From a young age I wanted to travel the world. One reason could be the fact that I was born in a small village and always wanted to see what else there was out there. Another is my love for nature and landscape. I have a very long list of places to visit, unfortunately though, I will not manage to visit them all, not enough time within a lifetime.

So, when the opportunity arose for visiting the Canadian Rockies, there was no way I would let it pass me by. Jasper and Banff National Parks are two of my all time favourites places in the world. With countless emerald colour lakes and mountains as high as the heavens, one can’t fail to see why these regions attract millions of visitors every year.

Obviously, I was all over the moon when visited the two regions. I must admit that I was a bit overwhelmed. There is so much beauty to see in such little time that it feels like you are in constant trance. Once there, you can’t believe your eyes and once back home, you can’t believe you have been. The place is magical and every landscape photographer should visit it at least once.

Today, I can proudly say that I have been to the Canadian Rockies three times during the autumn months. Now, having visited during the winter for the first time, I can honestly say that the place is equally gorgeous, if not better.

Visit and photograph the Canadian Rockies under snow and ice. Join us on this winter wonderland photo tour and create extraordinary memories that will last a lifetime.

The cost for this Photo Tour is £2495 GBP or €2895 EUR or $3395 USD per person. A deposit of £600 GBP or €700 EUR or $800 USD is required to book your space. The outstanding balance will be requested 12 weeks before the tour date.

The tour starts on Tuesday 14 January 2020 and ends on Wednesday 22 January 2020.

The group size for this Photo Tour is limited to four people. Due to its small size group, this photo tour is designed with inspiration in mind, allowing plenty of time for individual attention by the tutor, making sure you photograph the Canadian Rockies under the best light and the best time of day, under the best tuition possible.

All transport during this adventure is included in the price. Collection and drop-off at Calgary airport is also included in the price but only for designated arrival and departure times (details in due time). Our vehicle will be a 4X4 premium SUV.

Please make sure you know how to use your camera or at least the basic functions – make sure you bring the camera's manual along with you. Focal length of wide angle to 300mm will be required.

A sturdy tripod is strongly recommended. If you need advice on purchasing a tripod, we recommend the Manfrotto 055 or similar. If you own a low budget light aluminium tripod such as Jessops and you are wondering if it is good enough, no, it is not. It will not allow you to trust your gear on it and it will not allow us to help you with tuition.

Neutral Density Graduated filters are highly recommended for balancing exposure difference between land and sky. We recommend a 1.5 stop hard and a 3 stop soft (if you are just starting with filters). Full instruction can be given during the workshop to help you with the correct use of filters.

To get the very best out of your images and the locations, we suggest that you bring a good Neutral Density filter with you such as the Lee Little Stopper or Big Stopper or the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter for long exposures.

You will need one for longer than 30 seconds exposures.

We also encourage you to bring some digital files of your previous work as there might be opportunities to discuss your portfolio and supply you with beneficial feedback.

Although all 'Inspiring Photography Workshops' clients are covered by our public liability insurance, we recommend that you take your own travel insurance also.

This Photo Tour does not offer post processing tuition, please see here for further details.

Temperatures in Canada this time of year can vary between -36 to -03 Celsius. These are very cold temperatures and should be taken extremely seriously. Failing to have the appropriate clothing will result in not being able to participate in our photographic sessions. Therefore, we recommend:

1) Boots: extremely warm winter/snow boots. Make sure they are larger than normal to accommodate double wooly socks.
2) Crampons: as we will be photographing on icy lakes, ice crampons are a must. Make sure you buy the ones we recommend. Crampons without good solid spikes will not be good enough. Make sure you buy a larger than your boot size.
3) Socks: be aware that 2 pairs of socks will be required (make sure the external pair is of high quality wool). Therefore, your snow boots should be larger size than the size you usually ware.
4) Leg-ware: you will need an internal pair with lining such as this one (or very warm leggings), as well as an external down-filled weather resistant pair such as this one.
5) Body-ware: the amount of layers you will need depends on how much you feel the cold. I was fine with 2-3 layers plus jacket when I was there, but others had to use 5-6 layers plus jacket. So, we recommend 2-3 very warm internal layers, an internal down jacket such as this one and an external 'really good' weatherproof down jacket such as this one.
6) Head/face protection: we recommend hoods on both internal and external jackets – you will need them both under such cold conditions. You will also need some form of face protection. One way to cover your face is a balaclava.
7) Hand protection: please take this very seriously. Cold hands cannot take pictures. We recommend double gloves:
7.1) Inner gloves: we recommend merino or polartec inner gloves.
7.2) Outer gloves: we recommend this style. Very expensive, indeed, but it ia of high quality material and offers extra pockets for heat pads.
7.3) Watch this video to familiarise in the way these gloves work.
8) Hand and foot warmers: we recommend the toe warmers as they come with adhesive, which is very handy as it makes sure that the pads stay put. You will probably need around 3-4 pairs per day.

Your Tutor

Dimitri Vasileiou is a highly acclaimed landscape photographer, writer and photographic workshop leader. A professional photographer for several years, he was born in Greece and currently resides in Scotland.

Some of his work has been reproduced in the Daily Record newspaper and he has also had work published in a number of photography magazines and books.

In 2011 Dimitri founded Landscape Photography Magazine. He is the editor and currently writing articles every month for the publication.

To be arranged