Travel Photography Lessons in Toronto
Learn your camera before your trip, one-on-one or in a small group, and come home with photos you’re proud of.
Learn your camera before your trip
What you’ll be ready for
Landscapes and cities
Sharp, well-exposed scenes from front to back, even under bright skies.
Wildlife and action
Shutter speeds and focus settings that freeze movement, from safaris to street life.
Low light
Museums, churches, and evenings, without flash and without blur.
People
Portraits of your travel companions with flattering, blurred backgrounds.
Fast decisions
A simple routine for setting your camera in seconds, so you don’t miss the shot.
When to start preparing for your trip
3 to 6 weeks before
Take your lessons. Starting early leaves time to practise between sessions and ask questions before you go.
2 to 3 weeks before
Go on a practice outing. A day at the Toronto Zoo is great rehearsal for wildlife, and an evening downtown covers low light and city scenes.
The week before
Check your gear. Charge every battery, clear your memory cards, update your camera’s firmware, and set it up the way you learned.
Travel camera gear checklist
- Spare batteries. Bring a second battery, or a third for long days, safaris, and cold weather, which drains batteries faster. Pack spare lithium batteries in your carry-on, since airlines don’t allow them in checked bags.
- A comfortable strap. The thin strap that came with your camera digs into your neck after an hour. A wider padded strap, or a sling strap worn across your body, spreads the weight and keeps the camera at your hip, ready to shoot. Quick-release clips make it easy to swap straps.
- The right bag. A sling bag suits city days, since you can swing it to your front and change lenses without taking it off. A camera backpack is better for hikes and safaris with more than one lens. A padded camera insert turns any daypack into a camera bag that doesn’t advertise expensive gear.
- Memory cards. If your camera has two card slots, set it to record to both at once, so a failed card doesn’t cost you a single photo. With one slot, use a freshly formatted card from a reliable name brand and back it up to a laptop or phone every night.
- Lenses. One all-round zoom covers most travel. Add a telephoto for wildlife, or a small, fast prime lens for museums, churches, and evenings.
- Chargers and extras. Your charger, a plug adapter for your destination, a lens cloth and a lens pen for smudges and dust, and a rain cover or zip bag for wet or dusty days.
Choose how you’ll learn
Private Accelerator
3-Hour Private Lesson
Group Accelerator
Before-your-trip FAQs
Ideally three or more weeks before you leave. That gives you time to practise between sessions and on a day trip or two before departure. Leaving sooner? Contact me and I’ll do my best to fit you in.
If you already know the basics, a 3-hour private lesson is often enough to get comfortable with manual settings. Starting from scratch? The Private Accelerator or the group Accelerator gives you time to build each skill step by step.
Yes. Bring the camera and lenses you plan to travel with, so everything you learn carries straight over to the trip. Any digital camera with manual mode works.
For most trips, one all-round zoom. Add a telephoto if you’re photographing wildlife. Bring the lenses you’re considering to your lesson and we’ll sort out what’s worth packing.
Yes. Private lessons and the Private Accelerator are for 1 or 2 participants at the same price.
Anywhere in Toronto, including your home. Travel within the City of Toronto is included.
The group Accelerator runs on set weekends with up to six students. The Private Accelerator covers the same material one-on-one, on your schedule, which matters when your departure date is fixed.
Yes. Take the iPhone Photography Course.
Yes. Book a 1-hour private video session for Lightroom editing and a review of your trip photos.
What students say
Your trip is booked. Your camera skills should be too.
