I am leading an instructional photography tour to one of the most beautiful and diverse region of the province – the Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan. Although this photo tour is less structured than a formal lecture-based workshop, participants will be able to gain new photography skill by attending evening overview and image critique sessions. A small group size helps with the exchange of ideas, and I will always be available to answer your questions and provide insightful tips and suggestions. You will have an opportunity to share your experience with the group and learn from fellow photographers.
You will return home with stunning photographs and great memories. As a tour guide, I will take you to first-class photographic locations at the best time of the day to capture that perfect shot.
When: June 20-22, 2014
Where: Grasslands National Park is one of two national parks in Saskatchewan, located in south-western portion of the province near the U.S.A. border. It is Canada’s only national park created to protect and present the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. The park comprises of two separate units; the West Block close to the village of Val Marie, with deep coulees, buttes and a meandering Frenchman River. The East Block near Killdeer offers true wilderness experience with exposed badlands formations and steep eroded buttes.
Pronghorn antelope, golden eagles, sage grouse, prairie falcons and occasional rattlesnake inhabit the area. Endangered and threatened species like burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks and short-horned lizards call this place home. The Park’s portion of the Frenchman River Valley is the only place in Canada where you can see and photograph colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs. West Block of the Park has a large herd of plains bison and there is a very good chance that we will see and photograph these majestic animals. We will conduct daily hikes into the park to explore it’s beauty and wildlife.
You will encounter and be able to photograph animals and plants that you rarely have an opportunity to see. Enjoy peace and solitude, and experience some of the last untouched prairie left in North America. Check out the photo gallery for a sample of images from around the Grasslands National Park.
Photography tour highlights
– guided hiking, photography and natural history tours in the West Block of Grasslands National Park
– three days of on-location photography with daily photo assignments, discussion, and group photo evaluation after the evening meals
Level: although the photo tour is geared towards outdoor enthusiasts and nature buffs with intermediate and advanced photography skills, individual attention ensures the instructional photo tours are suitable to photographers of all skill levels. If you are interested in advancing your photography skills and spending several days in a spectacular setting, please contact me to reserve your space.
To guarantee the maximum quality of experience, enrolment is limited to 8 participants.
Cost: $495 per person (based on double occupancy), $565 single
What is included: the photo tour fee includes photography guide, two nights accommodation at the Convent Country Inn in Val Marie, breakfast and catered lunch on Saturday and Sunday and park fees. Participants can choose to eat their evening meal in a local restaurant or at the Convent Inn. The Convent has a fully licensed dining area where you can order a custom prepared dinner.
What is not included: participants are responsible for their own transportation. Car pooling is recommended and encouraged.
A deposit of $100 is required to keep your spot. This deposit is not refundable, although it can be used towards registration fee for any other photo tour such as the Prince Albert National Park (late September of 2014), or Great Sand Hills (July of 2014). The remainder of the registration fee is due two weeks before the tour. If you send us the full amount, your registration fee is refundable if you have to cancel up to two weeks before the photo tour (the $100 non-refundable deposit fee will be subtracted from the refund, see details listed above).
How to register: if you are interested in attending, please call Branimir at 306-220-5703 or send an e-mail to branimir [at] shaw.ca You can also register and pay the photo tour deposit fee with a credit card using a secure on-line transaction.
Please note: you do not need a PayPal account to pay on-line for the registration fee – you can pay with your credit card. After you start the checkout process by clicking on the ‘Pay Now’ button, you will be redirected to the secure PayPal web site to complete the transaction. When prompted, select the second option Don’t have a PayPal account? Pay as a guest and enter the credit card information. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with the receipt as soon as the transaction is processed by PayPal.
