Pacific Northwest Photography Workshop in Canada

The Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, typifies the majesty of the Pacific Northwest, boasting flawless natural beauty accentuated by a tapestry of vibrant communities.

This area inspires many renowned artists and artisans, who honor the magic of this land by bringing it into the physical realm. Add to that a climate that summons outdoor enthusiasts from all corners of the Earth and it is clear that Vancouver Island is poised to please the photographer.

Dates: August 1, 2016 to August 7, 2016

Instructors: Kevin Allen Pepper and Chris Pepper

Arrivals and departures: Please be in Richmond, British Columbia to be picked up at 10am on day one. Plan your departure on the last day after 5pm as we will be dropping you off in Vancouver at 2pm.

Price for the workshop: $3975CAD (at current exchange rate, the workshop is $2880USD)

Deposit to secure your place in the workshop is $1000.00CAD

Included: All accommodation in two bedroom cabins, two ferry rides, entrance fees to Buchart gardens, all meals except that which is not covered in itinerary, all National park entrance fees, all Provincial park entry fees, 9 to 12 hours of wildlife viewing on boats, transportation

Not Included: items of personal nature, alcohol, laundry, travelers insurance, extra nights if needed.

Day One – Monday

You will be picked up at the Vancouver International airport or your hotel in Richmond near the airport. Pickup is at 10:30am.

From there we will take a ferry ride across the Georgia Strait, ending up in Nanaimo.

From Nanaimo we head west towards the west coast of Canada to your cabins.

We are located in Ucluelet at terrace beach right at the start of the Wild Pacific Trail and Amphitrite point lighthouse just south of the pacific rim national park, world famous long beach, Clayoquot sound and Tofino; and just north of the Broken Group Islands and Barkley sound.

Stay in two bedroom cabins in Ucluelet (Dinner included)

Day two – Tuesday

Today we will walk part of the Wild Pacific Trail. This easy, family-friendly trail traces the edge of reefs where shipwrecks, whales and vistas abound. You will be enthralled by Vancouver Island’s dramatic beauty and helpful interpretive signs will enrich your visit to Ucluelet’s famous 9km trail network. A perfect destination for photographers

Tonight we will visit one of the secluded beaches for a sunset photo session.

Stay in two bedroom cabins in Ucluelet (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)

Day Three – Wednesday

Today we will walk part of the Wild Pacific Trail. This easy, family-friendly trail traces the edge of reefs where shipwrecks, whales and vistas abound. You will be enthralled by Vancouver Island’s dramatic beauty and helpful interpretive signs will enrich your visit to Ucluelet’s famous 9km trail network. A perfect destination for photographers

Today at low tide we will go and photograph the black bears. Resident bears come down to the beaches at low tide to forage for such beach delicacies as rock crab, starfish and even a bit of kelp. They are an absolute pleasure to watch from the boat and thanks to their poor eyesight they are usually unaware of our presence so long as we keep quiet and a respectable distance up wind.

Tonight we will visit one of the secluded beaches or inlets for a sunset photo session.

Stay in two or three bedroom cabins in Ucluelet (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)  

Transportation time today is no longer than 20 minutes.    

Tonight we will visit one of the secluded beaches for a sunset photo session.

Stay in two bedroom cabins in Ucluelet (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)

Day Four - Thursday

We will leave our lodge after breakfast and head towards Cowichan Bay. On the way we will stop at Cathedral Grove. Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, is one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island. Here visitors can stroll through a network of trails under the shadow of towering ancient Douglas-fir trees, majestic pillars untouched by the modern world – some more than 800 years old.

When we arrive in Cowichan Bay you will have the opportunity to wander the seaside town and take photos around the harbour.

After dinner we will head out our first Whale Watching tours to focus on the Southern Resident Orca Whales, Transient Orca Whales, Humpback Whales, Grey Whales and Minke Whales. You will also encounter Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, Harbour Seals, Dalls and Harbour Porpoise as well as a myriad of marine birds on your whale watching eco tour.

Stay in two bedroom cabins or lodge in Cowichan Bay (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)

Day Five – Friday

Today is all about the sea life in the ocean around Cowichan Bay. Today we will head out for two Whale Watching tours to focus on the Southern Resident Orca Whales, Transient Orca Whales, Humpback Whales, Grey Whales and Minke Whales. You will also encounter Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, Harbour Seals, Dalls and Harbour Porpoise as well as a myriad of marine birds on your whale watching eco tour.

One tour in the morning light, one in the evening light. – 6 to 8 hours on the water over two outings.

Stay in two bedroom cabins or lodge in Cowichan Bay (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)

Day Six Saturday

Today we depart for Buchart Gardens in the afternoon to Victoria. Here you will photograph the world famous Butchart Gardens is a wonderland containing spectacular theme gardens, exotic plants, streams and ponds. Ross Fountain, the famous Sunken Garden, Rose Garden and Japanese Garden are sure to create a lasting impression.

The Butchart Gardens firework shows began in 1977 and continue to be one of The Gardens’ most popular draws. The show times and dates vary from year to year, so please check below for the detailed schedule. The same show happens each Saturday but changes from year to year. If you’d like to get a sense of what our firework shows are like have a look at postings on YouTube and Flickr.

After the show we will linger a while to enjoy the Night Illuminations and a half hour live recital from the rare Aeolian Pipe Organ situated in the loft of the Organ Pavilion.

Stay in two bedroom cabins or lodge in Cowichan Bay (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)

Day Seven – Sunday

Today we wake and depart for the ferry terminal for a late morning sailing back to Vancouver. You will be dropped off at the airport by 2pm, or at your local hotel.

(Breakfast included)

Are you ready to photograph orcas and stunning seascapes? Please email kevinapepper@outlook.com to register.

