Category: Article

At the end of April 2024, I had the opportunity to join Adam Gibbs and Alister Benn on a workshop on Vancouver Island. It was a wonderful experience, and has had a lasting effect on my photography. 

Why did I choose this workshop?

So if I’m being honest, a major reason I chose this particular workshop was cost. When Adam Gibbs mentioned he had new workshops available, I decided to look at them to see just how out of my price range they were. I was surprised to find out that this one – that included accommodations and 3.5 days of workshop activities – felt like really good value. I have also been following both Adam Gibbs and Alister Benn for some time, and figured that working with them in-person would allow me to soak up more of their insights.

The other obvious reason that I picked this workshop (if you know me) is that it was on Vancouver Island. I love the Pacific Northwest, and do miss living near its mountains and forests. I have also learned that I enjoy photographing water. The itinerary of this workshop gave me the best of both those worlds: Based in Port Renfrew, BC, we would shoot along the coast as well as in forests. Not to mention one old growth forest. It was a perfect opportunity!

What was the workshop like?

We arrived late on the Monday afternoon, meeting at the lodge that Adam and Alister had booked for the workshop. As people showed up, we claimed a room and then hung out in the common area. Once dinner time rolled around, we went out to eat and to get to know each other more. During dinner, we also learned about the general structure of the workshop, how Adam and Alister approach their leadership, and specifically what we would be shooting the next morning.

We started out at the famous Fairy Lake, with the well-known Fairy Tree. It was interesting to see what the location was actually like. We were left to our own devices, going around finding our own compositions. Adam and Alister were also shooting, but made a point of checking in with folks from time to time. Alister even came over and pointed out a composition to me, one that I could reach with my crop sensor that others couldn’t. While I didn’t end up loving that particular composition, what it did was really open my eyes to everything else around. I took a personal favourite as a result:

That evening we were out on the coast, photographing the waves and sunset. It was a wonderful time! Once again, Adam and Alister gave us some tips and tricks before heading out. While we were exploring and photographing, they continued to come around to check in on us. For a second time that day, Alister pointed out some options for me to explore, this time because I was one of the few in higher rainboots and could wade through the water. Between the two shoots on that first day, I became comfortable with both Adam and Alister as workshop leaders, moving beyond the YouTube visions I had of them. I found asking them for help or pointers much easier, allowing me to get more out of the experience.

The next two days were much in the same vein. On Wednesday, rather than doing a morning and evening shoot, we spent over four hours photographing the old growth trees of Eden Grove. Thursday morning we were in another couple of forests, mostly taking photos from along the roadsides. Thursday evening was back on the coast, at a beach that included an incredible waterfall that you found by walking up a creek for a few minutes. Without Adam knowing where it was, I never would have found it! It was another spot that gave me a few personal favourites.

Friday morning marked the end of the workshop. Instead of going out photographing, we gathered around the dining table of the lodge for an image critique. Adam and Alister, as well as our fellow participants, gave feedback on the five images each of us had submitted. It was an excellent opportunity to think through compositional elements that worked or didn’t work, as well as how to approach editing the various scenes.

Coming out of the workshop

So having had the experience, was the workshop worth it? Definitely! I had the opportunity to ask Alister some questions I had about the concepts from his many excellent ebooks, and work with him on my approach in the field. Adam imparted insights about woodland photography, which is a genre that was a personal challenge. I enjoyed the discussions and going out with fellow photographers. And even many months later, I still think about the lessons I learned and see the growth in my photography.

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Deeper Dive

I collected my thoughts and learnings about preparing for photography workshops, making the most of the experience itself, and how to sustain growth afterwards in three articles on Fstoppers. If you’re interested, you can read them here:

Another year has gone by, and many photographers use the opportunity to look back at their work for the previous 12 months. It’s a chance to see what sort of photos you’ve created, and what you focused on during that period.

Rather than picking my top photos from 2024, I decided to follow Steve O’Nions‘s lead. He selects his favourite image for each month, and below you’ll see mine. It was interesting to see which months I did less photography, and which months had more options I had to narrow down. I hope you enjoy these – I sure enjoyed taking them!

