“Bird Photography Simplified” – Oct. 7, 2026

With special guest presenter, Glenn Bartley

We all know that bird photography is difficult.  In this presentation Glenn will share his approach to simplifying the process of bird photography, while still striving for high quality wildlife images. 

A colourful hummingbird with long tail feathers hovering beside a pink-flowering plant, with blurred background.

From equipment selection to field techniques to post processing, Glenn will share his approach to bird photography.

Looking up from the trough of a wave to two penguins, one floating, the other leaping out of the water.

Some of the topics to be covered include:

  • What are the 7 Elements of a Great Bird Photo
  • Why you need to do Your homework! – Glenn’s approach to research and planning
  • Glenn’s strategy In the field – keeping It simple
  • Building a portfolio
Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) perched on a branch in Costa Rica.

Glenn Bartley is a world renowned professional nature photographer from Victoria, British Columbia. 

He focuses almost all of his efforts on capturing intimate images of birds in their natural habitat.

Glenn is especially well known for his portraits of rare and difficult to photograph birds from the Neotropical Region and his portfolio of hummingbird images.

You can find out more about Glenn and see more of his great images on his website.

The meeting will be held via Zoom, on Wed. October 7 at 10 am Pacific Time. The link will be sent by email to all Gabriola Photography Club members on the weekend 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 Oct. 5 to sign up.

All images © Glenn Bartley.

Birds of a Feather – on until July 31

As an ongoing project, Gabriola Photography Club curates the art display space downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Clinic on Church Street, Gabriola Island. Club members take turns having solo exhibitions or taking part in group exhibitions.

In our everyday life we all catch glimpses of birds as we go about our day – and when we’re lucky enough to have the time, many of us derive a deep satisfaction from watching birds more closely and learning about their lives.

Six Gabriola Photography Club members have been busy capturing and preserving some of the moments of wonder and inspiration offered by our feathered friends.

The photographs on display include birds from more about 30 species, from here on Gabriola to further afield, all the way to Borneo and Antarctica. Although they represent only a tiny slice of the amazing diversity within the avian world, we hope these images will add to your appreciation of the wonderful birds that continue to inspire our twin passions for nature and for photography.

Photos (clockwise from top left) by: Corinne Flaws, Laurence Lee, Linda Blokhuisen, Sher Falls, Vicky Scott, Laurie MacBride.

A Single Element – on now, until June 5

As an ongoing project, Gabriola Photography Club curates the art display space downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Clinic on Church Street, Gabriola Island. Club members take turns having solo exhibitions or taking part in group exhibitions.

Western screech owl © John Konovsky

We’re delighted to present a new exhibit by Gabriola Photography Club member, John Konovsky.

The fifteen photographs in John’s exhibit each focus on a single element, many of them birds. Some are simple portraits, some capture a moment. In John’s own words:

In an era of overload and clutter, my intent is to strip away distractions and celebrate the everyday beings around us.  I myself, as an early bird, am drawn to the moody light of pre-dawn thru sunrise as represented in many of these images.

Each image ultimately expresses my sense of the beauty of solitary nature:

  • The Vaquero (Mexican cowboy) alone by the fire hints at introspection (Mexico)
  • The solitary rock chimney in the seascape centers a wondrous daybreak (NL)
  • The sheep grazing alone on a hilltop congers peacefulness (Ireland)
  • The flower and its reflection evokes what the Japanese call “sabi (寂び),” an appreciation of the aging/tarnishing/decaying process (Vancouver)
  • The empty mussel shell on a beach showcases the ebb and flow of living and dying (Mexico)
  • Each of the birds, young or old, is carrying on with life in some way
  • The foggy scene acknowledges the fading nature of our existence (Fraser Estuary)

Together, I hope all the images celebrate the delicate balance between humanity and the earth.

“Adventures in Photography” – Upstairs until Jan. 10/25

Four gannets flying together, with wings outspread.
© Corinne Flaws

While our club continues to show our work downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Centre, this month you’ll find a new exhibit by one of our members upstairs as well.

“Adventures in Photography” is a new show by Corinne Flaws, a visual artist and photographer who specializes in landscape, wildlife and abstract imagery.

Corinne has always had a passion for nature and for capturing its beauty. It inspires her to share what she sees, through her photographs and her other art. As well as producing beautiful photographs, she enjoys capturing images with her camera to use as inspiration for her paintings.    

Corinne moved from Winnipeg to Gabriola Island in 2020. This show includes a collection of her favourite images captured right here on Gabriola and on Vancouver Island, as well as from Manitoba and her travels in Utah and Oregon, and the Shetland Isles.

The exhibit will be on display upstairs at the Medical Centre until January 10, 2025.

Eyes on Nature – on now, until November 8, 2024

As an ongoing project, Gabriola Photography Club curates the art display space downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Clinic on Church Street, Gabriola Island. Club members take turns having solo exhibitions or taking part in group exhibitions.

Six members of Gabriola Photography Club have joined together to present our latest exhibition. Each of us is drawn by something a little bit different in our nature photography.

Linda has been pulled in by the splendour she sees in a bird’s outstretched wings and the details of its feather composition, with each feather adding to the overall effect of grandeur.

For Ian, photography is about having fun, and he’s been doing that recently from a bird blind in his garden. He’s also enjoyed using his macro lens to discover the uncommon beauty in some of our “common” backyard plants and fungi.

Corinne is fascinated by the variety of colour and forms in rocks, so she jumped at the chance early this year to explore the rock formations of Monument Valley, Utah, to try to capture the essence of this spiritually powerful place.

Nature never ceases to fill Sher with wonder and delight, no matter the season. She embraces the transition from fall to winter, when migrations bring beautiful new visitors to our region.

As a lifelong boater with her roots firmly planted on the west coast, Laurie is passionate about the natural environment of this place  – both land and sea – and the amazing, complex web of life it supports.

John says his photographs record moments when his perception of the natural world is at its strongest, when he experiences a wonder based on a sense of the energy and processes that underpin our planet’s ecosphere.

We hope you’ll enjoy and appreciate the diversity of life and the beauty of the natural landscapes we have chosen to highlight in this exhibit.