12 Photographers Canoe Lovers Should Follow On Instagram

Paddling Magazine Staff

Sitting in front of a screen is definitely not the same as sitting in your favorite canoe pulling j-strokes on a calm morning as you make your way to the next campsite on your route.

If you aren’t going to be canoeing though, you may as well be looking at images of canoeing and canoe trips as you count down the days until the next paddling adventure. Here are 12 photographers shooting beautiful and interesting images of canoeing and the rich culture that surrounds it who we think you should follow on Instagram.

1. David Jackson

@davidjackson__

This assignment photographer shoots beautiful photos of canoe trips, whitewater and his many travels, not to mention lots of great images from Canoeroots’ Ottawa Valley backyard. We also like his portraits and the storytelling behind many of his photos.

2. Layne Kennedy

@layne_kennedy

Editorial photographer Layne Kennedy takes photos all over the world, including many on canoe trips. His shots from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will make you long to go canoeing, especially our favorite of a solo paddler silhouetted against orange light on Saganaga Lake.

3. Peter Mather

@matherpeter

This photojournalist and conservationist’s intimate photos of wildlife will inspire you to get out in the backcountry. Some of our favorites are an up-close shot of a bald eagle devouring a chum salmon in the snow and a bow shot of Mather following a cow moose and her twins around for a few days.

Photo: Peter Mather

4. Robin Tapley

@robin_tapley

Based in Algonquin and Muskoka, naturalist and wildlife photographer Robin Tapley is a pro at getting the perfect shot of wildlife. If spotting different animals is your favorite part of a canoe trip, his account’s endless stream of moose calves, beavers, frogs, chipmunks, and bears combined with his canoe parked at different stunning campsites will make you want to pack up and paddle.

5. Graeme Owsianski

@graeme_o

Owsianski’s photos seem to capture the best parts of adventures in the outdoors. This Vancouver Island-based carpenter and photographer’s feed is full of shots of wildlife, misty mornings in the forest, bald eagles and portages in the fading sunlight.

Photo: Graeme Owsianski

6. Dave and Amy Freeman

@freemanexplore

This pair is currently spending a year living in the Boundary Waters Cano Area Wilderness to bring awareness to proposed copper-ore mining near the park boundary. Their Instagram gives you a peak into what their year in the backcountry has been like, including visits from friends and family, delicious sandwich buffets following a resupply and the countless beautiful lakes and campsites they pass through.

7. Nate Ptacek

@arborealis

Nate Ptacek is a photographer, filmmaker and video editor at Patagonia and you can tell from his feed he has a serious passion for wilderness canoeing. His captures of Dave and Amy Freeman in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, stacks of Wabakimi Provincial Park maps and caribou antlers from the Colville River in Alaska will amp up your canoe stoke.

8. Andy Zeltkalns

@activeinmuskoka

Zeltkalns has been actively photographing for more than 30 years, combining his love of being active in the outdoors with transforming the beautiful environment around him into great images. We love his photos of early-morning paddlers cutting through fog and his ability to capture light at its best.

Photo: Andy Zeltkalns

9. Frank Wolf

@frankwolf70

Frank Wolf looks like a busy guy. The filmmaker, writer and photographer’s feed is packed with posts from epic expeditions like this summer’s 1800-kilometer canoe trip from La Ronge, Saskatchewan to Baker Lake, Nunavut. He has also circumnavigated Haida Gwaii by kayak, packrafted and hiked the Stikine River and rowed the Northwest Passage. His photos will definitely inspire you to plan your own expeditions.

10. Devaan Ingraham

@devaaningraham

Ingraham is a multimedia specialist who shoots a lot of photos by canoe in the Banff, Alberta area. His crisp images showcase the region’s vibrant water, massive mountains, deep lakes and the odd shot of a crew of bighorn sheep stopping for a water break.

11. Nathan Jones

@anothernate

Prairie-born Nathan Jones is interested in the themes of exploration, landscape and labor in his photos of outdoor adventure and prairie life. His images are beautifully composed and range from photos of Saskatchewan canoe trips to the trials of getting lost on your way to an adventure, as well as a few sweet ice-floe stand-up paddleboard shots.

12. Jay Kolsch

@jaykolsch

This adventure photographer has his home base in Brooklyn, but from his photos you would never know it. You can follow his current 2,000 mile #pullofthenorth expedition from the source of the Yukon River to its mouth. His recent posts make us hope he has an excellent rain jacket on his current expedition.