fototripper
@fototripper
Gavin Hardcastle, known professionally as a phototripper, is a British landscape photographer and educator based in British Columbia, Canada. His YouTube channel is distinguished by combining high-quality photography with an irreverent and self-deprecating sense of humor, moving away from conventional tutorials to offer "photographic adventures" that document his travels around the world. Gavin seeks to inspire other creators through the exploration of natural environments, focusing on capturing striking images while sharing the often comical and challenging realities of the life of a landscape photographer. Their educational work extends beyond entertainment, offering detailed guides on complex techniques such as focus stacking, composition, and the use of filters. He is the author of photography books such as Chasing Awe and Stories within Stories, and manages his own platform, fototripper.com, where he teaches in-person workshops and deep editing courses. Her focus is on helping photographers find their own artistic vision and master the tools necessary to transform a natural scene into a work of art, always maintaining an honest and relatable narrative about the creative process.
Previous videos
19
Photographing the Weirdest Place on Earth: Desert Chaos with Thomas Heaton
Published: Feb 15, 2026 · Duration: 47 min 32 sec · 44K views
Glencoe Workshop: Get my book: Become a Patron: Join me and the usual suspects (yes, including Thomas Heaton and Greg Benz) as we pile into campers and head into one of the strangest deserts I've ever tried to photograph. Hoodoos everywhere that look like they've been carved by mad scientists, ground so dry my lips cracked just looking at it, and dreaded blue skies. With no clouds to save us, we waited for blue hour…
Do You Really Need Expensive Gear For Landscape Photography?
Published: Feb 1, 2026 · Duration: 16 min 43 sec · 32K views
The Freewell 'Real Multi-Tripod': FLM Tripods: Get 10% Off Using Gavin10 My Tripod: My Geared Head: My Half Ball Head: When it comes to tripods and heads, do you really need expensive gear to create great landscape photography? What's the actual difference between a tripod rig that costs over $3000 and one that costs under $300? I take both rigs out into the freezing cold Canadian winter to demonstrate the pros and…
He Should Pay ME $50K For This Shot - Landscape Photography in Canyonlands
Published: Jan 25, 2026 · Duration: 25 min 27 sec · 46K views
Buy My Book: In this episode we photograph sunset and sunrise at the Green River Overlook in Canyonlands, Utah. As one of the most spectacular landscape photography locations on the planet I'm amazed that we're the only photographers on this cliff edge. Not only do we get the entire place all to ourselves but we get a Kp 9 aurora alert and that doesn't happen that often in Utah.
I Wasted THOUSANDS on Photography Gear I Didn’t Need
Published: Jan 18, 2026 · Duration: 19 min 41 sec · 112K views
My Shimoda Camera Bag: My Core Unit: When it comes to landscape photography it's easy to blow your money on pointless stuff. Allow me to share with you some hard earned lessons that will hopefully save you money on camera gear and also save you wasting your time. I show you 11 tips to keep you on the right track while avoiding classic G.A.S traps.
This Exceeded My Landscape Photography Expectations
Published: Jan 7, 2026 · Duration: 23 min 39 sec · 42K views
BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 (use code Gavin5off): BLUETTI Charger 2 Early-Bird price C$499 until Feb. 5, use my code GavinCH2 for 5% off: Become a Patron: After the power goes out during a snowstorm I've got to figure out a way to keep warm AND get this video uploaded to Youtube. I think I've got a clever idea ;) With that problem solved we rejoin the landscape photography adventure in Utah where I manage to capture a…
This Photographer Gave Me The Stink Eye - Almost in Canyonlands...
Published: Jan 4, 2026 · Duration: 18 min 23 sec · 38K views
Glencoe Workshop: Become A Patron: Personally, I blame Greg. What was he thinking placing his drone on the ground so close to my feet? That awful crunching sound though...
The Dark Reality of Van Life For Landscape Photography
Published: Dec 21, 2025 · Duration: 21 min 15 sec · 51K views
Glencoe Workshop: Become A Patron: This landscape photography adventure begins with my frustration. The other guys don't seem to be in a rush to capture the best of that pre-sunrise light but I'm gagging for it. We all hop into the rave-mobile to visit a spectacular overlook but will we make it on time?
We Almost Puked Because Of This Landscape - Utah Road Trip
Published: Dec 14, 2025 · Duration: 18 min 47 sec · 56K views
Glencoe Workshop: Become A Patron: In this episode we make the mistake of hopping into Marshalls truck to tackle the rough terrain of the Utah desert while chasing landscape photography gold. We almost paint the ceiling in chipotle chunder but it was totally worth the suffering. The day begins with a book-worthy sunrise shoot but I capture so many epic shots that I need your help deciding which one to include in my…
He's Jealous Of My Campervan Rig - Landscape Photography in Utah With Thomas Heaton
Published: Dec 7, 2025 · Duration: 27 min 21 sec · 50K views
Glencoe Workshop: Get my book: I know jealousy when I see it and Thomas Heaton is clearly jealous of the the campervan rig that we rented. Or, should I say 'motorhome'? It's big enough to live in and that's where the problems start.
