Quick Facts
- Group size: 7 participants maximum, intermediate to advanced photography experience
- Dates: September 21 – 27, 2015
- Accommodation: 7 days / 6 nights at Aurum Lodge
- Highlights: Photography locations around David Thompson Country, Abraham Lake and the Icefields Parkway
- Travel on location: Car-pooling with the group
- Fee: $2,349 CDN single occupancy ($1,999 double occupancy); includes all accommodations & meals; travel to the lodge not included
- Registration info: The photo tour page at the Aurum Lodge web site
- Contact: Royce Howland (royce at vividaspect dot com) or Alan Ernst (info at aurumlodge dot com)
Today I’m announcing the latest incarnation of my popular Fall photo tour in the Canadian Rockies. It’s a warm Spring day outside right now; fresh buds are just appearing on all the trees and shoots are coming up in the garden. Is it wrong to be thinking of autumn so soon? :) If so, then call me guilty…
This Fall, once again we’ll be taking a small group to great locations with a wealth of photographic opportunities to satisfy anyone with a taste for working outdoors with a camera. Any outdoor photography event has to deal with unpredictable conditions. Still, each year so far we’ve been able to meet or exceed every participant’s expectations, and we plan to do the same again this year!
For an example of what one of our Fall 2014 tour participants thought about the event, read the opinion posted by photographer Kerry Leibowitz. And then check out his blog for an extensive set of photography from his trip to the Rockies. You can see results from other participants linked from the Fall 2014 Photo Tour page, as well as the pages from past year tours.
Our main base will be Aurum Lodge. As I’ve written before, the lodge is ideally positioned to give our group maximum opportunity for autumn photography each day. We’ll cover locations along Highway 11, also known as the David Thompson Highway. This is in Rockies front range territory and includes Abraham Lake, pictured above. We’ll also reach into the main Rockies along the world-famous Icefields Parkway, traveling reasonable distances to reach spots north or south of Saskatchewan River Crossing.
We call this a photo tour which means our primary goal is field-intensive photography. We’ll be in the field using any & all available light each day, giving everyone the best chances to build out a great portfolio of images. This does mean you need to be prepared for a full day of fieldwork carrying your camera equipment and other essentials. Some hiking will be involved. If you’re not sure about the level of physical output involved, please contact us to discuss.
Even though this is not a workshop with specific teaching or learning goals, we also provide hands-on “learning by doing” in the field, focused on any participant’s needs. We expect everyone to be suitably equipped and to know the basics of using their gear. However, we will cover equipment, technique, composition, processing, and other topics for anyone who’d like to pick up extra approaches to highly productive field photography. If the event leaders photograph for themselves, it will only be as a #2 priority after first ensuring that the group is fully engaged in each location. We are here for you!
We will provide site orientations as we hit each new or different type of location, because part of getting good photographs is always improving how to see and respond to the unique opportunities at each location based on the subject material, season, weather and other conditions. Landscapes will include both grand and intimate views of mountains, lakes, rivers, canyons, waterfalls, plains, aspen & pine forests, and more. We’ll also take wildlife and macro opportunities if they present themselves. The group will experience a broad spectrum of subjects and locations that are important to a full appreciation of a world-class region as rich and diverse as the Canadian Rockies.
As on every tour, outside of any scheduled side-trip which may have a locked day plan, we otherwise don’t have a fixed itinerary each day. Instead, we’ll be very dynamic in arranging where we go after considering locations, weather, local conditions, and participant interests. Transportation to locations will be based on car-pooling amongst the group. We avoid excessive road miles whenever possible, but time in the vehicles (as well as our daily meals together) are also great opportunities to chat with tour leaders and other group members about anything & everything photography! :)
If this kind of small-group, intensive field photography experience sounds like the ticket for you, please see the event page at the Aurum Lodge web site for registration details. Also see the Vivid Aspect blog Workshops & Events page for information including links to past tour announcements and participant photo results. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me (royce at vividaspect dot com) or Alan Ernst at Aurum Lodge (info at aurumlodge dot com).
If you’re looking for a great autumn photography experience during Fall season this year, I hope you’ll join us! Registration is now open, and spaces are available.
