Category Archives: Club News & Events

Field trips, photo shows and other club events and news

Coats Marsh Field Trip – May 8

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Enjoy some local photo fun on Gabriola Island on Friday, May 8, when we head to Coats Marsh Regional Park for our next field trip.

View of a pond with forest on the other side and blue sky with cumulous clouds in the background.
Coats Marsh © Vicky Scott

We will meet at 10 am in the parking area at the end of Stanley Road. (Take South Road to Coats Drive and head uphill towards RavenSkill Orchards; turn left onto Stanley Road, which abuts the south end of the orchard.) 

We’ll walk the trails around Coats Marsh, and for those who are inclined, follow up with social time/lunch at Gabriola Golf Club. 

If we have rain prior to the walk, waterproof footwear would be advised; otherwise, it the weather remains mostly dry, running shoes should be fine.

Club members and other friends are welcome to participate. Please let us know ahead of time if you are planning to join in, so we can keep you apprised of any last-minute changes. 

“A Journey Across Mongolia” – May 20

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With special guest presenter, Julian Elliott

We’re excited to welcome guest speaker Julian Elliott, who will present a photographic journey across Mongolia, from the famous Steppe landscape to the eagle hunters of the Altai region in western Mongolia.

A Kazak Mongolian eagle hunter with his eagle perched on his right arm.
A Kazak Mongolian eagle hunter and his eagle © Julian Elliott

Julian is an award-winning professional freelance landscape and travel photographer, as well as an occasional writer, who constantly travels the world. He says he is “basically a nomad traveller”.

Much of his time is spent in South-East Asia and Central Asia, capturing landscapes and cityscapes along with the various cultures that inhabit these regions. He also travels and photographs in Europe.

Julian has won numerous photography awards and his photographs and stock footage have been sold in over 40 countries through Getty Images and other agencies, for use in magazine spreads and other commercial uses, corporate websites and TV broadcasts.

You can see more of Julian’s work on his website.

The meeting will be held via Zoom, on Wed. May 20 at 10 am PDT. The link will be sent by email to all Gabriola Photography Club members on the Friday prior to the meeting. Make sure your membership is up to date so that you receive this info.

A note to non-members of our Club: you’re welcome to attend this event as a guest; contact us by May 18 to sign up.

“The Nature of Impact” – April 1

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With special guest presenter, Martin Ross

We’re excited to welcome guest speaker Martin Ross, to present “The Nature of Impact: Demystifying the Wow Factor in Nature Photography”.

A gannet in flight against a dark blue sky, hovering with wings outstretched and legs extended.
© Martin Ross

Martin is a wildlife and sports photographer based in Cranbrook, BC who delivers nature photography presentations widely in BC, Alberta and beyond. A long-time individual member of CAPA, he is a national award-winning photographer, a very active remote member of the Lion’s Gate Camera Club in Vancouver, and lead photographer with the Cranbrook Bucks (part of the BC Hockey League). He has honed his upbeat presentation skills through many seasons of work as a park naturalist with Parks Canada and BC Parks, through studies leading to a Master of Education degree, and through a career in international education. His presentations are relevant for photographers at all skill levels.

Close up of two sea otters in the water, likely a mom and pup.

Martin describes impact as an elusive quality that separates eye-catching images from ordinary ones. Yet, as obvious as impact can be, he says it often defies explanation and simply slips through our fingers as we attempt to analyze an image. “This presentation looks beyond the smoke and mirrors of impact and reveals the very practical, underlying elements that work together to create the wow factor of great nature photographs – with applicability to photography in general.”

–Photo © Martin Ross 

You can see more of Martin’s work on his website.

The meeting will be held via Zoom, on Wed. April 1 at 10 am PDT. The link will be sent by email to all Gabriola Photography Club members on the weekend before the meeting. Make sure your membership is up to date so that you receive this info.

A note to non-members of our Club: you’re welcome to attend this event as a guest; contact us by March 29 to sign up.

“13 Days in Ecuador” – February 4

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Last fall, Gabriola Photography Club member Ron Rivers journeyed to South America, spending almost two weeks in Ecuador, including close to a week on the remote Galapagos Islands.

Blue-footed booby (bird with blue webbed feet and long dark bill)

He’ll be showcasing that adventure in a presentation to our club at our meeting on Wed., Feb. 4.

Ron will share his photos of Quito, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire, and of the equator – both the “French Equator” and the real equator.

He’ll also take us to the unique and precious Galápagos Islands, the volcanic archipelago located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador – home to iconic wildlife including several species of boobies, giant tortoises and marine iguanas.

Blue-footed booby ©️ Ron Rivers

The meeting will be held via Zoom, on Wed. February 4, 2026, at 10 am PDT. The link will be sent by email to all Gabriola Photography Club members on the weekend before the meeting. Make sure your membership is up to date so that you receive this info.

A note to non-members of our Club: you’re welcome to attend this event as a guest; contact us by February 2 to sign up.

2025: Our Year in Review

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It was another good year for our Club! Some highlights…

Membership: 

  • 35 as of December (almost the same as Dec. 2024, though some of the faces had changed). Sadly, we lost a beloved longtime member, John Poirier, who passed away in May 2025.

In-person events: 

  • 4 Club field trips and photo walks (2 of them off-island)
  • Annual Fall Show

As well, four club members gave in-person photography presentations for the community.

Exhibitions:

Members who displayed prints in our shows: 
13 (35% of club). This included:

  • 4 solo shows (Medical Centre)
  • 2 group shows (Medical Centre)
  • 1 group show (Chiropractic)
  • 1 group show (annual fall Rollo show)

Learning & inspiration at our 19 zoom meetings:

  • 5 guest presentations – one more was re-scheduled to 2026
  • 2 presentations by club members
  • 9 themed photo assignments
  • 18 members shared about 800 images from our assignments & field trips

Financial matters:

  • Balanced budget achieved again this year
  • Raised almost 10% more revenue than forecast, mostly due to donations
  • Expenses were only about 75% of forecast, mainly due to one cancelled speaker fee
  • Top revenue sources: membership fees, donations, silent auction
  • Top expenses: speakers, communications (zoom & website accounts)

The full 2025 financial statement will be available to members once it has been finalized and approved by the executive.

Website:

  • almost 1000 visitors in 2025, mostly from Canada
  • 23 new posts added (events, speakers, shows etc)
  • Top post in 2025: “Gabriola Artists” (Blair’s show) – 73 views

Top pages & downloads in 2025 (# of views):

  • Home page (800)
  • Password-protected Members page (418)
  • Contact page (123)
  • Membership / why join? (75)
  • “Size matters…or not?” – Image Size & Dimensions (62)
  • Jurgen Lobert zoom recording, “Night Photography” (50)

Best wishes from the Executive to all Club members, for a wonderful 2026, filled with opportunities for learning and growing creatively!

Linda, Sally, Corinne & Laurie