Photo workshop that combines northern lights and wildlife

Yukon Wildlife and Aurora Photography Workshop

Dates: January 21, 2018 to January 26, 2018

Instructor: Kevin A. Pepper

Details: Calling all photographers that have always wanted to photograph some of Canada's most exotic wildlife species and photograph the northern lights in one of the best locations in the world to capture amazing wildlife and the Aurora. 

I am referring to the Yukon. It is here where you will close your eyes and breathe in crisp Yukon air. Smell spruce sap and the earthy scent of tundra, and listen for the excited howls of husky sled dogs. But the real magic happens when you open your eyes and drink in Yukon landscapes under dancing aurora borealis. 

How much do we focus on the Aurora? We will watch the skies nightly to see if the aurora is out. If the forecast is positive we will be out photogrpahing the aurora

This trip now has 3 spots left

See the details here... https://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/2018-northern-lights-in-the-yukon-1-1

Photography Workshop in Paris

A photo taken from the Musee d'Orsay with Sacre Coeur seen through the clock face

Our Paris Street Photography Workshop is designed to show you the unique and often overlooked parts of Paris, and that includes the time of the year! Everyone goes to Paris in April; they even wrote a song about it for crying out loud! The best time to go to Paris for street photography is November!

Imagine going to the Eiffel Tour or the Louvre without a bazillion tourists. Imagine going to Paris wandering the streets with your camera and an expert guide that knows where to be and when to get the best image. Imagine taking advantage of the golden light photographers love at 6am and not 10am on a regular tour! Now, wait for it; Imagine that you are in Paris having a blast and making some amazing photos just steps away from iconic cafes, the smell of fresh baked bread and french coffee in the air!

Trip Details

The Paris workshop is another Jeff Wendorff and Kevin Pepper production. Kevin has been there a dozen times, and Jeff has been there a half a dozen times too. We know many of the hidden locations and vantage points of the iconic places you won’t see without our help. We’ve been thinking about this trip for a while and we have tried to think of ways to make it instructional, but allowing you time to enjoy all that the city has to offer. We have quite a few ideas for events to keep everyone happy and to ensure we are all having fun. 

We also think this is the perfect workshop to bring along your non-photographer “other”!

Read all the details on my website. You can read those details here...https://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/2018-paris-street-photography-workshop 

Northern Lights Photography Workshops in Canada

Northern Lights over a lake in Northwest Territories

I have received a lot of emails lately regarding my upcoming northern lights photography workshops... 

In response to all those enquiries I created a page that lists out all my Aurora workshops I am doing in the next few years for everyone to see...

There are seven (7) trips listed on this page with a few still to be announced in the Yukon in 2018 and 2019...

Here is a link to that page... https://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/northern-lights-photography-workshops 

Peace of mind travel, experienced workshop leader, best landscapes in Canada... the trifecta

There is something to be said travelling with a company that intimately knows the areas you want to visit on your next photography holiday. Wouldn't you agree?

Take the Yukon for example. I have been travelling there for many years, and researched the area both by scouting our locations, and have created a relationship with many local operators and Yukon Parks. Its only through this research and planning, long before you step foot in the Yukon, that assures you that the trip you are taking with me is thoroughly planned out. 

Most people don't know that in the Yukon, like other areas around the world require your guide and photo workshop leader to apply for multiple permits, and that your guide, that being me, is licensed, insured and has had the trip permits approved by the appropriate authorities.

In the Yukon for example there are a few permits that need to be considered when visiting any Yukon Parks. Two relate directly to you visiting the Yukon on a Photo Workshop... 

1. Commercial Recreation Park Permit  - This permit applies to, but is not limited to, commercial guided wilderness tourism activities such as hiking, horseback riding, dog mushing, canoeing, kayaking, sport fishing, mountain biking, skiing, snowmobiling, wildlife viewing, and photography, including aircraft landings within park boundaries. 

If you want to step off the roadway and truly explore the Yukon the way it should be... this permit needs to be applied for. But hey, if you want to go on a photo tour that just stays on the roads dodging transport trucks, you can always do that with another company... ;-)

2. Commercial Filming and Photography Park Permit  - This permit applies to all commercial film productions or commercial photography shoots including filming/photography for motion pictures, documentaries, advertisements, or other commercial products (e.g., calendars, books, postcards, posting photos on social media that you directly generate money from etc)

If you are a hobbyist that just likes to take photos for yourself, this wouldn't apply... but i would hate that you came with me and took a once in a lifetime photo that someone wanted to buy from you... but then you couldn't sell it because you weren't covered under this permit and legally not allowed to make a penny form your photo. Or lets say you enter the photo into a competition, and you win a prize for the photo... legally, that can be argued that, that is making money from an image... I bet you would have wished your photo workshop leader had that permit to ensure you were covered then... ;-)

On top of the permits, there is the Wilderness Tourism License that a guide needs to have in the Yukon. Who needs a tourism license? Anyone who takes clients into the Yukon Wilderness in return for a fee or reward.  The Yukon Wilderness is identified as stepping off the highway right of way. As a result, highway bus tours don't need a license... but really, we are there for a photo workshop, not a drive by bus tour with a bunch of tourists more interested in taking selfies with a mountain behind them.

