Ask most people where Newfoundland is, and they likely won’t know, which probably doesn’t matter. But if that person’s a photographer, then that’s a shame. Because as I learned this past June, Newfoundland is a great place for a photo trip.
For several years now I’ve helped run photo trips for an old friend, Rene Bastien, who lives in eastern Canada. Through his business, Highlight Photo Tours, we started with trips up north, like Quebec, Nova Scotia and the Canadian Rockies. Those are all places that Americans may have heard of but not visited, and all places that make for great photo trips. Since then, we’ve branched out to lead some trips to Europe. But as well travelled as I am, while I’ve heard of Newfoundland, I couldn’t have told you exactly where it was, or why it might be worth visiting. Now I can, and during our time there we rarely saw another serious photographer.
Newfoundland and Labrador make up the easternmost province of Canada, which also make them closer to Europe than anywhere else in North America. Rene, of course, had been there before, and so knew the possibilities it could offer photographers. Small fishing villages, lighthouses, Atlantic coastlines, whales, puffins and icebergs. The map above shows where we went, and the photos below show why we’re planning a return in 2027.
St. John’s: A beautiful small city, it’s the largest in the province. Famous for its multi-colored homes, it also boasts a large harbor, small fishing villages nearby and a classic lighthouse.
It’s pretty obvious why this section of St. John’s has been named “Jellybean Row.” Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/9 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 93mm.
You even see that on some of their mailboxes. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
And every home has its own look. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 200, 1/250 at f/8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 66mm.
The view of the harbor and city from Signal Hill, where Marconi’s first wireless transmission to Europe took place in 1901. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/320 at f/10 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 39mm.
On our first visit to Cape Spear lighthouse, we could hardly see it due to the heavy fog. However that fog certainly helped the beams of light to stand out! Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Auto white balance, ISO 3200, 1/4 second at f/5 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 18mm.
On the second night at Cape Spear, we had less fog, and I demonstrated a little light painting on the hillside nearby. Nikon Z 8, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 1600, 30-seconds at f/10 in Matrix metering, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 21mm.
Whale watching: I’ve been on a lot of whale watching excursions, but this one was a bit different. For one thing, we were seeing Sperm whales (a new one for me, but not for Captain Ahab!). And for another, it was in a small boat which the guide expertly placed to help us get good photos (special thanks to Sea of Whale Adventures!).
The stubby head of a sperm whale is clearly visibly as it blows. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 220, 1/2000 at f/8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 200mm.
A sperm whale shows its tail as it dives. One fascinating thing we could see were the scars on its body from a giant squid. That’s one of the whale’s favorite foods, and they fight back! Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 640, 1/1600 at f/9 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 160mm.
Puffins: One of my favorite birds to photograph, when we told folks we were headed to Elliston they’d always say, “Oh, you’ll walk right up to puffins!” And they were right. Following a trail, you find yourself with puffins just yards away, while across a narrow channel of water water hundreds, if not thousands, are busy coming and going.
The small town of Elliston takes pride in the puffins there, as can be seen by the various puffin-themed designs around town. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 160, 1/640 at f/10 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 37mm.
A pair of puffins doing whatever puffins do together. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 400, 1/2000 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm.
Some of the puffins are so close that tight shots like this are easy to make. This one waddled up to within about ten feet of where I was sitting on the grass. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 640, 1/4000 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm.
Flaps down, coming in for a landing. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 500, 1/2500 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm.
Across a narrow body of water hundreds more puffins appeared to be nesting, occasionally pestered by seagulls. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 500, 1/1600 at f/9 in Matrix metering, +0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Z with 1.4X teleconverter for 840mm.
Icebergs: This is certainly one of the most compelling reasons to visit in early summer. These small islands of ice drift down from the north and end up along its shores at that time. Twillingate is one of the best places to find them, and we lucked out with one partcularly photogenic one.
It took a bit of scrambling, but I felt like having this fishing shack in the background added context to where the iceberg was. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/320 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 26mm.
For a different angle, I got close to the water and included some “bergy bits” in the foreground. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/200 at f/11 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 26mm.
We didn’t get many good sunsets on the trip, but made the most of those we had. In this case, we could see another towering iceberg out in the ocean, drifting toward Newfoundland. There’s a actually a business where ships collect icebergs, crush the ice and sell it. You can even buy beer there made from the resulting water. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/640 at f/9 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Z with 1.4X teleconverter for 840mm.
