I am proud to offer my services as a photographic instructor and guide.

Whether you're a beginner looking to learn the fundamentals of nature photography, an intermediate photographer hoping to hone your skills, or a seasoned photographer in need of a guide, I am confident in my ability to exceed your expectations. I have been exploring wilderness areas for many years, over ten of which have been spent with camera in hand. Along with my technical experience, a lifelong passion for wildlife, and multiple years spent working in the biology field can offer you a unique, enriching experience. My teaching style places importance not only on improving proficiency of camera control, compositional development, and creativity, but also learning about your subjects and their environment.

If you’re interested in private guiding or instruction, CLICK HERE for more information.

Group Workshops

The following workshops are led alongside Connor Stefanison. Over the last 10 years, we’ve worked together to create distinctive photography experiences, acting as both the photographic instructors, and wildlife experts. Thanks to exhaustive scouting, our trips have become known for their consistent and unique opportunities. All trips are located within our home province of British Columbia, in the areas we’ve been exploring since we were kids. I invite you to check out the pages below, to get to know the four workshops we offer annually. Hope you can join us in the field someday soon!

What participants are saying ...

"Hi guys, Just a quick note to tell you both how much I enjoyed your workshop and getting to know you both. I am truly impressed with your knowledge, skills, and imagination when getting behind the camera. I have vow to get back to shooting manual and working more with my histograms. Also, thanks for sharing your love of nature around Vancouver, and letting us experience and photograph it. Looking forward to more workshops with you."   

Mark
Michigan, USA
Winter Birds of Vancouver 2015

"I was privileged to attend the 2015 Wildlife and Mountain Vistas workshop in Manning Provincial Park. Jess and Connor know this park thoroughly and everyone benefited from their knowledge of the birds, animals, and landscapes in this area, and where and when to get the best images.  I learned more about photography in three days than I would have thought possible!  Each of the students got a lot of individual attention due to the limited size of the group.  The midday study sessions gave me a lot of useful knowledge about photographic techniques, and the Photoshop techniques they shared with us were also amazing! Jess and Connor have a lot of energy and I got many amazing images in three days.  I would happily attend any future workshops with these two enthusiastic photographers!" 

Brett
Vancouver, Canada
Manning Provincial Park - Wildlife and Mountain Vistas 2015

"The workshop in Manning Provincial Park, lead by Jess Findlay and Connor Stefanison was a true delight for wildlife photographers. Jess and Connor worked tirelessly to provide a rich variety of shooting situations including animals and birds in the park, majestic mountain scenery, and even night scenes with stars. I appreciated the small groups that gave each of us concentrated attention from both leaders. We started very early to capture sunrises on the mountains, continued in stronger light to seek wildlife and birds for closeup work. During the hot, glaring part of the day, they offered professional sessions on post-production with Lightroom and Photoshop, where they also shared their impressive portfolios sharing tips on better capture techniques with nature images. We reconvened when the light improved towards the evening, continuing sessions through sunset. Their energy and humour combined with advanced photographic skills, made the workshop not only a valuable learning experience, but so much fun.

I had previously enjoyed a trip to Ecuador with Jess Findlay and his acute abilities to identify exotic bird species and approach them for maximum success in capturing images in a boat and on land, so I knew this workshop would be great too. I look forward to a winter raptor workshop with Jess and Connor next year. I enthusiastically recommend any workshop they are leading."

Cheryl
New Mexico, USA
Manning Provincial Park - Wildlife and Mountain Vistas 2015