Clowns of the Sea - Puffins! Breaching Humpbacks! Stunning Icebergs!

Clowns of the Sea - Puffins! Breaching Humpbacks! Stunning Icebergs!

Newfoundland is an astonishingly wild and beautiful island in the North Atlantic. Newfoundland provides the nature and wildlife photographer a great trifecta of targets: birds, whales, and icebergs!

Newfoundland (new-fund-land) 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.

You Will Be AMAZED!

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
• Max Attendees: 8
• Tuition: $4295 for shared, $4595 for single room

Birds, Whales, & Icebergs Workshop Details

Newfoundland Workshop Dates

2018
Arrive in St. Johns July 29, 2018
Depart from St. Johns August 4, 2018

Newfoundland Workshop Daily Schedule

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.

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 head one of the largest Northern Gannet colony in North America. The reserve we will be visiting by boat contains 260,000 pairs of the province’s official bird nest here during the late spring and summer. Notably, the area also hosts the second-largest Leach’s Storm Petrel colony in the world-more than 620,000 pairs come here to nest. Also, black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres appear in the thousands.

Day Three
This morning we will head once again to Cape St. Marys for Canada’s largest colony of Northern Gannets. Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve is a wonderland for bird photographers and explorers alike. The sheer spectacle of the 25,000 gannets, 500,000 puffins, and 7 million storm-petrels, just to name a few is mind boggling. We suggest that you bring plenty of memory cards! This captivating area is one of seven seabird ecological reserves protected by provincial legislation. Its natural beauty makes it perfect for nature walks and family adventures.

Cape St. Mary’s is the most accessible seabird rookery in North America. Bird Rock is the third largest nesting site and the southernmost colony of Northern Gannets in North America. Cape St. Mary’s is also the southernmost breeding area for Thick-billed Murres in the world and the southernmost major breeding site for Common Murres in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. This site is overflowing with perching, diving, and scrambling birds from edge to edge—melding together into an awe inspiring moving, breathing spectacle of color and sound.

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 our area 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 sea birds including puffins and northern gannets. It is our hope that you will walk off the boat feeling educated and enlightened by the experience with memory cards full.

Today we will have a private boat tour that starts at 5:30 and we will be on the water for 3 hours.

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.

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 head to another puffin colony in Elliston. Here you will sit on the edge of cliffs and photograph over 1,200 mating pairs of puffins.

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 1800’s. 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.

Day Seven
After a hearty breakfast and an early departure we will stop for one final photo session to photograph the largest Puffin colony in North America. From there we are headed 2 hours south to St. Johns to have you at the airport in St. Johns by 3:00 pm.

Birds, Whales, & Icebergs Workshop Inclusions

Included in the Workshop

Shared occupancy lodging throughout
All transportation including airport transfers
Photographic guiding and instruction from two pros
Image reviews, critiques and post-processing instruction
Fun, inspiration and a fantastic time!

Not Included in the Workshop

Transportation to/from St. Johns, Newfoundland
Items of a personal nature
All meals and Alcoholic beverages
Anything not specifically listed as included

Birds, Whales, & Icebergs Equipment and Gear

Expect lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s during our stay. You should be prepared for rain, sun, fog and everything else. The 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, tripod, remote release, big glass is OK, but not required. A lens such as the 100-400 (Canon) or 80-400 (Nikon) that you can hand hold for the whale photography will be helpful.

Ready to Join the Newfoundland Photography Workshop?

Dramatic coastlines, sweeping barrens, thick boreal forests, ancient rock formations, teeming seabird colonies, tiny alpine blossoms, and rich marine life are all part of the diverse natural heritage of Newfoundland! A true paradise for photographers, You Will Be Amazed!

So don’t delay register today, click here and you’re on your way!