A photo portrait from a family trip through Romania and Bulgaria. Each country was distinctly different from the other due to different influences in their histories and modern-day trajectories. In Romania, we largely spent our time in the gorgeous Transylvania region with its Saxon-influenced architecture, folklore (you might be familiar with Dracula), and the mountainous countryside that linked our journey from town to town. In Bulgaria, we journeyed cross-country to visit more diverse parts of the country, including the mind-boggling rock formations of Belogradchick, the Medieval city of Veliko Tarnovo, the seaside resort town of Sozopol and the Madara national historical-archeological reserve.

Iceland has long captivated me with its dramatic landscapes shaped by volcanic activity. Even before I became a photographer, I was enthralled by this island. At the conclusion of my undergrad in Earth and Ocean Sciences, I walked across Iceland and became familiar with its rugged terrain. Since then, I have returned several times, including this month when the Sundhnúkagígar eruption occurred.

Nestled on the edge of the Arctic, where the icy embrace of the Hudson Bay meets the rugged terrain of the Canadian wilderness, lies Churchill, Manitoba. Known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World" and a prime destination for witnessing the Northern Lights, Churchill had been on my bucket list for years. I was finally able to make the trip in November 2023.

Here in our mountain landscapes, there exist individuals whose passion is as big as the peaks that cradle them. These intrepid souls are artisans of altitude; their canvas is the very terrain that challenges them. Here are just a few of my favourite images from over the years.

I started talking, half-jokingly, about trying to isolate an iceberg, which I know wouldn't be an easy task. But Jesse is always super keen to make my ideas come to life. He suggested that we could isolate an iceberg through a mix of towing and paddling. But, all we had for paddling was a hiking pole. As for towing, he suggested that he could place an ice screw into an iceberg, tie that to a rope and then we would be able to tow it from shore.

Back in April, my family did a road trip through the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Here are some images from this remarkable (and beautiful!) part of the world.

He may be plump and jolly, but this big guy can do a whole lot more than just ride a sleigh all over the world in one night. He’s been spotted in the Canadian Rockies on several occasions (hard to miss, he’s always wearing bright red), but you might be surprised at what he’s been up to when he’s not delivering toys…

I’ve been photographing ice since the very early stages of my career. Whether glaciers, ice caves, frozen lakes, or mountaintops, I would continuously find myself drawn to cold landscapes in search of ice in its many forms, textures, and hues. Icescapes are among the most dynamic, visually exciting, and rewarding places a photographer can document. But as I spent more time shooting ice, it became apparent that I was capturing something that is vanishing.

It seems impossible to take a bad photo in Mongolia. With towering sand dunes that glow during magic hour, vast landscapes that seem to stretch on for eternity, and welcoming people who share their traditional way of life and—a photographer will find endless possibilities. It’s no wonder that OFFBEAT returned to the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky” this June to host two photography workshops: The Gobi Desert and The Wild West.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate to spend an entire month in Greenland, a place that feels like my second home. This trip, which marked my 6th visit to the island country known as Kalaallit Nunaat in Greenlandic and Grønland in Danish, involved leading two OFFBEAT photography workshops in familiar locations and working on a tourism photography project at a destination that was new to me. Despite revisiting several places, natural wonders such as ice, water, and northern lights made each experience unique.

I shot this self-portrait earlier this week during an overnight adventure into a rarely visited corner of Kootenay National Park. The traverse from the world-famous Lake O'Hara, in British Columbia, to the even more famous Moraine Lake, in Alberta is undertaken by a handful of parties every year. Here’s the story behind the image!

In my mind, few natural phenomena match the magic or grandeur of the aurora borealis. I’ve been actively chasing this natural wonder, also known as the Northern Lights, for over a decade. Based on my experience chasing the lights, here are my top 5 tips for increasing your chances of viewing and/or photographing the northern lights.

Rust-red roofs and sand-coloured buildings set again the azure blue of the Adriatic Seas. Quaint and historic towns that feel like a storybook in real life. Wild skies and crashing waves that keep a photographer on his toes. This, in a nutshell, was our family trip through the Western Balkans.

On a mission to document vanishing ice across the globe, I found myself in Ecuador back in February — a South American nation named for its position on the Equator. You may wonder why I’m chasing ice on the Equator, but Ecuador is home to Andean peaks towering up to 6,310 metres. It turns out that the country’s stratovolcanoes are home to a number of receding glaciers. 

A collection of my favourite images from a recent photography workshop and photo mission to capture the last ice in Botswana and Uganda.

An overnight bag that allows you to pack both your photo gear and backcountry equipment is a rare thing to find, and that’s exactly why Lowepro created the PhotoSport backpack! I've teamed up with them to give one lucky winner a Lowepro PhotoSport Backpack PRO 70L AW III [valued at $699.95 (CAD) / $499.99 (USD)].

Magic unfolds in the Canadian Rockies during the transition to fall. It’s larch season, a glorious but short-lived window where the needles of this “deciduous conifer” transform from green to gold, and the perfect time to set off on an overnight backcountry adventure with the brand new Lowepro PhotoSport Pro.

Most people know Moraine Lake for its turquoise waters, mountainous skyline, and bustling shoreline but the passing seasons paint entirely different scenes. Come winter, snow blankets the frozen lake and its lonely shores but it is rarely seen or photographed this way because of winter road closures.

Equipped with AquaTech underwater housing for the Canon R5 and aware that Moraine Lake would soon be teeming with visitors, I set out to capture a tranquil moment between seasons.

Perhaps the two rules you hear the most in landscape photography are “the rule of thirds” and “the importance of moving your feet.” The first one I think gets way too much attention, but the latter cannot be emphasized enough. This image is a prime example.

To celebrate the premiere of Getting the Shot Episode 2, we’ve teamed up with Life Outside Studio and Rag and Carbon to give away a framed limited-edition print by Paul Zizla (valued at $800 CAD; up to 24 x 36). The winner picks the image!

The chase for wild ice is what brought Banff-based photographer Paul Zizka and professional figure skater Elladj Baldé together to make some magic.

Each week I get emails or messages from fellow photographers asking where they should photograph in Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. Others ask me where to go hiking or scrambling so that they can get off the beaten track. I love getting these questions and seeing people’s enthusiasm for shooting these beautiful mountain landscapes.

It has been a once in a lifetime – more like millennia – event. The comet NEOWISE has been visible in the dark skies over my home town of Banff, Alberta, and it’s been a highlight of my career to photograph it. Knowing it’s such a rare event has added an exhilarating element to the creative task of capturing it, and to see it converge with such celestial wonders as the aurora borealis has been an unforgettable experience.

I’ve heard it said that we aren’t truly Canadian unless we’ve strapped on some skates, grabbed a stick, and puck-handled our way across a frozen lake or pond. During any given winter day in this country, people of all ages are lacing up and stepping out onto frozen ponds and lakes to enjoy our nation’s greatest backyard pastime.

The Faroe Islands are a part of the majestic Kingdom of Denmark and located halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Endlessly rugged and beautiful, they are a prime location for landscape photography.

If you’re looking to gear up with the latest and greatest, don’t miss this giveaway! I’ve teamed up with Manfrotto and Lowepro to give you the chance to win a Befree Advanced Carbon Fibre Travel Tripod and a Protactic camera backpack (valued at $460 USD).