• Beautiful Alaskan landscape (rugged mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and lush forests)
• Amazing Alaskan wildlife (grizzly bear, eagles, whales, otters and more!)
• A classroom with Photoshop® at your disposal (taught by Adobe certified instructors)
• Printing labs run by Canon — get wide format prints of your favorite images!
• Presentations by award-winning photographers
• Personalized instruction from a team of highly experienced photographers, teaching you what YOU want to learn!

...Now, put all of this aboard a Holland America Cruise ship!

It would be the perfect blend of pampering and photography. Too good to be true, right? Don't be too sure!

The Aperture Academy and Canon, in association with Holland America cruises, have partnered up to bring you the experience of a lifetime! We like to call it, The Inside Passage to Better Photography.

You'll arrive in Seattle, The Emerald City...and board the luxurious Oosterdam. Once you've settled into your cabin and had some time to enjoy the many amenities the ship has to offer, you'll begin your photography workshop with an introductory presentation by the Aperture Academy Team and Canon. They'll go over everything you'll need to know, and what to expect, on your week of adventure and luxury.

We're at sea. What better place to get to know your ship? You'll discover the many fine restaurants, enjoy time in a casino, or relax with a loved one by the pool. Canon will be on hand to answer any questions you have about equipment and even have some available to rent and take for a test drive! The Aperture Academy Instructors will be on hand to answer any of your questions regarding your week on board the ship or your excursions on shore. That evening, you'll be able to enjoy presentations given by the Aperture Academy instructors on various aspects of photography, and hear their entertaining accounts of some of their time in the field.

The fun begins as we enter Glacier Bay...it will be all hands (holding cameras) on deck for this workshop. We'll glide through the glacier-heavy waters, and instructors will work with you to achieve the best results while photographing the majestic blue chunks of ice as they float in the bay and fall from the glacier into the sea. The rest of your day will be free to explore the ship, relax, or partake in the Photoshop classes available on the boat with our Adobe certified instructors. Whether your version of raw is from the camera or in the form of sushi on the ship, the day is full of opportunity and fun for you aboard the Oosterdam.

That evening will be geared towards photography adventure as the award winning team of instructors from the Aperture Academy give slide-show talks and entertaining presentations about some of their favorite expeditions behind the lens. Whether it's spending a week with grizzlies in the wilds of Alaska, braving 30 ft. swells in the seas surrounding Antarctica, or backpacking for 2-months in Iceland, our instructors have been all over the planet and experienced some of the best it has to offer. Sit back, relax, and let them entertain and educate you.

Welcome to Juneau Alaska! Explore the harbor and waterways in search of seals, otters, eagles, and of course whales. Juneau is a prime stop for the Humpback Whale on their annual migratory pattern north. Spend the day with Aperture Academy wildlife photography experts as they help you create memories and images of these magnificent creatures and any other critters we encounter on our day out. Whether you decide to explore the city on your own, or board a smaller craft for an exciting day of photography off the ship, it will be a wild day with wildlife; one you surely don't want to miss!

We're off the boat and exploring the areas in and around Sitka, Alaska, either trekking in ancient forest areas photographing Alaska's rich Native-American history, or exploring the outskirts in search of wildlife and amazing waterfalls. We'll have our day broken up into smaller groups to allow our instructors to focus more individually on the needs of students...and to accommodate specific interests. Even if you're a skilled photographer, these workshops will allow you to get out and do what you love most — take photos!

Back aboard the ship in the evening, you'll have time and space to learn more about Photoshop and process some of those images you spent the day creating. Then, once you've processed the images, it's time to get acquainted with the Canon experts and have those images printed out so everyone can be jealous of how you spent your day!

You'll spend the morning in Ketchikan, Alaska, and go on photo walks of the harbor and city with the Aperture Academy instructors. This is the perfect opportunity to work on photography in a more "urban" landscape. We can focus on pieces of Americana, macro photography, or shots of people in their everyday activities in this remote section of the U.S. If photographing with a group isn't your cup of tea, feel free to explore the town on your own, and see what makes Ketchikan such a charming spot for thousands of visitors every year. Once back on the boat, it's up to you how you spend the day. Take part in classes learning how to process your images, or build a team and take part in an on-ship photo scavenger hunt. If you have finished images you want to see printed out large and lovely, take your memory chips to the experts at Canon and have an image or two printed out to share with friends and family. There is endless opportunity for photography, fun and fantastic memories!

Welcome to Canada, eh! We arrive in port at 6pm, a perfect time to meet up and do some night photography! We'll be assembling a group to photograph in and around the streets of Victoria...it's the popular Aperture Academy Night Owls course gone international! Then, when we're finally back on board the Oosterdam, it's time for farewell. Join the party to say your good-byes to the great folks at Canon and the Aperture Academy, and enjoy the social hour and view a slide-show of your time together. There'll be time to grab one more late night snack aboard, or one last soak in the hot tub, before getting a good night's sleep and returning to the Emerald City in the morning.

