A proposal for Canon Professional Services
Polar bears on the RF 1200mm
I'd love to borrow the RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM from CPS for my polar bear trip to Churchill, and I'd need to borrow an EOS R1 as well to pair with it. I'm up there from 17 to 23 November.
RF 1200mm F8 L IS USMThe main lens. You have to stay 100m+ from the bears, so reach is everything.
EOS R1The body for the 1200mm. The AF tracking and ISO are exactly what you want in the snow and the low November light.
Why the 1200mm
Closer, more personal, without ever getting closer
You have to stay at least 100 metres away from polar bears, so reach really is everything up there. At that distance a 600mm gives you a bear in the landscape. The 1200mm lets you fill the frame with its face, and you never have to push in on the animal to get it.
With the added reach I think we can get much closer, more personal images of polar bears than people have really seen before. The eyes, the whiskers, the little moments between a mum and her cubs. And it's a really nice story for Canon too, because you get that intimate shot while doing the right thing by the bear.
Last year the 1200mm had already gone back by the time I got to Churchill, so I shot the bears on a 600mm with a 2x converter. It worked, but the native 1200mm would be sharper and the AF quicker without the converter in there. I think people would really like to see that difference.
How last year's posts did
People love this content
My best posts from last October and November got nearly 390k views and over 28k likes between them. The eagles were shot on the 1200mm, but everything from Churchill was shot without it, as it had already gone back. This year I'd like to do it on the real thing.
390kviews on my 8 best posts, Oct to Nov 2025
28k+likes on those same posts
216kviews on a single silver fox image
99.4kfollowers on Instagram at @stevewoods
Numbers from Instagram Insights, 10 November 2026.
It's not just reels
A really strong still can travel a long way
My short-eared owl image from December 2023 is my biggest post ever, with 96,167 likes, 1,019 comments and 6,242 saves on Instagram alone. It then went viral across other platforms with millions of views, and it's still being reshared now.
That's the kind of image I'm going after in Churchill this year, and the 1200mm is the lens to get it.
Getting Canon seen
The kit works best inside the story
One thing I've learnt is that posts that are clearly about gear always get less engagement. My R1 and 1200mm review reel got 357 likes, compared to 10.9k for the silver fox.
So the best way to get Canon in front of people is to weave the kit into really strong photography posts, where it comes up naturally. That way far more people actually see it.
The gear gets people talking in my DMs too. Since October 2025 people have been asking about the 1200mm, the R1 and which Canon kit to buy.
"1200mm literally sounds made up"
"You got r1?"
"What camera gear do you use? I am Canon R1"
Why the bears will turn up
There are bears everywhere right now
Canon backed me last year on the grizzly trip and the bears just didn't show. That's wildlife unfortunately. The lens was incredible on birds though, so I made the most of it with bald eagles and an osprey, and the eagle post got 24,486 views.
There are polar bears everywhere in Churchill right now. Every autumn they gather along the Hudson Bay coast waiting for the sea ice to form, so you know exactly where they'll be and when. I've been up there a few times now ("Queen of the North" was shot there), so I know the area, the light and the people. We're out on the tundra for a full week, so we're not relying on one good day.
The right audience
Putting the lens in front of the people who'll use it
I work with a company that takes over 100 guests up to Churchill every year, and I run photo workshops on how to photograph bears, birds and other wildlife. Those are exactly the people thinking about their next big lens.
Having the 1200mm with me up there means they'll get to see it working in the field, right in front of them. I really think that would get more people interested in renting it, and joining CPS down the line.
What Canon gets
Content from the trip
CPS front and centre
Like last time, I'll highlight CPS and mention lens rentals as one of the perks of membership. My posts and stories brought in loads of questions about CPS last year, and I loved helping people with them.
ThroughoutImages
10 edited images shot on the 1200mm and R1, for Canon Canada to use on social and web.
Within 2 weeks of getting backBehind the scenes
Short vertical clips of the kit in action in the cold and the wind.
Within 2 weeks of getting backCanon and the kit tagged in my best images from the trip on @stevewoods, plus stories and a dedicated gear reel.
During and after the tripField notes
A short write-up on how the 1200mm and R1 handled the arctic, for CPS or a blog.
Within 3 weeks of getting backReally happy to change any of this around to whatever works best for you guys.
About me
25 years behind the lens
I've been a wildlife photographer for 25 years and I'm based in Vancouver. My work has been published in National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, The Times, The Independent, GEO and the Washington Post, and I've done video and aerial work for the BBC, Netflix and Apple TV+.
Some of my best known images are "Queen of the North" (a Churchill polar bear), "Dancing Whale" and "Another World". I've been shooting Canon and been a CPS member for a long time.
Logistics
The practical bits
- DatesIn Churchill 17 to 23 November 2026
- Getting thereFlying Vancouver to Winnipeg, then up to Churchill
- InsuranceThe kit's covered by my business equipment policy for the whole loan, and I can send over the certificate
Thanks so much for considering it
I'd love to make this happen with you.
Get in touch