2025 Newfoundland Photography Workshop
Join photographer Alex Armitage for an exclusive photography workshop in the unique province of Newfoundland to hunt for icebergs, capture the unseen, make lasting memories, and gain life long lessons for your photography.
SESSION 1: June 18th - June 23rd, 2025
Newfoundland is a land to call your own. It holds a special place in my heart that I’m sure you’ll understand for yourself the moment you arrive. From the unbelievable geology of the endless coastline to the untouched wilderness; this island is a world within it’s own. During this 6 day spring workshop we will travel around “The Rock” (Newfoundland’s nickname) exploring the less traveled, traversing the boreal landscapes, trek through gorgeous coastal trails, and cross paths with a myriad of wildlife along the way. Finding icebergs will be a priority on this trip, but it is late in the season for the areas we'll be visiting, and they are completely unpredictable. With this in mind we will have a general itinerary that you can find below but will try to remain malleable depending on how the iceberg season develops. Regardless of these variables or conditions, Newfoundland has endless photography opportunities that we will pursue; capturing sunrise, sunset, and many times even afternoon light can be profound on the coast. When we aren’t out in the field we’ll spend time reviewing images, exploring new editing techniques, and breathing inspiration into both your new and older images. You will walk away from this workshop with many news skills both in the field and behind the edit, but also with genuine and lasting experiences with new lifelong memories. I cannot wait to share Newfoundland with you!
Itinerary | Lodging / Transportation | What You’ll Experience | Recommended Gear / Attire | Cancellation Policy / Legal
Cost: $3600 (5 Total Participants)
Lodging: Included. This makes planning your trip easier, details below!
Transportation, Food, and Tours: Not Provided
Deposit: 50% due upfront to secure a spot, final payment due 90 days before the workshop.
Itinerary
We’ll start by meeting at our hotel in St John’s to drop off luggage and a brief introduction. We’ll likely grab dinner together and try to catch sunset in the city. The next morning we’ll wake up bright and early (sunrise is at 5am Newfoundland time in June) to visit a breathtaking coastal waterfall. Then head back, grab our stuff, and head to the beautiful area of Bonavista. Throughout the remainder of the workshop, we will try to find icebergs to capture on the northern coast but it’s rare during late June for these areas.
Over the next two days we’ll capture sunrise in one of the most unique coastal scenes you’ll ever experience, watch puffins frolic for hours in the closest place you can experience in North America, and capture breath taking sunsets in geology like you’ve never seen. The last two days of our journey will be in the beautiful coastal town of Twillingate where we will hike around one of the most beautiful areas in all of Newfoundland, hopefully encounter whales along the coast, and visit a few hidden spots I’ve found over my time here. We’ll potentially take a boat tour depending on conditions and iceberg presence.
Days will be long thus we’ll typically be spending the afternoon recharging, eating, and exchanging stories. We’ll also take this time to breakout into editing and post-processing sessions using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
The locations we’ll explore won’t require any long hikes, but there are a few spots where we’ll be hiking for a couple miles depending on the conditions. I’d rate this journey as “Easy” by most hiking standards. I recommend everyone be in good health regardless and depending on the group’s ambition we might find ourselves exploring some spots more off the beaten path!
Lodging / Transportation / Airport
One of my favorite experiences of a workshop is the time spent together when we aren’t out in the field, sharing life stories, and enjoying the camaraderie together. One of the best ways to do this is to stay in the same places together as we move around the island. It also makes editing sessions or outside the field discussions more frequent and comfortable. Above are a few images of the accommodations we’ll be staying in. Considering most of these areas are rural fishing towns, there are not a lot of accommodations that can house everyone nor are there many luxury options thus we’ll be keeping things authentically Newfoundland with a few of these spots. Rooms will all be single occupancy meaning you get your own privacy!
The Airport you’ll want to fly into is St. John's International Airport (YYT)
Transportation throughout the entire workshop is not provided. Any type of vehicle will be sufficient as everywhere we will visit is accessible. This decision was made so that once the workshop has ended in Twillingate, you can either drive back to St John’s to fly home or I highly recommend sticking around after the workshop is over to explore a few more spots that I will gladly share with you.
What You'll Experience
Food is not provided throughout this workshop but typically two meals a day will be coordinated as a group. Remember sunrise is very early and sunset very late so snacking will be very important.
This workshop will be inclusive to all levels of photographers. Before the workshop we’ll send out a short questionnaire to understand where you are at in your journey and if there is anything specific you’d like to learn during this adventure. Below are a few concepts you can expect to learn throughout the workshop but these don’t describe everything we will cover. As a workshop participant, you’ll have access to the techniques and experiences of Alex’s years of experience out in the field. You’ll have full access to ask questions about ANYTHING!
Operating your camera so that it stops getting in the way of your creative process. Shooting in manual mode, working with the histogram, deciding if you need to bracket your images, or anything in between.