The final day is devoted to getting your bags and memories together and taking them home to upload and share with the world.

This cruise workshop is a photographer, and traveller's, dream come true....what are you waiting for? Aperture Academy and Canon have your inside passage to better photography waiting. All aboard!

You don't even need to leave the comforts of the ship to photograph the beautiful icebergs of Glacier Bay. Instructors will be on hand to help you capture the colors and magnificence of Glacier Bay. Whether you're making images, or just watching in awe as ice chunks the size of buildings fall off the glacier into the bay, this will surely be an afternoon to remember.

Bring home the video memories of your Alaska cruse and expand your story telling skills in movie format. Join Calumet Photogrpahic's Richard Newman for 5 two hour classes (ten hours total) and learn the ins and outs of movie making. Whether you are using your video capable HDSLR or a video camera, this is the class. Learn basic camera operation, the skills and tools you need to record great audio and putting it all together into a finished movie. We will be hands on in the recording editing and finishing process, working with both Imovie and Final Cut Pro. This class has sold out around the country and now we are taking to to open seas, helping you create the best videos you have ever made.

Spend a day wandering the ancient totems from Alaska's rich Native American history. Some of these poles date back to the late 1800s, and you'll have the opportunity to explore the park with our trained professionals and capture some of this ancient art form and make it artwork of your own.

Come aboard and bring your camera as we traverse the waters of Alaska looking for whales! Alaska is a "mecca" for Humpback Whales, and we'll board smaller watercraft and spend the day photographing these mighty creatures as they spy-hop, lob-tail, and breach their way onto your memory chips. This is truly going to be one of the most memorable photography adventures you've ever been on.

Have you been curious about night photography? Nobody teaches more students about night photography than the Aperture Academy. Come spend the night with instructors in the beautiful city of Victoria. We'll spend a few hours roaming the streets of this European-flavored city and work on capturing some of its beauty and charm after the sun has faded and the lights have come on.

If you're wondering what Camera RAW is all about, why it's so important, or if you want to edit your RAW images in the most powerful way possible, this is the class for you! You will see amazing results as we thoroughly explore the capabilities of the Photoshop RAW processor.

This class is an essential foundation for any digital photographer shooting RAW. Often times, this is all the post-processing you'll need!

You'll be amazed at how easy it is to make effective adjustments to your photos! This class will give you the basic rules for size, resolution, file formats and how to save photos for email, web and print. You'll see your images come alive with effective cropping and straightening, give your photos more depth and understand the importance of light. Working with Photoshop layers, you will marry several images, or portions of images, together and apply blending and transparency effects to create your own masterpiece.

Do you want to spend less time in front of a computer and more time behind the lens? Of course! With Lightroom you can quickly import, process, manage and showcase your images. This course will show you how organizing and adjusting images in Lightroom makes photo processing and management easier than ever.

Welcome aboard the photography version of the love boat. Once you're aboard you'll spend your time on board enjoying the many luxuries of the Oosterdam. Throughout the afternoon and evening you'll have the opportunity to meet with professional photography instructors from the Aperture Academy as they discuss relevant issues in the photography world, ‘How-to' seminars, or entertaining lectures on some of their travels behind the lens.

During the days you'll be photographing…whether it's from the boat as we slowly work our way through Glacier Bay or off the boat in one of Alaska's many beautiful ports of call with your professional photography staff from the Aperture Academy. You'll spend the day filling up those memory cards with images to last a lifetime.

Once back on the ship it'll be time to sit down in our classroom and get quality Adobe certified instruction on how to process those images to bring out their best! Once you're satisfied with some of those magnificent photos you've created it's time to print them out, and print them BIG. Canon is on board with a full service print lab to handle all your printing needs in even the largest of sizes.

Work with the pros from Canon to get the most out of your images using Canon ImagePROGRAF 6000 & 8000 series printers!

Meet our master instructors and learn what qualifies them to give you a great experience during your workshops! While you're joining us, you will receive comprehensive digital photography instruction and tutoring by our team of award-winning photographers.

Stephen is an award-winning photographer whose work has graced the pages of notable worldwide publications, including National Geographic, Popular Photography, Outdoor Photographer, National Wildlife Magazine, and has recently been profiled in Gentry Magazine and The Mercury News.

Completely self-taught, Stephen's unique and distinctive style has earned him recognition as one of today's finest nature photographers. He was recognized in 2007 as wildlife photographer of the year by the National Wildlife Federation and was awarded the honor of Best Nature Photograph in 2008 by National Geographic Magazine for his work photographing the endangered snow leopard.

Brian is an acclaimed landscape photographer who has taught photography and art for two decades. His work has appeared in numerous galleries, magazines and newspapers, and he has received awards at the national, state and local levels. His students have also won awards for their work.