Landscapes: In addition to all of the above, Newfoundland is blessed with great natural beauty. Its rocky coastline, inlets, beaches and small villages provide ample opportunity for photos and the mainland is covered in heavy forests, with their attendant creeks and waterfalls.
Spiller’s Cove was one of the locations we visited. In this case I used a ten-stop neutral density filter and set the camera on the ground, using the self-timer for a long exposure, which allowed the moving clouds to create blur. Nikon Z 8, Manual exposure, Auto white balance, ISO 100, 5-seconds at f/14 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 14mm.
Occasionally I’d switch the camera into the Monochrome Picture Control, to add an old-time black-and-white fell feel to a scene. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/200 at f/11 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 19mm.
The last bit of sunset one evening in Twillingate, as we were out shooting in a light drizzle. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Shady white balance, ISO 2500, 1/50 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 200mm.
When it was overcast I’d suggest looking for details, like this beach scene, as the lack of contrast worked well for that kind of picture. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 320, 1/50 at f/10 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
The small harbors and fishing villages, like here at Quidi Vidi, always offered up nice scenes for us. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 160, 1/500 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
Again at Quidi Vidi, some color and detail from one of the fishing shacks. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 160, 1/320 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 180mm.
Some old machinery along the shoreline outside Twillingate. To make this picture without added lighting gear, I exposed for the sky, then brought the foreground back in edit software. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/20 at f/9 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 19mm.
This location gave me another opportunity to do some light painting. I used two Goal Zero MicroLanterns to light the boat, with one of them behind it to help separate the boat from the background. Nikon Z 8, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 125, 25-seconds at f/7.1 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor = Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 37mm. =
We missed the unmarked dirt track to Leech Brook on our way north, so made a special effort to find it on the last day during our drive back to St. John’s. We only had a few minutes to photograph the falls before hail (yes, hail!) sent us scurrying back to our vehicles. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/20 at f/22 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 14mm.
All in all, a wonderful trip with loads of great photo opportunities. Rene and I plan to return in 2027, so if that interests you, let me know.
(If you like this story, please share it with your friends and let them know about the links on photography that I post on my business Facebook page. I’m also on Instagram and Twitter, @reedhoffmann. And if you’re curious about the workshops I teach, you can find them here. And, you can subscribe to this blog on my home page.)
Ask most people where Newfoundland is, and they likely won’t know, which probably doesn’t matter. But if that person’s a photographer, then that’s a shame. Because as I learned this past June, Newfoundland is a great place for a photo trip.
For several years now I’ve helped run photo trips for an old friend, Rene Bastien, who lives in eastern Canada. Through his business, Highlight Photo Tours, we started with trips up north, like Quebec, Nova Scotia and the Canadian Rockies. Those are all places that Americans may have heard of but not visited, and all places that make for great photo trips. Since then, we’ve branched out to lead some trips to Europe. But as well travelled as I am, while I’ve heard of Newfoundland, I couldn’t have told you exactly where it was, or why it might be worth visiting. Now I can.
Newfoundland and Labrador make up the most eastern province of Canada, which also make them closer to Europe than anywhere else in North America. Rene, of course, had been there before, and so knew the possibilities it could offer photographers. Small fishing villages, lighthouses, Atlantic coastlines, whales, puffins and icebergs. Here’s what we did, and why we’re planning a return in 2027.
St. John’s: A beautiful small city, it’s the largest in the province. Famous for its multi-colored homes, it also boasts a large harbor, small fishing villages nearby and a classic lighthouse.
One of the things St. John’s is famous for is the colorful way they paint homes in the city, an area called “Jellybean Row.” Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/9 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 93mm.
You even see that on some of their mailboxes. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
And every home has its own look. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 200, 1/250 at f/8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 66mm.
The view of the harbor and city from Signal Hill, where Marconi’s first wireless transmission to Europe took place in 1901. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/320 at f/10 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 39mm.
On our first visit to Cape Spear lighthouse, we could hardly see it due to the heavy fog. However that certainly helped the beams of light to stand out! Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Auto white balance, ISO 3200, 1/4 at f/5 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 18mm.
On the second night at Cape Spear, we had less fog, and I demonstrated a little light painting. Nikon Z 8, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 1600, 30-seconds at f/10 in Matrix metering, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 21mm.
