This photography workshop takes you on a 5-day journey through British Columbia’s lush grape-growing region, the Okanagan Valley. Photo opportunities abound by day, and unequaled food and wine experiences overflow by night.
Practical Experience, Hands-On Help and Plenty of Wine
- Where: Penticton, BC – Okanagan Valley
- When: 2024 dates TBD
- Who: You and seven other photography enthusiasts.
- What: A 5-day photography workshop in the wine and fruit orchards of Canada’s Okanagan Valley. Explore wine country, improve your photography skills and enjoy some of the best food and wine the country has to offer.
- Why: Total photography immersion, with an experienced professional photographer and seasoned workshop instructor providing lots of hands-on help! And honestly, why not?
- Remaining Spots: 8
Non-photographers welcome!!
If your spouse or friend is interested in coming along, but they’re not a photographer, we’ve got a couple of spots open just for that, at a special price.
We will accept a maximum of two non-photography spouses or partners on this workshop at a special reduced rate. See the pricing section below for more information.
| Group Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 5 – 8 Photographers/students Nice group size with a maximum of 8 people |
$3595 CAD |
| Single Supplement Single supplement charge if you would like your own room. |
$725 CAD |
(If you request a roommate but one is not available the single supplement will apply.)
Registration Closed
Note: Once we receive your completed registration form, you will be sent an invoice for a $500 reservation fee in Canadian dollars with the remainder being invoiced 60 days prior to the workshop. The price equates to approximately $2040 USD (approximately).
This workshop is limited to just eight people so we can keep the group small enough for individual attention from the instructor.
Non-Photographer Supplement:
- Does NOT include any photography tutoring or assistance.
- A maximum of 2 non-photo members only will be accepted for this workshop.
- Includes a shared room with their partner/spouse for the additional $525 single supplement fee.
- A meal package supplement charge for $695 will be added as well.
The minimum required to run this workshop is five participants. Please do NOT book any travel until you’ve been notified that it has reached that minimum and is confirmed a go.
GREAT STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION
I learned lots of valuable information at this workshop. Great step-by-step instruction including the why, the how and the when! This workshop covers beginner and advanced topics, so it’s great for all levels of photographers.
On the second day of the workshop, I was already approaching my shot differently which improved my photography significantly.
Kimberly Chrysler
Improve Your Camera Skills
If you like photo vacations with an emphasis on improving your camera skills at the same time, a smaller group presents a greater chance you’ll learn what you came to – and then some!
We’re only accepting a maximum of eight participants for this workshop, which makes it a perfect opportunity to learn new photography skills and gain confidence with your camera.
One-on-one Instruction
As we explore the Okanagan Valley wine region, you’ll have private, one-on-one access to one of Canada’s finest photography instructors – your workshop leader, Darlene Hildebrandt.
There will be plenty of time for reviewing your images as well as individual questions and assistance.
Stunning Wine
Canada’s answer to Napa Valley – the Okanagan Valley region – boasts 172 licensed wineries with 8,619 acres of grapes and orchards planted across the valley.
As rich as the area is with luscious scenery and savory food and wine, the valley is also alive with history. Remnants of historic railways, as well as the region’s native heritage and mining history, can still be found today. A select few will be used in some of our on-location shoots.
Join the Waitlist
Photography Workshop in Wine Country
With the gorgeous Okanagan Valley wine region as our home base, we’ll photograph sunrise among the grapevines and sunset overlooking the lake from a stunning vista. You may want to snap a photo or two of a local winemaker, a unique bottle of wine or even try your hand at food photography.
Okanagan Valley Wine Region
This is no ordinary photography workshop! In addition to our photo excursions, we will also take full advantage of being in wine country.
We’ll enjoy tasting a variety of the valley’s unique and award-winning offerings, have memorable dinners with wine pairings, of course, and other experiences specially-designed just for our group.
It’s the Wine Capital of Canada
Okanagan Lake
As part of our journey, we’ll photograph beautiful Okanagan Lake, the largest in the region.
Picturesque parks and beaches line the shore of this 130-kilometer-long, 232-meter-deep fjord lake.
While we’re there, be on the lookout for Ogopogo, Canada’s most infamous – and elusive – mythical lake monster, first spotted in 1872.
Peachland
We’ll visit Peachland, a quaint mountainside community of 5,000 residents on the western shore of Okanagan Lake.
Across from Peachland, discoveries are waiting to be uncovered on Rattlesnake Island.
There you can find ruins of building foundations and a former miniature golf course from a half-finished tourist park created in the 1970s.
Oliver
Oliver BC, named the Wine Capital of Canada by Tourism British Columbia is located near the south end of the valley in the midst of desert land, mountains and lakes.
The region touts several award-winning vineyards and orchards.
We will follow Oliver’s “Golden Mile” to 14 wineries within a 20-kilometer distance and enjoy the wine region’s biggest and boldest reds.
Naramata Bench
Photo opportunities continue in the tranquil village of Naramata and along the Naramata Bench, a world-recognized wine region boasting 28 boutique wineries. We’ll explore the country roads and enjoy stunning views of the mountains and Okanagan Lake.
The area is famous for its quirky winery monikers. For example:
- Misconduct Wine Company
- Tightrope Winery
- Therapy Vineyards
Penticton
The small city of Penticton is nestled between Okanagan Lake on the north and Skaha Lake to the south. The unofficial translation of the town’s name – and now official motto – is, “a place to stay forever.”
It’s easy to see why as the area basks in more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year and is known for its sandy beaches, lake activities, orchards, wineries, rock climbing, skiing, and golf.
LOVED THE WORKSHOP
I learned so much about night photography as well as getting to know my camera settings better. It was great to get so many valuable tips on how to make my photographs more interesting. I’ll tell everyone I can about this workshop.