January

One day, fog enveloped the nearby Skokie Lagoons, prompting me to pop out with the camera over a lunch break. It was an enjoyable time, and I came back with two photos I liked. Of the two, this is the one that continues to grow on me.

February

We had very little snow in February, so most of my photos from that month don’t really look like winter. I saw this image as soon as I arrived at a local beach for sunrise, and really like the boats laid up as the predawn light created a natural vignette.

March

One morning, I decided to explore Glencoe Beach, which isn’t too far away. The waves were a decent size that morning, crashing over the pier. They started being backlit by the sun’s light as it began to rise, and turned a beautiful golden colour.

April

From Vancouver Island, this photo conveys a lot of what I love about the Pacific Northwest. Tall evergreens softly touched by the morning sun, backed by mountains that are slightly shrouded in cloud and snow. I also like how a bit of the scene is reflected in the still water. You’d never know that this is actually from a relatively famous photography location: Fairy Lake where you’ll find the Fairy Tree.

May

Also from Vancouver Island, this photo is from a waterfall I never would have found on my own. That’s another advantage of being on a workshop! Starting from a beach and walking up an unassuming creek led to this lovely location. I have a few photos from this waterfall that I like, but this is easily my favourite.

June

This image is the odd one out, in a sense. It’s the only street photo in here, as well as the only one from an urban/city setting. Taken in Toronto’s Union Station, this is a favourite because it felt like I was starting to find how I want to approach street photography.

July

I have a number of photos from July waiting to be edited. I picked this one (and edited it) because I still remember the feeling I had this day. It was the first time I saw the Upper Mississippi River. I was amazed at how expansive it was, even if there was some flooding adding to its width at the time. This was taken from Dubuque, IA, looking back across the Mississippi to Illinois.

August

We took a family trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, just sneaking into it near Escanaba. Unfortunately, I was very sick most of the trip. On the plus side, we had an Airbnb with a private beach on Lake Michigan. Towards the end of the trip I was well enough to stagger down to the beach at sunset, and create this minimalist photograph in very much my style.

September

September was a full month, resulting in a smaller selection of photos. One weekend included a short camping trip at Illinois Beach State Park. After setting up camp and eating, fog started to roll in from nearby Lake Michigan. The full moon was shining down from a clear sky, giving the woods behind our campsite loads of atmosphere and the chance for a couple of special photos.

October

Initially, I thought we were going to have terrible autumn colours. While many leaves were still green, others quickly changed and fell. It turns out that we actually had amazing fall foliage, but before that all kicked off I ran out one weekend morning to make sure I didn’t miss it completely. This photo is from that morning. I took this scene with my phone at first, something quick to possibly put in an Instagram story. Once I saw the possibility of the composition, I spent some time working on it. The result is one of my favourite fall photos I’ve ever taken!

November

As the fall season continued showing off, I was out with my camera a lot. It was a little intense, but I loved every moment. During the fall I also joined the 617 Club, an online photography community. They had a challenge to photograph in a 6×17 aspect ratio. I don’t usually look for more panoramic scenes, so it was a fun one for me to try out. It also resulted in my favourite photo for November.

December

This was taken during a morning outing to a new local location. I was trying an exercise found in one of my many photography books, in which you list out all of your expectations before going. Once on location, you see how close or far off you were, and then you simply photograph what is actually there. I had a wonderful time! This photo quickly became a personal favourite, rounding out the year.

Bonus Photo

In April, the continental US was treated to a total solar eclipse. We decided to drive down towards Indianapolis to get into totality. It seems like we decided a little late, because we ended up in a huge amount of traffic. We watched the maps to see when we crossed into the path of totality. Shortly after that, and minutes before totality, we pulled off the interstate alongside many other cars. We laid out blankets on the embankment, and enjoyed the show. At the end of the day, it was a fantastic experience and completely worth it…even if we did just turn around afterwards and get in the traffic heading home! Plus I came away with this composite image.