2025 CANADIAN ROCKIES FALL COLORS

Witness incredible mountain peaks complimented with fall colors in the Canadian Rockies on this photography workshop in Autumn 2025

SEPTEMBER 21 - 27, 2025 *** SOLD OUT ***

The towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies are always an impressive sight, drawing millions of visitors every year to this North American treasure. Pairing them with the beauty of fall colors and you have a combination that landscape photographers just live for! Throughout the mountain ranges in Alberta and British Columbia, with turning leaves highlighting the landscape, there are photographic opportunities around every bend in the road. Imagine yourself standing in a field surrounded by peaks composing a beautiful scene with your camera. Seeing every breath as you take in that crisp mountain air of the cold morning while letting those creative juices flow. The excitement builds as the light starts to hit the incredible mountain range before our eyes. This will be our environment for one full week in the best of the Rockies!

On this 7 day Autumn Photography Workshop we will be spending our time in search of the best conditions and locations with visits to Banff, Kootenay, Mount Assiniboine and Jasper all being possibilities. We could spend all morning photographing sunken aspen trees, and the afternoon jagged mountain peaks with fresh snowfall and golden larches. We have planned this workshop to stay fluid with locations and still take advantage of special opportunities only afforded to those planning well ahead. You will be guided to some of the most beautiful places in the area including some off the beaten path, and provided with expert instruction on how best to capture the light and interesting compositions. The goal of the workshop is to give you the ability to explore, learn, and fine tune your photography skills both in the field as well in post processing development to bring your images to life.

INSTRUCTORS : CHRIS BYRNE & DANI LEFRANCOIS                    

GROUP SIZE : 10 Participants

COST : $5950

DEPOSIT : A 50% deposit is required to secure a spot, with the balance due 90 days prior to workshop

INCLUDED: 7 Nights Lodging

NOT INCLUDED: Meals, Transportation

This workshop is currently Sold Out. Please click here to Join The Waitlist.

ITINERARY

We will meet in the afternoon on Sunday September 21 at our hotel in Banff for introductions and a brief orientation before heading out to shoot through sunset followed by dinner. After the first day, we will meet well before sunrise to get to the best possible locations to chase the morning light and continue shooting until the sun is too high and light too harsh. Our morning sessions can be extended by finding small scenes or backlit trees to photograph while the sun rises in the sky. We will break each day in the late morning until mid afternoon to eat and rest up for our afternoon/evening photography session. On some days we will be driving to our next hotel location during the middle of the day. As time allows, we will also be doing post processing instruction in both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for those that are interested. We will gather several hours before sunset to take advantage of the late afternoon sun and mountain shadows and continue photographing until the last of the evening light fades. Our last night together will be on Saturday September 27 and participants should plan to travel home the following day.

USEFUL INFO / PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY

The sun rises at approximately 7:30 am and sets at 7:30 pm during this time of the year in Canada. Add in driving time to and from locations and we could be leaving at 5:30am in the morning or getting back at 10pm some evenings. We will do our best to make sure we have a good meal before setting out for the evening. Temperatures can range from 30 degrees in the mornings to 60 degrees during the day, so be sure to pack layers, hats, gloves, hand warmers, etc.

Physical difficulty of the locations will be easy to moderate. For reference Banff sits at 4500 feet above sea level and we may drive or hike to higher elevations. Taking a helicopter ride is a very real possibility to gain access to one of our most breathtaking locations and nightly stays. It is important for participants to be in good physical health. While many locations will be a short distance from a parking lot, there is a possibility for longer hikes with an elevation gain of a thousand feet. All hiking is optional and we will give you the best descriptions of terrain and difficulty for any hikes that we plan on doing with the group.

AIRPORT / ACCOMMODATIONS / RENTAL CAR INFO

We will be moving hotels a few times and begin our trip in Banff on September 21, 2025. All lodging is included for the nights of September 21 through September 27, checking out on Sunday September 28 and traveling home on that date. Lodging will be single occupancy rooms except for our two nights that will be spent at Mt. Assiniboine which will be double occupancy.

The nearest airport is Calgary (YYC) which approximately a 90 minute drive to Banff.