Lee Ann Man
On-site photography instruction and tutoring covering:
- Sunrise photography
- Sunset photography
- Blue hour
- Night photography
- Star trails
- Shooting the Milky Way
- Landscape photography
- Macro photography tips
- HDR photography tips
- Tips for how to shoot and process a panorama
- How to shoot moving water
- How to use filters for long exposure photography
- Food photography at a winery
- Whatever else you need help with!
Pricing for Okanagan Valley Wine & Photography Workshop
| Group Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 5 – 8 Photographers/students Nice group size with a maximum of 8 people |
$2695 CAD |
| Single Supplement Single supplement charge if you would like your own room. |
$525 CAD |
(If you request a roommate but one is not available the single supplement will apply.)
This workshop is a great value, it is deluxe. You get everything below included in your registration price:
- 5 nights accommodation in the top rated Trip Advisor hotel in Penticton (price based on double occupancy).
- 5 dinners – including one 5-course deluxe dinner with wine pairings, and two other dinners at wineries with the food and wine carefully selected for you by the winery.
- 7 classroom sessions with time for; lessons and exercises to take into the field and practice on site; image reviews, and processing tips and tricks.
- Approximately 8-10 different location photo shoots (including all the stuff below).
- Ongoing instructor support during the location shoots.
- Time to relax and drink some wine together.
Your Instructor Darlene Hildebrandt
Darlene is the creator of Digital Photo Mentor, a photography teacher, tour leader, traveler, and a cat owner. She has over 30 years of experience as a professional photographer and has been teaching photography since 2011. She is a Canon and Fuji user but speaks almost all other photography languages including; Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax and more. Whatever your skill level and experience, she can help you unlock the next level and take better photos.
TIME VERY WELL SPENT
The Drumheller weekend photography workshop was a great opportunity to immerse myself in two straight days of learning.
Not only were sessions planned to take advantage of the unique location, enabling us to experience different types of photographic situations, but it all happened under the guidance of a helpful, patient, and knowledgeable instructor.
All in all, time very well spent.
Bev Holoboff
Is this the right photography workshop for you?
This workshop IS for you if:
- You are a beginner to intermediate, amateur, or hobby photographer.
- You have a DSLR, Mirrorless or Micro 4/3’s camera (that has manual controls) and want to get more out of it.
- You love to travel.
- You like meeting new people.
- You love learning new things and try different genres of photography.
- You want to improve your photography.
- You want to know how to make your images have the punch they seem to lack.
- You want to have new experiences.
- You are fun and open-minded.
- You enjoy sipping a glass of wine.
This workshop IS NOT for you if:
- You are a working professional photographer (this is not a portfolio expansion opportunity).
- You have a point and shoot camera (unfortunately those cameras are a bit limiting and there isn’t as much to learn about them so you may not get as much value out of the workshop).
- You already have some good images (you think) but want someone to review them for you.
- You are under 18 (sorry no minors).
Our Accommodations
All participants of this photography workshop will stay together at our hotel resort in Penticton, BC – the Ramada Penticton. They’re rated 4.2 on Google with 186 reviews, and a solid 4 on Tripadvisor with nearly 1700 reviews.
Our rooms are spacious, luxurious and all have double french doors that open up to 2 acres of grass courtyard and pool. Great for practicing what you’re learning and maybe some macro shots.
LOVED MY SECOND WORKSHOP WITH DIGITAL PHOTO MENTOR
My first workshop with Digital Photo Mentor was a Night Photography Workshop. It was great fun and close to my home.
I was really impressed with Darlene’s teaching ability and style and she is never intimidating and always ready to share all her knowledge.
So, when I saw the email about the Drumheller workshop in Canada, I knew it was for me. I was anxious to get out of my own backyard and see some different country. I love old rusty anything, and country atmosphere, so the Drumheller workshop filled the bill with the old mine, the old trucks and mining equipment.
Penny D
Cancellation policies
If for some reason you need to cancel your registration (of course we’ll be very sad!) the following cancellation and refund policies will apply. Due to the limited size of the workshop, if you reserve a spot and then cancel, it may mean that we have turned away other interested people. So after the cut-off dates, a retainer fee will be charged based on the date of cancellation. Please read these policies carefully, there will be no exceptions.
Every bottle of wine has a story
Our wine and photography workshop is designed to help you capture that story, leaving you with extraordinary images and countless tales of your own to tell for years to come.
Throughout our time together, you’ll have ample opportunities to enjoy and explore Canada’s wine country to your heart’s content. Wander the nearby mountains and photograph rare birds. Chat with a local winemaker about the history behind their label.
Simply relax on the patio and sample local artisan cheeses with a specialty wine.
The choice is yours – it’s your experience, your adventure!
There’s a story behind every bottle of wine, they say.
And when you’re back home, surrounded by stunning images and lasting memories … and you open that bottle of your new favorite Okanagan Valley wine?
Now, you’ll know its story.
Note: Once we receive your completed registration form, you will be sent an invoice for a $500 reservation fee in Canadian dollars with the remainder being invoiced 60 days prior to the workshop. The price equates to approximately $2040 USD.
This workshop is limited to just eight people so we can keep the group small enough for individual attention from the instructor.
Prices are based on double occupancy, there is a $525 CAD single supplement price if you would like your own room. (If you request a roommate we will endeavor to match you with one, but cannot guarantee this. If a roommate is not available the single supplement will apply.)
The minimum required to run this workshop is five participants. Please do NOT book any travel until you’ve been notified that it has reached that minimum and is confirmed a go.
Our Photo Tours and Workshops
Click here for our complete list of photo tours in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and South America, and if you’d like more hands-on, photography education, you’ll love one of our workshops, held in Western Canada.