You come to the Yukon to experience the back country images that can only be taken by stepping off the highway, or getting off that plane that flies over the glacier... You want to get on that glacier, you want to ride on that dog sled in the wilderness, and you want to get off the highway and go to the other side of that gorgeous mountain the bus tours see from the road... and you want to be assured that your guide has done all the work before you get to your workshop. 

I encourage you to visit my page with more information on the Yukon, and see the list of all my Yukon workshops. You can view that page here,  www.kevinpepperphotography.com/photography-workshops-in-the-yukon

I lead photo workshops for wildlife, the stunning landscapes and the ethereal northern lights.

I would love to introduce you to one of my favourite locations in the world to photograph and enjoy. 

Kev

Wildlife Photo Workshops in Canada

Wildlife Workshops in Canada with Kevin Pepper Photography

Large and charismatic mammals are an important part of our wildlife tourism in Canada, and several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries cater showcasing this wildlife for photographers like yourself.

Together we can see some large and small exotic creatures during your workshops with me. Whales, polar, grizzly and black bears, plus our birds of prey and moose are all wildlife-watching favourites of many that travel with me.

The vast and huge land that I call home offers stunning wilderness and natural experiences just waiting for you... and the wildlife opportunities are some of the best in the world.

You should check out my Wildlife Photography Workshops and see if you can find your next photography vacation here in Canada.

All my Photography Workshops can be seen here, http://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/wildlife-workshops-in-canada

Canadian wildlife Species - The Mountain Goat

Mountain goats are not true goats—but they are close relatives. They are more properly known as goat-antelopes.

These surefooted beasts inhabit many of North America's most spectacular alpine environments. They often appear at precipitous heights, from Alaska to the U.S. Rocky Mountains, showcasing climbing abilities that leave other animals, including most humans, far below. Mountain goats have cloven hooves with two toes that spread wide to improve balance. Rough pads on the bottom of each toe provide the grip of a natural climbing shoe. Mountain goats are powerful but nimble and can jump nearly 12 feet (3.5 meters) in a single bound.

Mountain goats have distinctive beards and long, warm coats to protect them from cold temperatures and biting mountain winds. Their dazzling white coats provide good camouflage on the snowy heights. During the more moderate summer season goats shed this coat.

Female goats (called nannies) spend much of the year in herds with their young (called kids). These groups may include as many as 20 animals. Males (known as billies) usually live alone or with one or two other male goats. Both sexes boast beautiful pointed horns, and in mating season billies will sometimes use them to battle rivals for prospective mates.

In the spring, a nanny goat gives birth to one kid (sometimes two), which must be on its feet within minutes of arrival into its sparse mountain world. Mountain goats eat plants, grasses, mosses, and other alpine vegetation.

To see one of my most popular workshops to photograph Mountain goats in the Yukon, see this link... http://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/2018-northern-lights-in-the-yukon-1-1 

A Canadian Wildlife Species Spotlight - The Elk

A Canadian Wildlife Species Spotlight - The Elk

The elk is the second largest member of the deer family; only the moose is larger. Bull elk grow large antlers every year, which they use to spar with other bulls during the rut each fall. In the late winter, the antlers drop off and new antlers start to grow.

When antlers are growing, they are covered in dark brown fuzz, called velvet. This protects and nourishes the soft antlers with blood and nutrients until they are fully grown. In August the antlers harden. The bulls will rub the velvet off and polish their antlers on tree trunks and shrubs.

The rut is the breeding season for ungulates. It begins in the fall, usually after the first few frosty nights. Elk are known for their distinctive bugling, which sounds like a high-pitched howl. Bull elk bugle during the rut to attract females and to challenge other males.

Elk graze on grasses as well as browse leaves from shrubs. They prefer dry, arid habitat spotted with deciduous trees such as trembling aspen or balsam poplar. They like a combination of large grassy meadows, with nearby forest cover.

There are an estimated 300-400 wild elk in the Yukon. They are descended from elk introduced from Elk Island National Park in Alberta. And its not like you have to look far for them. Each year as we drive the highways we can see them roaming the sides of the hills by day and coming out to graze roadside when the sun goes down.

If you want to go photograph the elk, please see my Yukon Photography Workshops. All the details can be seen here www.kevinpepperphotography.com/photography-workshops-in-the-yukon