Professional Australian photographer Sean Scott and New Zealand GoPro content creator Kyle ‘Bare Kiwi’ Mulinder traveled across six Canadian provinces and territories capturing the diverse beauty the country has to offer, before meeting in British Columbia for a sea life adventure.
We sat down with Scott and Mulinder and poured over some of their favorite images from the trip. They also told us about why there were drawn to each of these northern locations.
Nova Scotia – Bare Kiwi
Nova Scotia was not at all as I expected. Located on the east coast of Canada, this maritime province is great destination for couples traveling.
UNESCO World Heritage Site, Old Town Lunenburg. All the buildings and even boats were so vibrantly uniform; it felt like a fictitious town. There was no other way to capture the beauty other than by drone. I’ve spent four years flying drones and to capture the best photos, I always recommend keeping the drone at a height between 30-70 metres. It was amazing watching the sunrise reflect off the waterfront.
They love their staples here in Nova Scotia – poutine, beaver tails (fancy waffles) and most definitely lobster! My partner Lisa about to tackle her lunch.
You just can’t come to Canada and not canoe. Captured at Pictou.
Prince Edward Island – Bare Kiwi
Prince Edward Island is an island just off Nova Scotia. It is accessible via Confederation Bridge, but you’re also able to catch a ferry across from Pictou.
Chasing sunsets at Panmure Island.
Lisa and I were out the door before 5:30am, but admittedly we should’ve left earlier because the sun was already rising as we were driving there. When we arrived, we had just made it in time. The sun was just peaking over the horizon and it was literally the most epic sunrise I had ever seen.
View from the top. The beautiful terrains of Panmure Island.
Northwest Territories – Sean Scott
I loved how remote the Northwest Territories were. There weren’t many tourists and people really liked to talk to me. It must have been my Aussie accent.
To capture the Northern Lights, I like to use wide-angle lens. On the new Canon 1DX Mark II, the 11-24mm lens were perfect. At F4, it is still okay as you can push the ISO on this camera.
You don’t need to visit Iceland for the Northern Lights. As I learned, Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada is an aurora heaven. It never gets old for me seeing the lights and even though you have to pull all-nighters, the beauty of the lights that you capture make it worthwhile.
Solar storm in Yellowknife, Canada.
There was a solar storm on my last night in Yellowknife and it was already lighting up the town at 10pm. After getting a few shots from town, I headed out to find a place where there was no light pollution. From there it only got better. I was able to use a much lower ISO setting and then a few at a higher ISO for a few seconds to show the beams more clearly. At one stage I could hear a hissing sound and it looked like I was going to get sprayed by lights. The whole sky just lit up.
The mighty Alexandra Falls. It was quite tricky shooting this as there were not very many safe places that you could stand to showcase the fall.
Hay River, NWT. Having a drone really helps showcase how incredible places can be. I try to shoot early in the morning or late afternoon as the light angle changes and the contrast can look incredible.
Yukon – Bare Kiwi
Yukon is wild, untouched and an absolute dream destination for adventurers. The territory’s slogan is ‘Larger than Life’ and it couldn’t be more fitting. When I arrived, it definitely felt like I had diverted off the main tourist route and into the wilderness.
Standing among giants in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Hiking the Sheep Mountain Trail at Kluane National Park.
It really felt like we were in the wild on this trail. Yukon is known for being a grizzly bear territory, which made Lisa a little uneasy as we prepared for the trek. We set off with our bear spray in hand and tried to ignore some memorial plaques we came across along the way. At one point I came across fresh bear footprints and told Lisa they were probably from a wild dog. She didn’t seem convinced.
Emerald Lake, also known as ‘Jewel of the Yukon’ and it’s not hard to see why. Situated just off the South Klondike Highway on the way to Carcross. It was absolutely stunning and I was disappointed to discover that there were no walking trails around it. The only way to see Emerald Lake is from the highway viewpoint. The vibrant green colour of the lake is due to glacial erosion mixed with a high concentration of calcium carbonate that has been 4000 years in the making.
Quebec – Sean Scott
Quebec was a lot more French than I expected and whilst I was still in Canada, it really felt like I was in another country.
Captured at the Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien. The animals here live in vast semi-wild conditions on a 200 plus hectare site. The Canon 100-400mm lens matched with the 1DX Mark II was a perfect combination to capture these amazing animals.
The highlight of my visit to Quebec. Spending time with the wolves at Aventuraid Park.
It was very a very special and unique experience to be able to get so close to these beautiful animals. They were really interested in me, pulling at my clothes and even ripping a few holes. It took me awhile before I could really use my camera. The 24-70mm lens were great for this particular environment, although I had to keep an eye on shutter speeds as you tend to move quite a bit and so do the animals, which meant I had to shoot a bit faster. They really seemed to love the attention but were also a little shy.
British Columbia – Bare Kiwi and Sean Scott
I was stalking the grizzlies in my last visit to British Columbia. This time I was chasing orcas in the Johnstone Strait on the north east coast of Vancouver Island with Bare Kiwi. – Sean Scott
I only spent one day on the water, but it just blew me away. The orcas weren’t shy at all and were happy to swim close by. One swam right under and they sang so loudly, you could hear them through our aluminum boat. – Sean Scott
It was amazing to be back on my old stomping ground. Many years ago, I spent a couple of summers living on Quadra Island working as a sea kayak guide, so I was definitely excited to return. A pod of around 50 resident orcas cruised past our boat and their singing was incredible; I had to capture this moment. Though it was challenging, I managed to mount my GoPro onto a pole to capture them swimming past underwater. As all photographers and filmmakers know, you need to try everything possible for that perfect shot. – Bare Kiwi
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