The Most Photographed Lighthouse In The World? - Peggy's Cove
Published: Nov 30, 2025 · Duration: 22 min 47 sec · 42K views
Use my code Gavin5off for an extra 5% OFF and grab your favorite BLUETTI power stations before the sale ends! BLUETTI Elite 100 V2: BLUETTI Elite 200 V2: BLUETTI Canada: Get My Book: Become a Patron: What's the most famous landscape photography location in Atlantic Canada? Join us on this majestic adventure where I capture quite possibly my best landscape photography image of 2025 (so far...).
I Risked Rain & Divorce for This Photo - You Won’t Believe the Result
Published: Nov 23, 2025 · Duration: 14 min 36 sec · 45K views
Get 40% Off My Courses with bfri25 at Become a Patron: It starts with small lies about distances and hiking times. Then it devolves into raging untruths like "just 10 more minutes...", you know you've done it too. I drag Amanda up a mountain on the bleak off-chance that we might get some good light.
Should I Sell My YouTube Channel? Landscape Photography Ain't Cheap
Published: Nov 2, 2025 · Duration: 21 min 48 sec · 52K views
Become a Patron: After receiving a mysterious email I'm seriously considering a change of career. This offer seems totally legit to me but what do you think? With the admin taken care of we head off into the hills with the camper and the Sony 400-800mm telephoto lens where Amanda finds me an eagle within minutes.
I Bought a Giant Telephoto Lens… Then Took It to Prince Edward Island (PEI)
Published: Oct 26, 2025 · Duration: 24 min 3 sec · 65K views
Become a Patron: In a desperate attempt to pay for my newest telephoto lens I have to pretty much beg Blake Rudis to relaunch 'Make Great Shots'. If you haven't heard of 'Make Great Shots', it's the brilliant landscape photography course we launched earlier this year but it was only available for one week. I manage to convince him to relaunch for one more week but he's not impressed with my financial responsibility…
Autumn Is Here and I'm Ready For Landscape Photography
Published: Oct 12, 2025 · Duration: 32 min 23 sec · 49K views
My Scotland Photography Workshop: Join us on another totally relaxing weekend of landscape photography - you know, that soothing hobby where nothing ever goes wrong… until it does. Our doomed journey begins in the mystical forests of Nova Scotia, where the autumn colours should be glorious - if they’d actually shown up. With optimism fading faster than the leaves, we settle for a 60% success rate in “yellowness” and…
This Shot Made Me Cry - Iceland Road Trip For Landscape Photography
Published: Oct 5, 2025 · Duration: 20 min 12 sec · 54K views
Get my book: and use stories10 to save... You ever stand on a beach so jaw-droppingly beautiful that you start tearing up — not because of emotion, but because the wind’s basically exfoliating your corneas? Welcome to Iceland, my friends.
Banff National Park - A Landscape Photography Paradise?
Published: Sep 28, 2025 · Duration: 15 min 1 sec · 45K views
If you've ever wondered what it's like on one of my landscape photography workshops in Banff National Park, this video gives you a glimpse behind the curtain. Check out this video: Brent shows up to steal my thunder and my students begin taking advice from each other. It's a full-blown mutiny if you ask me.
That's It, I'm Done With Tripods? Landscape Photography In Icelands Highlands
Published: Sep 14, 2025 · Duration: 24 min 8 sec · 48K views
Scotland Photography Workshop: If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to hike deep into the Icelandic Highlands with no fitness, a bruised toe, and a serious lack of common sense, this vicarious adventure is for you. What started as a dreaded slog up a nameless ridge quickly turned into one of the most rewarding (and exhausting) landscape photography missions of my life. Armed with nothing more than my camera, shaky…
The Honest Hasselblad X2D II 100C Review - Is It Worth The Hype?
Published: Sep 10, 2025 · Duration: 16 min 5 sec · 74K views
My Scotland Photography Workshop: Greg Benz HDR Tutorial: So I've been using the Hasselblad X2D II 100C for a while now and it's time to give you my honest opinion of this camera and let you know - is it worth the hype? As you'd expect, I have a few choice words regarding the things that I don't like but I'll also be honest about the things that I do like. There's lots to love about this camera but would I recommend…
WTF Does Sean Tucker Know About Street Photography? Edinburgh Tour
Published: Aug 31, 2025 · Duration: 30 min 30 sec · 97K views
Skye Workshop: Glencoe Workshop: If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a stubborn landscape photographer tries to survive a day of street photography in Edinburgh… you’re in the right place. This video follows my (mis)adventures swapping out castles, tripods, and sideways Scottish rain for cobbled alleys, bagpipes, and a suspicious amount of Guinness. And to make sure I didn’t completely humiliate myself, I had…