Whale watching: I’ve been on a lot of whale watching excursions, but this one was a bit different. For one thing, we were seeing Sperm whales (a new one for me, but not for Captain Ahab!). And for another, it was in a small boat which the guide expertly placed to help us get good photos (special thanks to Sea of Whale Adventures!).
The stubby head of a sperm whale is clearly visibly as it blows. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 220, 1/2000 at f/8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 200mm.
A sperm whale shows its tail as it dives. One fascinating thing we could see was the scars on its body from a giant squid. That’s one of the whale’s favorite foods, and they fight back! Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 640, 1/1600 at f/9 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 160mm.
Puffins: One of my favorite birds to photograph, when we told folks we were headed to Elliston they’d always say, “Oh, you’ll walk right up to puffins!” And they were right. Following a trail, you find yourself with a few puffins just yards away, while across a narrow channel of water water hundreds, if not thousands, are busy coming and going, sometimes being harassed by seagulls.
The small town of Elliston takes pride in the puffins there, as can be seen by the various puffin-themed designs around town. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 160, 1/640 at f/10 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 37mm.
A pair of puffins doing whatever puffins do together. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 400, 1/2000 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm.
Some of the puffins are so close that tight shots like this are easy to make. This one waddled up to within about ten feet of where I was sitting on the grass. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 640, 1/4000 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm.
Flaps down, coming in for a landing. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 500, 1/2500 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm.
Across a narrow body of water, hundreds more puffins appeared to be nesting, occasionally pestered by seagulls. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, 5010K, ISO 500, 1/1600 at f/9 in Matrix metering, +0.3 EV, Nikkor NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Z with 1.4X teleconverter for 840mm.
Icebergs: This is certainly one of the most compelling reasons to visit in early summer. These small islands of ice drift down from the north and end up along its shores at that time. Twillingate is one of the best places to find them, and we lucked out.
Near Twillingate we found a few icebergs, this one being the most picturesque of the bunch. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/320 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 26mm.
We visited it a couple of times, looking for different angles to photograph it from. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/200 at f/11 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 26mm.
We didn’t get many good sunsets on the trip, but made the most of those we had. In this case, we could see another towering iceberg out in the ocean, on its way to Newfoundland. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/640 at f/9 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Z with 1.4X teleconverter for 840mm.
Landscapes: In addition to all of the above, Newfoundland is blessed with great natural beauty. Its rocky coastline, inlets, beaches and small villages provide ample opportunity for photos and the mainland is covered in heavy forests, with their attendant creeks and waterfalls.
Spiller’s Cove was one of the sights we visited. In this case I used a ten-stop neutral density filter for a long exposure, to allow the moving clouds to create blur. Nikon Z 8, Manual exposure, Auto white balance, ISO 100, 5-seconds at f/14 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 14mm.
Occasionally I’d switch the camera into the Monochrome Picture Control, to add an old-time feel to a scene. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/200 at f/11 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 19mm.
The last bit of sunset one evening in Twillingate, as we were out shooting in a light drizzle. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Shady white balance, ISO 2500, 1/50 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 200mm.
When it was overcast I’d suggest looking for details, as the flat light worked well for that kind of picture. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 320, 1/50 at f/10 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
The small harbors and fishing villages, like here at Quidi Vidi, always offered nice scenes. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 160, 1/500 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
Again at Quidi Vidi, some color and detail from one of the fishing shacks. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, 5210K, ISO 160, 1/320 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 180mm.
Some old machinery along the shoreline outside Twillingate. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/20 at f/9 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 19mm.
This location gave me another opportunity to do some light painting. I used two Goal Zero MicroLanterns to light the boat, one behind it. Nikon Z 8, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 125, 25-seconds at f/7.1 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor = Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 37mm. =
We missed the unmarked dirt track to Leech Brook on our way north, so made a special effort to find it on the last day during our drive back to St. John’s. We only had a few minutes to photograph it before hail (yes, hail!) sent us hurrying back to our vehicles. Nikon Z 8, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/20 at f/22 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 14mm.
All in all, a wonderful trip with loads of great photo opportunities. Rene and I plan to return in 2027, so if that interests you, let me know.
(If you like this story, please share it with your friends and let them know about the links on photography that I post on my business Facebook page. I’m also on Instagram and Twitter, @reedhoffmann. And if you’re curious about the workshops I teach, you can find them here. And, you can subscribe to this blog on my home page.)
I hope you guys enjoy your trip. You take AMAZING photos
Thanks Alexis!