In June of 2017, I went on a dream come true workshop…Vancouver Island. A dream come true workshop for me includes a perfect mixture of urban and nature shooting opportunities. The workshop was run over six glorious days with a really fun group of participants. The photographer, Shane McDermott, grew up on the island so he was wonderful to follow around.

Here’s one way I could tell I was extremely inspired on this trip, I squeezed the shutter over 3100 times. Over twice from any other workshop. It still remains the highest number of images I’ve taken in my career with PhotoScapes  (except for the Albuquerque balloon festival last year but that’s another story).

We arrived in Vancouver (the city) on a Saturday in June. “We” included two participants that happened to be on the same flight and Megan, my fellow volunteer. My good friend Amy Horn was already there. Megan and I had some volunteer errands to run before we hooked up with Amy,  and the two participants we knew and headed out to explore the city. It was suggested we head to Stanley Park and Granville Island, so we did.

Seriously, I was like a kid in a candy shop. We walked and talked and laughed and I kept having to run to catch up because everything caught my eye. And the workshop hadn’t even STARTED yet!

The next morning we took the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. I think I FINALLY got the difference between the two! LOL!

The morning fog was beautiful.

The workshop began for Shane at 2:00 pm in our hotel in Victoria. For the volunteers and participants, it began with breakfast Sunday morning, rounding everyone up and getting them to the ferry then to our hotel. After introductions and an overview, we headed out to the inner harbor to photograph. Victoria is such a beautiful city.

I could shoot boats all day long.

The Parliament Building was amazing.

Growing up in Arizona and having spent my entire adult life in Flagstaff I am used to the art and culture of Navajo and Hopi first nations people. It was SO much fun to be exposed to those of the northwest. I was especially enthralled with the totem poles.

The Inner Harbor also boasted fun tattoos and cool floating homes.

The rain was a constant companion and made for some beautiful images.

The next day, after a morning shoot at Beacon Hill Park,  we headed to world-renowned Butchart Gardens. It did not disappoint. Be sure to plan a full day for this venture, especially if you plan to photograph. We allotted four hours and in that time many folks never got past one or two of the gardens! I wandered all the way to the back and found the ocean and more boats!

Another tip would be to arrive, walk the entire property then go back to the gardens you feel most inspired by. Don’t get sucked into the first ones. Not that they are not beautiful but there is so much more!

Tuesday morning, following our third trip to the Inner Harbor, we loaded the vans and headed to Port Renfrew a couple of hours up the coast. On the way, we stopped by Royal Roads University and photographed the grounds there. It was beautiful. Royal Roads University is located on the grounds of the former Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) at Hatley Park National Historic Site on Vancouver Island. Following the decommissioning of RRMC in 1995, the government of British Columbia created Royal Roads University as a public university.

The coastline of British Columbia stretches approximately 27,000 km, including countless islands, bays, inlets, and arms.  Port Renfrew is the last step into this remote area. Considered the “Jewel of the West Coast” and the “Tall Tree Capital of Canada”. Port Renfrew is the southern entrance to the Pacific Rim National Park and the world-renown “shipwreck life-saving trail” now called “The West Coast Trail”, and the beginning of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.

Yes, we stayed n these cabins. Check out the low tide.

We spent Tuesday afternoon, all day Wednesday and Thursday morning exploring this wild area. My favorite part was our walks along the coast.

 

We drove back to Victoria on Thursday afternoon. Friday was a big day. We had our final classroom session before heading to the dock and our whale watching tour. The tour finished at 1:00 and by that evening I was visiting family in Northern California. Here’s what we saw on the whale tour.

We each had to wear these survival suits. They were really hot but would save our lives should we end up in the ocean.

Ocean-going tankers and whale collisions is a real problem.

Another tour boat.

If you ever get the chance to visit British Columbia I highly recommend it. SUCH a beautiful place. I hope you enjoyed the tour, I’d do it again in a heart-beat.

Until next time, Happy Shooting!