever experience but beware—you may get ‘hooked’ for life! You will be amazed by these “gentle giants” as we watch them feed, play, and migrate through our study area around the Bonavista Peninsula (the historical Heritage sites of Trinity and Bonavista are in the area). Jeff and Kevin are dedicated to showing you the best whales that in the North Atlantic has to offer including fin, humpback, sperm, minke, and pilot whales and, although rare, orcas too.

You may expect to see various species of dolphins and porpoises, eagles, and pelagic seabirds including puffins and northern gannets. We hope that you will walk off the boat feeling educated and enlightened by the experience with memory cards full.

In the afternoon we will head to Elliston to see the home to the Atlantic Puffin and has one of the closest land views of puffins in North America. The Atlantic Puffin is one of four species of puffins and is the only one that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. Elliston has approximately 300 nesting pairs at Elliston Point and about 1,000 pairs on Bird Island.

July 28, 2022 – Day Five

In the morning we will head out again on another private boat tour to photograph whales and icebergs in the same locations as we did the day prior.

From there we will photograph more puffins, you can never get enough puffin photos!

July 29, 2022 – Day Six

It’s a sunrise photo shoot at Cape Bonavista to photograph the lighthouses and rugged shorelines. The lighthouse at Cape Bonavista was built in 1843 and is one of the few in the world where you can still climb the stone tower and see the same seal oil-fueled catoptric light apparatus from the 1800s. Experience a light keeper’s day in 1870—a 24/7 job of polishing glass, filling oil lamps, recording weather patterns, and watching the waves from one of the most rugged points in Newfoundland.

In the afternoon we visit Skerwink Trail. The Skerwink Trail loop skirts the north and south coasts of Skerwink Head, a rocky peninsula that separates Trinity’s harbor from Port Rexton’s. The coastal area is formed of sedimentary rock (much of it sandstone), its exposed stone profile has been shaped by the pounding it takes from the Atlantic. Notable photo opportunities are the sea stacks and extremely rugged shoreline with pounding surf. Late in the day, we head to Elliston to photograph the nesting puffins once again before we head to Trinity for one last private whale and iceberg tour to finish our day.

July 30, 2022 – Day Seven

After a hearty breakfast and an early departure, we will leisurely make our way back to St. John’s for your outbound flights. Plan to depart after 1 PM.

A note about the itinerary, the itinerary above is what we will strive to show you. Weather and other things outside our control may make us move things around, last year we did a complete flip of the schedule and went north first. So don’t panic, any changes are made with your best interests at heart.

Included

Your tuition covers your hotel accommodations, local transportation including pickups and returns to the airport. Some breakfasts and meals as indicated in the workshop itinerary. You will also receive professional instruction and guidance from two experienced guides that are professional photographers. We try to level the amount of help to your needs. We are there to ensure that you make your best possible images.

Excluded

The tuition does not include international or domestic airfare. Travel insurance, alcohol, items of personal nature, anything not outlined as included

While in the field we will discuss camera settings, holding your camera correctly and what settings to consider using to maximize the number of shots that you believe to be “keepers.” We will also discuss bird habits to watch for to increase your success.

The tour size is limited to 4 photographers so you can count on minimal interruption from too many tripods and with a 4 to 1 client instructor ratio you can get a ton of one on one attention and education.

Expect lows in the 50s and highs in the 60s during our stay. You should be prepared for rain, sun, fog and everything else. Remember that we are in the North Atlantic and weather changes are frequent and unpredictable, so be ready for it all.

You will need a variety of lenses including a wide angle, a zoom of at least 300mm and a sturdy tripod. We advise that you use a gimbal style ballhead for the birds. A lens such as the 100-400 (Canon) or 80-400 (Nikon) that you can hand hold for the whale photography will be good.

Puffins are small and fast birds. At the rookery we may be 20 feet and we may be more than 50 yards. A big lens will help for these birds. If you don’t have at least a 500, you will be cropping. Fingers crossed that they are cooperative and come across to our side of the rock!

It’s almost impossible to list everything that you’ll need, so just get in touch, and we can talk about what you have and what you might need.

US Citizens Traveling To Canada*

Passport
Valid at time of entry. If you are transiting Canada en route to Europe, your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area.

Blank Passport Pages

One page required.

Visa Requirements

Not required for stays under 180 days.

Vaccination Recommendations

None

Arrival and Departure Airport

St. John’s International Airport (YYT) in Newfoundland is the destination airport. You should try to arrive before 5PM. We will pick you up at the airport and drive you to the hotel.

Arriving Early?
If you are arriving please let me know and we can help get your a room at the group hotel.

Departures
We will plan to drop you off at the St John’s Airport around 1:00 PM. This should be adequate time for departures after 3:00 PM.

Lodging & Transportation

All of the transportation and hotels are included during the workshop, so no worries, just get your self in and out of Newfoundland and we have done the rest!

Trip Insurance

I always use trip insurance for my travels. It’s so much easier and with so many more benefits when you compare it with your insurance. I’ve found the costs to be reasonable given the benefits. I use Travel Guard when I travel and even though; I’ve not had a claim they were helpful and easy to deal with on the phone.

*Information for US citizens travel to Canada was obtained from the US Department of State and was valid as of December, 2017. If you are traveling to Canada from another country, please check with your embassy to check the travel requirements for your country.

Click the Green Button at the Bottom the page and that will take you to my payment processor and you can choose your favorite method of payment. In the White Box you can enter the number of places that you would like to book.

About 30 days before departure, you will get a welcome kit with the nuts and bolts of what to expect. Of course, feel free to email me or call me and we can talk about it as much as you like!

There is a 2.5% convenience fee to pay your balance by credit cards. There are no fees with any of the listed payment methods for your deposit. Be sure to read the Terms and Conditions and or the FAQ to fully understand about deposits, cancellations and other important, but boring stuff.

I’ve been very passively advising my clients to purchase travel insurance for a while, but lately it seems like there have been multiple people having travel issues. Some have lost their deposits and sometimes even the cost of the entire trip!

Based on my client’s experience, I cannot stress more strongly how crucial it is to purchase travel insurance. Like I said before, and here it comes again, there is never a way to predict what is going to happen when you are booking trips months and years into the future.

You can read more about my thoughts about the importance of travel insurance in this blog post.

Or you can go get a free quote and book your vital travel insurance.

https://wildlifeworkshops.link/Travel_Insurance_Quote

Registration Information

Workshop Fees
This workshop is $5495 (Single Occupancy) $4995 (Double Occupancy) US Dollars.

If you are a solo traveler, I will do everything I can to assist you in finding a suitable person to share your lodging. If we cannot find a person for you to share accommodations, the single supplement will apply.

Deposit
The deposit for this workshop is $500USD. The deposit can be paid by PayPal, Credit Card, Wire Transfer or Check. Actually, if you have another way you would like to pay, I am open to new ideas when it comes to collecting money!

The balance of the workshop tuition will be due May 25, 2022 (60 days prior).

Ready to Go?

You are going to join a very experienced group leader, you are going to create great images, you are going to leave a better photographer than when you arrived, and we’ll have some laughs along the way! You Will Be Amazed!

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