Canadian Spotlight - Vancouver Island

With nearly 1,000 Provincial Parks, National Parks, Marine Parks, Regional Parks, Protected Areas, Conservancy Areas, and Ecological Reserves. Some from volcanic rock and full of beauty and natural splendor, Vancouver Island and the BC Gulf Island and Discovery Islands offer magnificent rain forests, towering mountains, sparkling blue seas, remote shell beaches, and secluded bays. Rugged Central and North Vancouver Island feature a largely uninhabited wilderness of forests, lakes and snow-capped peaks. The Pacific Rim on the West coast delivers wild landscapes, old-growth forest, and never-ending sandy beaches, with wildlife residents such as black bear, cougar, Elk, bald eagles, a variety of whales, Vancouver Island is a unique, natural paradise awaiting exploration through your lens.

The first area I want to highlight is the Tofino area. Tofino is a pretty fishing village at the tip of Esowista Peninsula near the entrance to Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is here where you step into the land of the “Group of Seven” painters and capture the essence of the Pacific Northwest… The Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, typifies the majesty of the Pacific Northwest, boasting flawless natural beauty accentuated by a tapestry of vibrant communities.

This area inspires many renowned artists and artisans, who honor the magic of this land by bringing it into the physical realm. Add to that a climate that summons outdoor enthusiasts from all corners of the Earth and it is clear that this area is poised to please the photographer.

An ancient settlement on the northern edge of Barkley Sound, Ucluelet takes its name from the Nuu-chah-nulth phrase, Yu-clutl-ahts, the people with a good landing place for canoes.

A bit further south is Ucluelet. Ucluelet is situated in the Long Beach of Pacific Rim National Park, located between the villages of Tofino and Ucluelet – the most accessible and most developed component of the Pacific Rim National Park. Named for its 12-mile stretch of surf-swept sand, Long Beach is open year-round and offers outstanding beach hiking, surfing, storm watching and whale watching. The open sea stretches off unbroken and vacant, while the elemental forces at play here, the winds and tides, the sun and rain, excite within visitors a deep-seated resonance, a sense of belonging in this place.

Both Tofino and Ucluelet are excellent areas to observe, and photograph numerous whale species, bald eagles that dot the shoreline, and black bear.

As we move east, we always visit the charming and picturesque seaside village of Cowichan Bay. Cowichan Bay is located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Cowichan Bay settlement started in the 1850s as a Hudson’s Bay Company fort. The original site was located at the flats at the top of Cowichan Bay. Cowichan Bay was the earliest development north of Victoria, with Europeans settling on the secluded Cowichan Bay to farm and trap, and eventually moving into fishing and logging. In 1862 the HMS Hecate arrived with a boatload of settlers. A store and hotel soon followed, and by 1900 Cowichan Bay was a tourist mecca with steamboats calling regularly at the government dock.

Cowichan Bay draws its name from an Island Halkomelem word meaning warm country or land warmed by the sun. The name originated because of a large rock formation on the side of Mount Tzuhalem that supposedly resembled a frog basking in the sun. Originally both Cowichan Lake and the settlement were known as Kaatza, the Cowichan word for big lake. The Cowichan Bay area and much of the southern Strait of Georgia is the traditional land of the Cowichan First Nation.

Today, the village of Cowichan Bay and the surrounding area is home to historic buildings and a host of artists, craftspeople, unique shops, and cottage industries – including some fine local wineries and organic farms. Take a step back in time to enjoy the slower pace of life in this community that embraces the values of local resources and sustainability.

But this is much more than that. All you have to do is look towards the ocean. Its home to dozens, if not hundreds of transient and resident Orca Whales. This area has always been our favorite, and first choice to take zodiac tours to follow the orca pods to watch them frolic, hunt and breach amidst some of the most photogenic islands in the Pacific Northwest.

The viewing of wildlife on and around Vancouver Island and the Gulf and Discovery Islands of BC offers something for all nature lovers and wildlife photographers. Whale watching requires little introduction, as British Columbia is well known as the place on earth to watch migrating and resident whales feeding, breaching or spy-hopping. The phenomenon of salmon spawning draws people from all over the world to the Pacific Northwest to watch schools of salmon return from the sea to lay their roe in their ancestral spawning grounds. Vancouver Island happens to be conveniently located on the Pacific Flyway for the millions of migrating birds that miraculously find their way north and south with the changing of the seasons. Vancouver Island supports black bears, cougars, wolves, elk, deer and many other mammal and bird species, both abundant and threatened in numbers.

Whale watching around Vancouver Island in British Columbia is an exceptional experience that will leave you awestruck after watching whales that weigh thousands of pounds frolic in their natural habitat. Killer whales (Orcas), Gray whales, Humpback whales and Minke whales ply the waves and perform their watery rituals. Whale Watching tours are operated along the east coast of Vancouver Island, from Victoria to Campbell River and Port Hardy, on the west coast of the island out of Tofino and Ucluelet, and from the BC Gulf Islands and Discovery Islands. Whale watching at its best!

And finally, there is Campbell River. Campbell River marks the spot where the open waters of the Georgia Strait narrow down and fill with a tight cluster of islands. The BC mainland’s coastal mountain range looms large to the east.

The Discovery Passage runs north along the coast of Quadra Island through Seymour Narrows (famous for its surging tides) and onwards to the Johnstone Strait. This is prime whale watching and salmon fishing. In fact, this area has been called the salmon fishing capitol of the world… and it’s just not humans that know it. The bears know it too.

That is why we visit the area. We go to photograph the black bear and Grizzly Bear as they feed on the surging salmon coming inland to spawn.

We have numerous trips running on Vancouver Island… Please visit our Canadian workshop page as we are constantly adding tours for wildlife and for landscapes. http://northof49photography.com/photo-workshops/