Transportation and meals are not included in this workshop. We will be carpooling during this trip and a standard rental car will be sufficient.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Mountain peaks and more mountain peaks with fall colors! This time of year is our favorite time to explore and create among some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in North America. The Canadian Rockies are a special place with enough variety of the landscape that is also easily accessible. The area really gets transformed when the leaves begin to turn in September. Crisp mountain air, glowing yellow larch trees, winding rivers and beautiful mountain scenery will all be a daily occurance. We will be driving quite a bit to cover as much ground as possible of this diverse area, all in an effort to create breathtaking and memorable images..

The days are structured to not wear anyone out and get the most enjoyment of the surroundings and scenery. We will provide tips in the field to capture images correctly "in camera" with the goal being that technical part becomes second nature and students can then focus on the creative aspects of landscape and nature photography. Post processing instruction will run the gamut of importing and organizing files into Lightroom to processing images in Lightroom and Photoshop and finally prepping images for the internet or for print. We are an open book and willing to share any tips or tricks we’ve picked up over the years to help you turn your photos into art!

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS

DANI LEFRANCOIS

Throughout my life I have always had a passion for Canada and the Canadian landscape. As a kid I have fond memories of family road trips around Southern Ontario and the East Coast of Canada. I would spend my summers in the small but beautiful Ontario wilderness. I was constantly hiking the Niagara Escarpment, exploring hidden caves, canoeing rivers and wading through streams catching (then releasing) crayfish. Spending the time and being in nature has always felt like home. Being lucky enough to experience what I did as a child, it has inspired me to become a photographer and capture the big and beautiful Canada in all its wonder. After 25 years living in the beautiful Niagara region just 20 minutes from the world-famous Niagara Falls, I decided I needed more room to explore and moved to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in 2011. It has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life and I am happy to be able to get back to my childhood love of road trips by filling my days with adventures around one of Canada's most celebrated and spectacular landscapes.

CHRIS BYRNE

Hello there! I’m Chris Byrne and I spent way too many years aimlessly wandering the earth and working for the man before finding my true passion in nature and landscape photography. My love of nature started very early in life as I would study the photographs in my dad’s huge collection of National Geographics, and also spend as much time as I could out exploring in the woods with my younger brother. Fast forward many years and after getting a finance degree in college I went to work in the stock market for over fifteen years (and didn’t get rich). During my time, I saw first hand two of the most devastating financial crises in our country’s history, and after the second go around I completely lost interest in my profession and desperately needed something more. I found myself in a place in life without any inspiration or excitement for what I was doing.

Then on a trip to Glacier, Montana I rediscovered my love of nature. However, the photographs I was trying to get just didn’t do the place any justice. It was then that I decided to get serious about photography and quickly poured all of myself into the craft, learning as much as possible as quickly as I could. I was a super sponge and had a new passion for life! As soon as I became proficient in my skills, I wanted to share my knowledge and began teaching others. Now I lead workshops to some of the best places on the globe.

Along the way I’ve won a few awards, but with so many contests out there, I wouldn’t claim that’s a good judge of a good teacher. Rather I am proud to be able to inspire others and spend as much time as I possibly can with each person in helping them connect with nature while teaching the techniques to capture the images that they want to create. Seeing people make breakthroughs in their art is something that I cherish. I truly believe that nature is good for the soul. The more you explore, the more you will be inspired. Join me on an unforgettable photography adventure!

CANCELLATION POLICY

We reserve the right to cancel the workshop if minimum participants are not met or in the event of an emergency. In the event of emergency where a guide cannot personally attend, then a replacement guide will be the first option. If a cancellation does occur, participants may either use the fee towards a future workshop or receive a full refund. We are not responsible for travel expenses incurred and therefore strongly recommend travel insurance to cover such costs.

A $200 change fee will be charged for changes or cancellations. Participants who cancel prior to 90 days before the workshop will receive either a full refund or credit to a future workshop minus the change fee. Any cancellations within 90 days of the workshop cannot be refunded under any circumstances. Only if we are able to fill the vacancy, will the participant receive a credit to a future workshop minus the change fee. Workshop credits are good for one calendar year from the date of the missed workshop.

Any cancellations within 30 days of the workshop (for any reason) will forfeit their entire registration fee as it is extremely difficult to fill the space on that short of notice. If a true emergency arises last minute we will do our best to work with you granting a partial credit towards a future workshop, but this is not guaranteed. Again travel insurance is strongly recommended.