Western Newfoundland

Join me for 8 days and 7 nights exploring the west coast of Newfoundland in October. This is a landscape and night photography workshop with a wildlife bonus: we'll photograph rugged coastlines, lighthouses, sea cliffs, the otherworldly Tablelands of Gros Morne National Park, caribou during their fall movements, and the Milky Way.

This workshop is timed around the new moon for the best Milky Way conditions. We will also keep an eye on the aurora forecast.

We may also visit Labrador for a night to photograph Point Amour Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada. A 90 minute ferry ride from Newfoundland to Labrador is required, which would be included in the cost of the workshop.

Why tour Newfoundland with me? I've been going to Newfoundland for over 10 years and know the best spots for landscapes, caribou, and dark skies.

Bring camera gear for everything from super wide angle night sky lenses to long telephoto lenses for wildlife, and clothing appropriate for weather of all kinds.

Tuition is $3850 and covers photography instruction and guiding — it does not include meals, lodging, or transportation.

Moderate hiking on rugged coastal trails with steep sections, hills, and loose rock beaches.

We may do a bit of hiking during some days, possibly 2-3 miles round trip depending on the schedule. This is on rugged coastal trails with exposed roots, rocks, and small hills. Other days there will be little or no hiking.

At night we do far less hiking but it can still be uneven or rocky terrain. All night spots we visit are short hikes, half mile or so one way, unless the group is up for a longer hike.

Please advise me of any mobility issues.

In addition to your camera, lenses, batteries, etc, you must have the following:

• Sturdy tripod.
• If we have any editing sessions — Laptop for editing your photos. To get the most out of the editing sessions you MUST have up to date versions of Lightroom Classic (or other professional raw editor) and Photoshop installed.
  PLEASE NOTE: Lightroom is NOT THE SAME AS Lightroom Classic.
• Proper footwear — Hiking boots recommended for some outings.
• Warm clothing - It can get cold on the coast at night, expect it to drop into the 50s in the summer, and 40s or 30s in June and September.

For Milky Way Workshops:

• Night photography lens — For full frame cameras this would be a 14mm f/2.8 lens or similar, for crop cameras you'll want 12mm f/2.8 or similar. Ask me if you have questions!
• Remote shutter release with timer and extra batteries, preferably one with a programmable timer. Or your camera may have an intervalometer and/or bulb timer built in, many newer cameras have this. If you're not sure then you can ask me in your application below.
• Lens warmer to keep your lens fog-free at night — I will have enough available to loan to everyone if you don't have your own. Something like thisMove Shoot Move lens heaterwith thisAnker batteryis what you want (with velcro, gaffer tape, or some pouch to attach the battery to your tripod). You can use any USB battery pack but this Anker one is small and light and will power the lens heater for 4-5 hours.
• Headlamp with a red LED mode. Your headlamp MUST have a red LED mode on it to limit the amount of light that will get into the shots of other workshop participants and to help preserve your night vision. One like thisBlack Diamond Cosmoworks very well.

Deer Lake (YDF) is the closest airport to the workshop area and has rental cars available. You will want to book your rental car early.

You might also want to consider driving to Newfoundland, it will allow you to bring all your camera gear. You will take the ferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia and arrive in Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland. Marine Atlantic is the ferry operator. The ferry ride is about 6.5 or so hours depending on conditions. You need to arrive at the ferry terminal 2 hours prior to departure. The ferry sells out so I recommend booking early, especially if you want a cabin.

Meeting location is TBD, on the west coast of Newfoundland.

I am looking into a lodging package — details TBD.

Lodging is not included — you pay for your own lodging.

Lodging details will be provided once the dates are finalized. There are inns, motels, and B&Bs, and there are a lot of small cottages on Airbnb and VRBO for very reasonable rates. I'm happy to help you find a place.

Newfoundland is a great place for RVs with lots of free boondocking. I will likely be staying in my small RV, you can boondock with me if you have a small RV. Check with me about that.

Tuition is $3850 per person. Since the workshop dates are so close, full payment is required to book your spot and is due within 24 hours of approval of your registration request.

Tuition covers photography instruction and guiding only. Meals, lodging, and transportation (including ferries and rental cars) are your responsibility and are not included.

Please fill out the form below to request your spot in the workshop. I'll check your equipment list to see if it will work for the workshop and I'll e-mail you back with information on how to pay the tuition online.

You must be 18 years of age or older. By filling out this form you acknowledge that you understand the weather and cancellation policies.