Our Icefield photography operations are located at The Columbia Icefield Centre, an interpretive facility located along the Icefields Parkway 100 kilometers south of Jasper, Alberta and 235 kilometers north of Banff, Alberta. Across the Parkway from the Icefield Centre lies the Athabasca Glacier, a tongue of ice 6 kilometers long and one kilometer wide descending almost to road level. This Glacier is one of eight major glaciers originating from the Columbia Icefield, one of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle covering an area of nearly 325 square kilometers. It is the Athabasca Glacier that provides us with a natural backdrop for our group and individual photography services!
The Athabasca Glacier is also the main attraction to the 500,000 plus visitors that explore the Icefield Centre seasonally from early April to late October. It is on this Glacier that visitors can tours its surface as part of the famous Brewster SnoCoach Tour.
Along with the SnoCoach Tour and our Photography operations, the Icefield center is home to a hotel, gift shop, two restaurants and a Park Canada Interpretive Exhibit.
Our photography services focus on two distinct services – Group photography and Individual/family vacation portraits. Both services are performed simultaneously by our staff. Our operations require two staff members daily, working together and rotating continually between shooting outside and taking orders/printing inside. A total of three staff are hired for our Icefield operations and work schedules follow a six days on, three days off pattern so that employees' weekly days off are rotated.
Our group photography model is unique in that we provide a sample to the group before they have to make the decision to purchase a photograph. The group photograph process is as follows. The group’s guide/escort will ask one of our photographers too take a group photograph. Our staff at that point takes control of the group and sets them up on our photo bleachers located outside. Group sizes range from 5 to 55! Once set up, our photographer describes to the group what he/she will be doing in such a manner that our photographer ensures they have the group’s undivided attention. Two photographs are then taken. In communicating to the group, the emphasis is on FUN! If the group has fun having the photograph taken, they will buy! If they do not have fun, they won’t!
A sample of the group photograph is printed within minutes after the photo was taken. It is handed to the group’s guide/escort and the guide/escort then shows the image to their guests. The guide/escort returns the sample to us and places an order. Our staff then print the order for the guide/escort.
With our individual/family portrait model we strive to capture an image that would be very difficult for the guest to capture themselves. Using technically advanced photography equipment, special posing techniques and unique location props we can ensure our photographer’s capture a portrait that will be truly outstanding!
The Columbia Icefield is a special place. For many visitors to Canada's Rocky Mountain National Parks, a trip to the Icefield is long remembered as a highlight of their holidays. Since we have a unique opportunity to provide guests with a group or individual photo memory, our customers must be provided with the utmost in friendly and professional service.
IIt is for this reason that Express Shots recruits as high a caliber of staff as possible and has policies in place to ensure that we are able to serve our international clientele in a highly professional manner. All staff members are issued uniforms and given appearance guidelines in order to ensure a consistent and professional image to the public.
Due to our remote location, the Columbia Icefield is unique in that all employees live on site in accommodations provided by Brewster, the operator of the Icefield Centre and SnoCoach tour. Express Shots subsidizes staff housing, with your portion of the cost being payroll deducted. This means that you do not have to go through the hassles of finding your own living quarters, dealing with landlords, rent cheques, power companies etc. However, it also means that your job is connected to your residence - if you lose one, you automatically lose the other!
All of our staff reside in the "Ice Palace", a 100 unit, two-story building that can house up to 120 staff in high season. On each floor there are coin operated washers and dryers and pay phones. Each room consists of a double bed, closet, dresser, table and chair. Each employee has his or her own room and shares a washroom
with one other employee.
In a separate building is our Kitchen and common area. Three meals a day are prepared for the staff and there is cold food available 24 hours a day for sandwiches and snacks. In this building there is also a large screen satellite TV and VCR and a pool table. We also have a large selection of board games, videos and books which staff are welcome to borrow. There is also a volleyball court, basketball court and road hockey space outside.
Express Shots charges a rate of $10.00 per day for your room and food. We provide basic bedding for your room, but we do not provide towels.
The Columbia Icefield Centre and staff camp are at an elevation of 2,000m (6,500ft) above sea level and are located right next to the largest body of ice south of the artic circle. Both of these factors have an enormous impact on our local weather and it's normal to get snow at least one day of every month of the year, so pack accordingly! Throughout most of the summer, the weather is quite nice with sunny, warm days and cool nights.
Staff may take the weekly "Happy Bus" which goes to Jasper once a week for an evening on the town. For many people this is a chance to get out of camp and socialize with others, or it can just be that you want a chance to get some shopping done. Events such as costume parties, Christmas in July, and the regular "isn't it time we have another event" party are also sponsored and organized by the staff for everyone's enjoyment and entertainment.
A variety of activities are available throughout the season. Backcountry skiing and snowboarding, ice and rock climbing, hiking, running, canoeing, biking, and sometimes just relaxing on the deck are all activities that our staff enjoy every year.
Brewster’s and Express Shots serve an International clientele with various cultural backgrounds and tastes and sets itself apart from other service providers by providing an excellent professional image. This conservative image includes good grooming and proper dress. Appearance is a very personal thing, but it is important that fashion styles do not draw the guest's attention away from the total Canadian Rockies experience.
Wages
Express Shots is a seasonal employer. Our wages and benefits are very competitive with other resort/attraction areas in Canada. The decision to work for Express Shots should not be for long-term financial gain. What we can offer is the unique experience of working at one of Canada's premier tourist areas. In addition, employees can take away an impressive work reference along with the satisfaction of having completed a full season work contract.
All of our Icefield staff have the ability to earn UP TO $10.00/hour (including vacation pay)
This amount is made up of:
1. An $8.50/hr base wage,
2. A $1.00/hr contract completion bonus paid at the end of an employee’s contract,
3. Up to $0.50/hr job performance bonus paid at the end of an employee’s contract, and based on an evaluation of the employee’s overall performance.
Working for Express Shots
Express Shots offers an amazing Canadian Rocky Mountain experience 12 months of the year. As our company continues to grow, there has never been a more exciting time to work at Express Shots.
Express Shots through out the year hires people to work at one of our 4 locations. Our staff come from all over the world with many different backgrounds. The one thing they all have in common is their passion to experience life in one of the most beautiful places in the world!
Entry-level seasonal positions are available for work terms ranging from 3 months to 6 months. No previous photographic experience is necessary, but all candidates must have proven customer service experience and a desire to work hard while still having FUN!
Staff Perks and Benefits:
At Express Shots we believe that happy staff are GREAT staff! Therefore we endeavor to make our employee’s life in The Canadian Rockies as comfortable, and as FUN, as possible.
Our staff enjoy access to a pristine wilderness playground after all the tours have left. Because of our subsidized staff cafeteria that provides meals three times per day plus unlimited snacks, there is plenty of time to enjoy the great outdoors.
Staff who work at The Columbia Icefield also enjoy access to the Brewster Transportation motor coach system providing transportation through out the Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise-Jasper corridor.
Not only do we plan staff activities for our team, but often our staff are invited to the staff activities planned by Brewster.
Uniform:
Express Shots provides all upper body garments. Each staff person is provided with golf shirts, turtle necks, a fleece vest, a fleece jackets and a Gortex Jacket.
Staff are responsible to provide:
* Neat casual pants (no jeans) ,
*Casual footwear for inside work at the Columbia Icefield
Grooming Policy:
Every Staff persons appearance and grooming contributes to Express Shots professionalism. Therefore our conservative appearance and grooming standards have been developed so that each staff person will know how to present themselves to meet the expectations of our Guests.