Brian's passion for photography is evident in every image. His talent, education and background guide his use of color, composition and balance in ways that maximize the aesthetic values of his superlative images. His principle philosophy is that of complete immersion into a subject. This applies to his photographs, students, and writing. He is currently working on several photography-related books.

Scott is a wildlife researcher, eco-guide and successful professional photographer specializing in wildlife, lifestyle, and editorial imagery. Originally trained as a wildlife and marine biologist, Scott's research and photo assignments have taken him to the far corners of the globe.

Scott's easy going style coupled with a passion for all things photography is contagious. He finds great satisfaction sharing his unique insight and knowledge with others, be they aspiring or already established photographers. Often taking a different approach to image making, he seeks to unlock the creative potential in each of his students, to help them see beyond the obvious or traditional and craft a style that is both technically proficient yet unique.

Richard Newman has been in three areas of media production for the last three decades, music, still photography and videography.

He started with a career in the music industry and was part of the Emmy-award sound team for work on Hill Street Blues; Richard has Co-Chaired the Silver Conference on Black and White photography and sits on several Photographic advisory boards. He is a published author of 3 Photography books and international speaker on photography. Richard is currently the Director of Education for Calumet Photographic. He is currently the Producer of Eddie’s Soloway’s new DVD BIG SUR

→ Yes, of course! There will be plenty of non-photography things to do aboard, and off the ship. They can also pay for the off-ship photography tours as well if they'd like to just use them as opportunities for site-seeing. Note that non-photographers do have to book into the cruise portion but are not required to register for the education package.

→ Everything you own! This is a trip of a lifetime and you will want to have every photography tool you own to capture the beauty as it happens! Your camera, of course, a tripod is a must, polarizing filter, shutter cable release and a variety of lenses from wide angle to zoom (roughly a focal range of 18mm to 200mm0). No required but certainly very helpful are neutral density, 3-stop, soft-step graduated filters.

→ A lot of things! In addition to the normal fun and excitement a cruise will provide (pools, relaxing, eating, casinos, shows, etc.), this cruise will also have a very specific focus on photography. Instructors from the Aperture Academy and Canon USA will be on hand to offer everything from on-ship classes in post-processing and printing, to shore excursions led by the Aperture Academy's award winning instructors. This cruise will have everything! We'll do everything from the basics of how to operate your DSLR camera, to the shooting (think glaciers, bears, wildlife, waterfalls, and historic areas of Alaska), the post processing, and finally, the printing of images, to take home with you!

→ Photography instructors will be Stephen Oachs, Brian Rueb, and Scott Davis. All of our photography instructors are from the Aperture Academy in Campbell, California, and work as professionals in the field. If you're unfamiliar with their work, you should look at their portfolios online, and feel free to ask them any questions prior to departure.

→ Our instructors have over 70 combined years of working in and around photography, with many of those years devoted to some sort of education in the field. All of our instructors have won awards, and work as professionals in the field. The Aperture Academy conducted over 65 workshops and classes last year alone, and taught nearly 750 students. That's a lot of experience.

→ Yes! While Canon is promoting this event, not everyone shoots with a Canon. While you won't be able to rent any lenses for your camera, you will still be able to enjoy and learn from the post processing classes, off-ship excursions, and printing labs.

→ Well, if you're not too tired from a full day of photography, there will be a lot to do aboard the ship as well. We'll have courses in post-processing, and printing, as well as nightly presentations by the instructors on various types of photography, or entertaining lectures on projects they've completed. There will also be some fun thrown in with on board photo-scavenger hunts and other events.

→ Then, don't. This is your trip as well. Do as much or as little with the photography portion as you see fit. Take a day off and spend it with your spouse or friends, if that's what you prefer.

→ This trip can be as much of a photo-tour of Alaska as you wish. Our instructors are on hand to help, instruct, and answer any questions people may have. If you feel comfortable on your own, you can use the off-boat time to gather your images with little or no instructor assistance. If you just want some image critique, our instructors can do that as well.

→ Yeup! While the off-ship excursions will focus on photographing with DSLR cameras, you could certainly enjoy the post-processing, printing, and onboard lectures by our photographic staff.

→ This is a joint event between Aperture Academy, Canon USA, All Cruise Travel and Holland America.

→ Ports of call include, Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria BC.

→ We wish! Seriously though, we have reserved 200 spaces on the ship for Aperture Academy attendees but the ship holds 1,916 passengers so there's plenty of room for friends, spouses and other non-photography related people.

→ In the event you cannot attend the cruise, you are welcome to sell or gift your spot to someone else. No refund will be made for no-shows or for withdrawal after the workshop begins as we rely on your attendance to make important workshop arrangements such as number of instructors, transportation, etc. If for any reason you have to withdraw from a workshop, please notify us of your cancellation more than 90 days before the start of the cruise and your payment can be refunded. If you notify us of your cancellation less than 90 days of your scheduled workshop, your payment is non-refundable.