We have been leading top quality owl photography workshops for over 15 years! Come with Hemmings Photo Tours and travel with us to Great Grey Owl habitat. This small group experience ensures you have an intimate experience with the owls and get the instruction you need! Look eye to eye with this majestic creature and use your acquired skills to capture this beautiful owl in flight. This an amazing great grey owl photography workshop should be on every bird and nature photographers bucket list. Book your space early to avoid disappointment. 

Workshop starts Mon. ending Thurs. 4 Days/ 5 Nights. Arrival to hotel Sun. and check out Friday. Hotel, lodge stays Sunday-Thursday 

YEAR 2025: Jan.26-Jan31/ Feb.02-Feb.07 /Feb.09-14-open /  Feb16-21- Sold out

YEAR 2026: Jan.25-30/ Feb 01-06/ Feb.08-13

2027 Dates: Coming soon. 
  info@hemmingsphototours.com

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Workshop starts Mon. ending Thurs. 4 Days/ 5 Nights. Arrival to hotel Sun. and check out Friday. Hotel, lodge stays Sunday-Thursday.

Reg. Price:  $4,495.00 USD Deposit $1500.00 Single Supplement $300.00/person

5%  GST tax for Canadian residents only

.Final Payments Due 90 days prior to the workshop date. 

Flight Destination: Calgary International Airport (YYC) or YWL (Williams Lake)British Columbia.  Clothing and tripod rentals are available.

Physical Activity:  Basic. Hotel- 5 nights. Photo instruction, transportation during workshop. Check in after 2pm. 

Not included:  Flight and travel to workshop destination.  Meals,  Gifts, tips are not included.   Fly in Sunday and depart Friday. Uber/ taxi to hotel not included. approx $65 CAD.

OVERVIEW

Meet the the grey ghosts of the Canadian north!. These incredible great grey owls are sure to impress you with their graceful approach and silent wings.  During this adventure you will have the opportunity to capture your own image of the Great Grey Owl against a cool winter background of snow and ice. Explore, travel and photograph winter scenery. These cool temperatures bring out crisp blue sky backgrounds .  Use your skills and creativity to utilize cool tones, natural winter settings, evergreens, and snowflakes with your subject. Learn to adapt to lighting changes and techniques to get the best possible photograph.  We will take you on a journey to secret hideaways of these beauty’s allowing you to enjoy a profound experience of photographing the owl.  On this adventure you will leave with a true appreciation of these magnificent creatures. 

 

Itinerary:

Arrival Sunday at 1:00pm at the airport destination.  Transport to hotel -check in. 

On Monday- Thursday Meeting your workshop leader in the lobby at 7:30am ready to go for some action packed owl photography.  Late Thursday night or Friday flight departure. Airport shuttle to and from airport is included.  Friday check out from hotel and return to the airport. 

 

Key Learning Objectives:
Metering and exposing for different lighting and shooting conditions. Exposure for moving bird in flight action against white snow, tree lines and blue sky backgrounds.
Searching and obtaining desirable backgrounds for your subjects.

Manual Mode- When, where and why.
Capture action images including flight shots. Proper techniques to consistently capture good flight images. Develop your bird-in-flight photography skills.

 

Recommended Clothing and Equipment:
We highly recommend bringing a lens that you are comfortable hand holding as most of the shooting is best done using this method.

Bring whichever camera body that you use, a backup is a good idea in the extreme cold.

Bring extra batteries as the cold drains them faster. Keep your extra batteries in your coat pocket with a hand warmer to keep them charged longer.

Lenses to bring include for hand holding include, 100-400, 80-400, 150-600, 200-500, etc.

The varied focal length ranges of these zoom lenses will make your image making more enjoyable.

Wide angle lens for landscape opportunities. 

Feel free to bring your 500 or 600mm lens if you are comfortable hand holding or shooting moving objects from a tripod (not recommended).

Digital cards, back up hard drive and laptop - internet at the hotel. 

Tripod or monopod if you wish. 

Clothing and accessories:

The temperatures can be very cold while shooting the snowy owls and it is not uncommon to be faced with wind factors making it even colder. It is very important to be properly prepared with the right clothing as follows.

Warm under layers, merino wool is very good.

A second layer of fleece or wool, top and bottoms.

An outer layer of down filled parka and pants. Temperatures can be from 5C to -20C . There will be a truck nearby where you can warm up should you get too cold. 

Buy the boots rated for the coldest climates you can find such as such as Cabelas, Baffin, Sorel.

A balaclava is highly recommended to keep your face from the cold and wind.

Cold temperature gloves and or a mitten glove combo. 

Hand and toe warmers. These are the small packets that fit in pockets in the heat 3 gloves and in the end of your boots for toe warmth. Merino wool thin gloves and another pair of gloves or mittens to warm up your hands. 

A warm wool toque to use in conjunction with your hood on the parka.

Sunglasses, plastic or another material not to freeze in the cold. 

Please read the Refund Policy 

Do not book your flights until we have confirmed the owls have arrived.

Looking for another winter photo workshop? Try Polar Bear Mother and Cubs at the den.