Private photography workshops are tailored to your skill level and goals. Whether you’re a beginner learning your camera or an experienced photographer looking to refine your technique or get a creative boost, private instruction lets us focus on exactly what you want to work on. You’ll get hands-on guidance in the field, answers to your questions, and the freedom to learn at your own pace.
Sessions are available in a range of lengths, from a few hours to full-day and multi-day workshops, for individuals or small groups. Choose from the popular locations below, or ask about a custom session anywhere in the Canadian Rockies and beyond.
How it Works:
- Inquire. Choose a location below, or ask about other options, including Monika travelling to you. Tell Monika your preferred dates, group size, and skill level. You’ll hear back within 24-48 hours, though it may take longer if she’s travelling out of reception.
- Plan together. Before your session, Monika will connect with you to talk about your goals and any techniques or subjects you’d like to work on. She’ll then choose the best timing and locations based on those goals and the forecast, and help with gear choices.
- Book. Once the date and details are confirmed, payment secures your booking.
- Shoot and learn. Meet at the agreed spot for hands-on instruction in the field.
Capture the iconic locations and explore subtle scenes around the town of Banff. From brilliant colours to moody conditions, the area does not disappoint. There is so much to photograph and the creative opportunities are endless. During this type of workshop we can visit more than one location. Locations can include Vermillion Lakes, Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka, Castle Mountain, Cascade Ponds, and some beautiful vantage points along the highways and roads.
From 350 CAD · 3 hours · 1 photographer
Longer sessions and small groups available.
Head up one of the most beautiful drives in the world! The Icefields Parkway has many locations that work wonderfully for landscape, long lens shots, wildlife, marco/detail images, and night photography of course. A trip up the Icefields can be combined with Banff Photography workshops. A half day to full day of exploration can be planned. Potential locations include Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Herbert Lake, Waterfowl Lakes, Mistaya Canyon
From 475 CAD · 3 hours · 1 photographer
Longer sessions and small groups available.
Abraham Lake is a beautiful area in all seasons if you are visiting the Rockies. In Winter, it’s one of the most requested workshops for private bookings. The methane bubbles at Abraham Lake are some of the best in Alberta, and photographing them is just simply fun. There are many spots along the length of the lake. The bubble season can run from mid November to the end of February, but this natural phenomenon is never a guarantee. The lake always offers interesting options for photography though.
From 750 CAD · 6 hours · 1 photographer
Longer sessions and small groups available.
Yoho National Park is full of places worth photographing, and Emerald Lake is one of the best. Its turquoise water, mountain reflections, and forested shoreline make it a favourite with photographers of every level. Some locations, like the thundering Takakkaw Falls, are only accessible in the summer months. Others, including the frozen lake, snowy forests, and the Natural Bridge on the Kicking Horse River, offer wonderful photographic opportunities all year round.
From 475 CAD · 3 hours · 1 photographer
Longer sessions and small groups available.
Lake Louise and the surrounding Bow Valley offer some of the most iconic scenery in the Canadian Rockies. Lake Louise itself, with its turquoise water and glacier-capped backdrop, is a classic for good reason. Morant’s Curve, with the Bow River and the rails curving beneath towering peaks, is one of the best-known viewpoints in the park, and the Bow Valley Parkway is a quieter, scenic route with excellent opportunities for wildlife, misty mornings, and golden light.
From 450 CAD · 3 hours · 1 photographer
Longer sessions and small groups available.
Jasper National Park is one of the Canadian Rockies’ great photography destinations, with wide-open valleys, a multitude of lakes, and towering mountains. It’s also one of the best places to photograph wildlife, especially in the spring and fall. For landscapes, Maligne Lake, Pyramid Lake, Athabasca Falls, and the Icefields Parkway all offer classic compositions, with changing light and seasonal colour throughout the year. When the sun goes down, Jasper opens up a whole different kind of photography. As one of the world’s largest accessible dark sky preserves, it offers a chance to capture the Milky Way, star trails, and, with a bit of luck, the northern lights.
From 1375 CAD · Full Day · 1 photographer
Multiday sessions and small groups available.
Tucked into the southwest corner of Alberta where the mountains meet the prairie, Waterton Lakes National Park is a photographer’s dream. The dramatic landscape rises abruptly from the grasslands, creating striking contrasts and some of the most photogenic scenery in the Rockies. Cameron Lake, Red Rock Canyon, and the iconic Prince of Wales Hotel overlooking Upper Waterton Lake are all favourites for landscape compositions. Waterton is also known for its wildlife, with bears, bighorn sheep, and deer often spotted throughout the park. Waterton is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Dark Sky Park, one of the few places in the world to hold this designation across an international border. Clear nights offer a chance to photograph the Milky Way, star trails, and, on occasion, the northern lights.
Multiday sessions and small groups available.
Spend a full day exploring and photographing in nature! Having a full day gives lots of time for instruction, experimentation, observing and fun. This type of excursion is usually 8-9 hours and depending on the location(s) and subjects could be split into separate sessions within a 24 hour period. Full day sessions can be booked in Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay and Waterton National Parks.
From 950 CAD · Banff Area · 1 photographer
Multiple locations and small groups available.
Multi-day photography workshops are a great way to explore many places or immerse yourself in an area, and spend a lot of time learning and practicing. Having more than one day in an area can allow for more options and more opportunities for certain condition or natural phenomena – there are no guarantees with nature, but the more you get out, the luckier you can be! Multi-day sessions can be booking in one or more park, including Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, and Waterton.
From 1710 CAD · Banff Area · 1 photographer
Multiple locations and small groups available. Monika can plan hotels if needed.
Prices are per session and vary based on group size, travel distance, and, for multi-day workshops, whether accommodation is required. See each workshop page for details.
Recommended Gear
- Any body will be great to learn on for a photography workshop.
- DSLR
- Mirrorless
- Medium Format
- Mobile Phone
- If you will be renting a camera and/or lens for the workshop please make sure you familiarize yourself with it a little before meeting for the workshop, or book extra time to review the camera.
- Wide Angle Lenses: for landscapes, nightscapes.
- Range of 8-24mm recommended.
- Mid Range Lenses: for landscapes, portraits, wildlife, abstract/intimate.
- Range of 24-70 for example.
- Long Lenses: for landscape, detail, wildlife, portraits.
- Recommended range examples are 70-200mm, 100-400mm, 500mm.
- Prime Lenses: Lenses with fixed focal length.
- It is recommended to remove all filters (including UV) for night photography
- Timer/Remote/Intervalometer.
- Sturdy Tripod: Generally for workshops, we will not be walking very far from our vehicles so weight is not a concern.
- Batteries: Take extras for your camera(s), headlamps, remotes, etc.
- Extra memory cards.
- Headlamp: Flashlights are ok, but a hands-free light will be useful.
- Snacks, water, hot beverages, etc.
- Bug spray depending on the season.
- Microspikes for winter sessions.
- Gloves, Mittens
- Handwarmers/toewarmers
- Warm layers (fleece, puffies)
- Windbreaker/rain jacket
- Down Jacket
- Hat/Toque
- Good shoes appropriate for season.
- Be mindful of the temperatures and that we will be standing around outside for extended periods of time