2027 VANCOUVER ISLAND

A summer photography tour and workshop in Glacier National Park.

JUNE 2027 TBD

Vancouver Island is one of North America's most diverse photography destinations, offering an extraordinary combination of rugged coastlines, ancient rainforests, cascading waterfalls, abundant wildlife, and some of the most dramatic seascapes found anywhere on the Pacific Coast. This small-group workshop has been carefully designed to showcase the island's most photogenic regions. Over the course of the journey, we'll explore wild stretches of coastline, hidden waterfalls, old-growth forests, iconic Pacific Rim beaches, and remote wildlife habitats while helping participants improve their technical and creative photography skills.

From the sandstone formations and tide pools of the southwest coast to the famous beaches of Tofino and Ucluelet, photographers will experience an incredible variety of subjects and conditions. Along the way we'll visit renowned locations such as Botanical Beach, Sombrio Beach, Long Beach, Chesterman Beach, Amphitrite Point, and several lesser-known hidden gems that offer outstanding photographic opportunities away from the crowds.

A highlight of the workshop is an included wildlife photography excursion along Vancouver Island's spectacular west coast, offering opportunities to photograph whales, black bears, bald eagles, sea lions, seabirds, and other marine wildlife in their natural environment.

Whether your passion is landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, drone photography, long exposures, or storytelling through photography, this workshop offers an immersive experience in one of Canada's most spectacular natural environments. 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 & SHANE KALYN                 

GROUP SIZE: 8 - 10 Participants

COST: $4250 USD (No Lodging) / $4750 USD (Single Room Lodging Included)

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

INCLUDED: Premium lodging (single room occupancy for the entire trip), transportation during the workshop, expert instruction, in-field guiding, image reviews, post-processing discussions, and a guided wildlife boat tour

NOT INCLUDED: Airfare, meals, transportation to Victoria, camera equipment, Travel Insurance

ITINERARY

Our journey begins in historic Victoria, British Columbia, where participants will meet the instructors, settle into the workshop, and enjoy an introductory evening together. Depending on conditions and participant interest, there may be opportunities for optional evening photography within the city.

From there, we venture into Vancouver Island's wild southwest coast, a region known for its rugged shorelines, world-class tidepools, ancient forests, dramatic waterfalls, and constantly changing Pacific weather. This area provides endless opportunities for creative landscape photography, from intimate forest scenes to expansive coastal vistas shaped by centuries of wind and surf.

As we make our way north through the island's interior and eastern regions, we'll photograph abundant waterfalls, rivers, old-growth forests, and scenic landscapes that showcase the incredible diversity of Vancouver Island's ecosystems.

The second half of the workshop focuses on the world-famous Pacific Rim region surrounding Tofino and Ucluelet. Here, endless sweeping beaches, crashing surf, rugged rocky shorelines, ancient rainforest trails, and dynamic coastal weather combine to create some of Canada's finest landscape photography opportunities.

This region is also one of British Columbia's premier wildlife photography destinations. Included in the workshop is a dedicated wildlife boat excursion, giving participants the opportunity to photograph a variety of marine wildlife which may include whales, black bears, bald eagles, sea lions, seabirds, and other marine wildlife along the rugged Pacific coastline. Combined with spectacular coastal landscapes, this wildlife experience creates a unique opportunity to build a highly diverse portfolio within a single destination.

During our time in the Pacific Rim, we will focus on maximizing photographic opportunities based on conditions, tides, wildlife activity, and weather. Sunrise and sunset sessions along the coast are complemented by rainforest photography, drone opportunities, image reviews, and wildlife-focused outings throughout the region.

The workshop concludes after our final morning session on the west coast before participants begin their journey home.

During the workshop, sunrise and sunset sessions will be prioritized whenever conditions allow, while daytime hours may be spent exploring forests, waterfalls, wildlife locations, processing images, or scouting future compositions. As with all Destination Earth Photo Tours workshops, flexibility is key. Weather, tides, wildlife activity, and light conditions will guide our daily decisions to ensure we maximize photographic opportunities.

We will be staying in carefully selected, comfortable hotels and coastal lodges that offer a relaxed and welcoming base after full days in the field. These quality accommodations provide a balance of comfort and convenience, giving participants a chance to unwind, rest, and review images in a premium setting.

USEFUL INFO / PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY

This workshop is rated Easy to Moderate.

Many photography locations are accessed directly from parking areas or via short walks. However, some of the most rewarding locations require moderate hikes along forest trails, coastal paths, rocky beaches, or uneven terrain. These walks are generally not long, but participants should be comfortable carrying their camera equipment over natural surfaces that may occasionally be muddy, rocky, or steep. A reasonable level of mobility will allow participants to fully enjoy the widest range of photographic opportunities available throughout the workshop.

The Pacific Coast is known for rapidly changing weather conditions. Participants should be prepared for everything from sunshine and calm seas to rain, fog, wind, and dramatic storms—all of which can create exceptional photographic conditions.

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The sun rises at approximately 5:30 am and sets at 9:30 pm during this time of the year in northern Montana. Add in driving time to and from locations and this will make for very early mornings and late nights. Temperatures can range from 40 degrees at night to 90 degrees during the day.

Physical difficulty of the locations will be easy to strenuous. It is important for participants to be in good physical health. While many locations will be a short distance from a parking lot, there will be a couple more strenuous hikes of up to 6 miles roundtrip with elevation gains up to 1000 ft and some short but steep sections. We will not be doing very much hiking off trail and all of the trails in the park are well maintained, however some are more difficult than others. 

AIRPORT / ACCOMMODATIONS / RENTAL CAR INFO

REWRITE BELOW……..For those that would like to include lodging as part of this workshop, standard single occupancy rooms have been secured at local motel in St. Mary, Montana, and charged at cost for the nights of July 17 - 21, with checkout on Thursday July 22. This time of the year is very busy for the park, so if you would like to handle your own lodging then it is strongly recommended that reservations are made at the same time as a workshop deposit and spot has been reserved. Please contact us if you have any questions or need help to book lodging. 

We will be using the St. Mary park entrance as our home base and meeting point. Lodging near there includes: St. Mary Lodge, St. Mary KOA Campground (tents, RVs, cabins), Johnson's of St.Mary, the Cottages at Glacier as well as the St. Mary campground and Rising Sun campground inside the park itself.

The nearest airport is Glacier International Airport in Kalispell, MT. It is 75 mile drive to St. Mary and will take approximately two and a half hours (crossing through the park on Going to the Sun Rd).

A standard small to mid size rental car will be fine for this workshop. There will be no high clearance roads, and while there are a couple rough pot-holed roads, by driving slowing and carefully a regular car can handle it no problem. As parking can be tight we will also be carpooling to locations as often as possible. 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

An adventure packed week in one of the most beautiful national parks in America! We will find the best photo spots in Glacier National Park as we travel around the area. Photography locations will take us to nearly every corner of the park including Two Medicine, Lake McDonald, Logan Pass and Many Glacier. As stated previously there will be early mornings and late evenings but the days are structured to not wear anyone out and get the most enjoyment of the surroundings and scenery. I will provide tips in the field to capture images correctly "in camera" with the goal being that 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. I am an open book and willing to share any tips or tricks I’ve learned to help you turn your photos into art!

CANCELLATION POLICY & TRAVEL INSURANCE - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

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 Chris 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 getting travel insurance to cover such costs. Two companies that we recommend are Ripcord and Squaremouth.

A $500 admin fee will be charged for changes or cancellations, regardless of when that occurs. 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 will 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.