Drone photography if any participants have interest! Newfoundland has some absolutely amazing drone photography and most spots along the coast are drone friendly if you can find the time to get it in the air!
Lots of potential wildlife that requires completely different set up than landscapes which I will guide you through.
Lightroom Processing - To start things off we’ll use Lightroom to process most of our images. This will depend on how adept you are in your editing journey but you’ll learn very quickly how powerful just Lightroom can be for your images.
File organization and metadata. From importing to categorizing your images we’ll cover it all, especially different systems I use to rank my images for editing and my own portfolio.
Understanding the foundation of the basics tab, what color profiles are and how they effect your images, or how to handle settings such as clarity, vibrance, and dehaze.
When and why to use HSL sliders, how much sharpening your images should have, and most importantly - what’s the best crop for your image?
More advanced tools such as Lightroom masking, color/luminance selection, and filters.
In The Field - There is so much that goes into creating memorable images and it all starts in the field.
Creating compositions with moving elements. Seascapes are defined by flowing water and their compositional element within a scene. Using different shutter speeds to get the perfect flow of seawater to create leading lines within your images.
Using foreground objects to help ground your images. This might require us to take images to focus stack or perspective blended images, or just learning what we can get away with using small apertures to create larger ranges of depth of field.
Selecting what lens is best for any given situation. Most traditional seascapes require a wide-angle lens but we’ll also be searching for intimate scenes as well.
Portfolio and Image Review - Editing isn’t everything and there is so much to learn by opening discourse about our past and present work. We’ll take the time to review your own images and dissect what makes images stand out within your own portfolio.
We’ll review images taken during the workshop. This can be eye opening to see the differences people capture and expand our horizons to hopefully see things in different ways.
I’ll be requesting you bring 5-10 of your favorite images you’ve taken that we can all discuss and talk about. This can be pre and post edit, you can ask for feedback on different images, or simply open up to anything you might want to know!
Creative Mentoring - I am looking forward to helping you grow as a photographer. Throughout the workshop I will facilitate individual and group discussions around topics such as:
Developing confidence in photography
Defining and refining your creative vision
Working on and achieving your photographic projects and goals
I can also help you work through anywhere you feel you might be stuck in your creativity. This will be an excellent opportunity to stay motivated in your journey or re-ignite a passion you’ve been missing.
Discord Discussion and Critique - Before and after the workshop there will be a discord channel created for all of those participating within the workshop to coordinate the event. We’ll also use this space to share images between each other both before and after the workshop. This will give you time to get home and edit your images how you want, share them in your leisure and receive critique from me or your peers.
Recommended Gear / Attire
Camera Gear - If you know anything about me, you’ll know I don’t really care what camera you’re shooting on. Even though it can be easier to learn and exchange information about photography on a full fledged system, if you wanted to show up with just a phone - I’d embrace it fully!
Mirrorless or DSLR Camera System
Lenses in any focal range between 14mm (seascapes) to 500mm (wildlife)
While much wildlife will require the longest focal length you have, there will be Puffin spots that even a standard 200mm lens should reach!
A reliable and sturdy tripod
Lens filters - A Polarizing (CPL) is highly recommended, neutral density (ND) and graduated-neutral density (GND) are welcomed.
A Drone is very recommended for potential icebergs!
Plenty of memory cards, lens cloths, and whatever other accessories you typically use
A wetbag or similar you can safely protect your camera and a lens.
A computer/iPad with Lightroom and Photoshop
Notepad to take notes
Clothing and Accessories - Temperatures can range anywhere from 35 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but typically days will be windy and cooler. Sitting around 58 degrees. However on the coast with the ocean breeze, it can feel much colder so be prepared.
Rain Jacket or raincoat (This is a MUST)
Warm Jacket and warm pants
Shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy
Sunglasses and a warm hat.
Sunscreen, bug spray (low priority)
Gloves!
Cancellation Policy / Legal
Legal:
Participating in this workshop, you agree to hold Alex Armitage irresponsible for any possible personal injury, damaged equipment, or loss that may occur throughout the workshop. You are responsible for your own safety throughout the workshop and should never push yourself past your own boundaries. I highly recommend insurance or travel insurance for your adventure.
Cancellation Policy:
Alex Armitage reserves the right to cancel the workshop if the minimum (4) number of participants are not met or in the event of an emergency. In the event I do have to cancel the workshop you’ll be given a full refund.
I understand that life happens, and in the event you need to cancel your spot in the workshop, as long as it is prior to 90 days from the first day of the workshop AND the space can be filled by another participant you will receive your full deposit back. If you need to cancel within the 90 days before the workshop, you will not receive your deposit back as it’s very difficult to fill those spots on short notice. I will always try to work with you and do whatever I can in the event you do have to cancel.
I am not responsible for travel disruptions and highly recommend travel insurance for this reason!