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Avon Valley Photo Safari

Avon Valley Photo SafariInstructor: Seng Mah
Level: Intermediate
Dates: Friday 7 September to Sunday 9 September
Cost: $490 (inc 2 nights twin share accommodation) / $600 (inc 2 nights single supplement) / $380 (without accommodation). Note: Bookings for twin share and single supplements must be paid for by Sunday August 12 to secure accommodation).
Location: Northam
Maximum participants: 10 (FULL)

Note: This workshop is now full. If you’d like to go on a waiting list in the event of a late cancellation, please contact us.

For lovers of natural light photography, the Avon Valley Photo Safari will show you how to maximise your photography when shooting in natural light and on location. And locations don’t come more picturesque than the Avon Valley in Spring!

In this weekend workshop, you’ll learn how to take creative control of your photography when shooting portraits on location, photographing landscapes in the field and (wait for this) from the air! This weekend workshop features four sessions across two days. The sessions will take you across the technical and creative aspects of shooting and on to post-production for impact!

It’ll be a weekend with plenty of opportunities to shoot in the beautiful Avon Valley, to share laughs with other photographers and, most importantly, to amp up your skills in photography and digital post-production.

 

What’s in the Photo Safari?

Natural Light Location Portraiture

Learn all about shooting portraits on location using natural light. This 3-hour session will show you how to look for the light, expose for it, pose your portrait subjects and make use of location detail to create beautiful portraits that your subjects will love and treasure. You will be shooting in a unique rural location in the Valley, and learn how to light, pose and compose for both indoors and outdoor location portraiture.

Lay of the Land – The Landscape of the Avon

We then switch gears from portraiture to landscape photography in the next 3-hour session, which will take you to the iconic and inspiring settings of the Avon Valley. Learn how to photograph the light, compose for landscapes by looking for lines and balance, ensure maximum depth of field in landscape photography, capture long exposures, use exposure bracketing to capture a greater dynamic range and shoot panoramas. Take photographs you’ll be proud to hang on your wall!

Hot air balloon over Avon River - Photo by Ines Canale

The Valley from the Air (optional session: hot air ballooning experience fee – $320)

One of the most unique vantage points for photographing landscapes is from the air. In this optional session, you will be photographing the Avon Valley from a hot air balloon. You’ll learn about focal lengths for shooting from the air, composing for abstract lines and land forms, and apply what you learned about landscape photography in shooting the Valley from high up! While your tuition in shooting from the air is part of this workshop, the cost of of the hot air balloon trip is not included in the workshop fee and will need to be booked separately – it includes a champagne breakfast (see below for more information).

Pop your Photos in Post-production

Our final session focuses on working in digital post-production on the photos you have taken. Learn how to work your digital Raw images in Lightroom and then bring them into Photoshop for further refining, creating fine art portraits and landscapes that will have your viewers raving about your images. Learn how to use Lightroom and Photoshop to control colour balance, exposure, shadow fill, highlight detail, dodge and burn, blend multiple exposures, create effective vignetting and black and white conversion. If you haven’t got Lightroom or Photoshop, don’t worry – 30-day trial versions will be available for you to download and install on your laptop.

 

What you will need

  • Your digital SLR camera.
  • Lenses with focal length covering wide angle to moderate telephoto (15mm to 135mm)
  • Sturdy tripod.
  • Remote release cable.
  • Polarising filter.
  • Neutral density (ND) filter (ND4, ND8 and/or NDx400).
  • Camera bag that is easy to carry around (backpack or sling).
  • Spare batteries, charger and memory cards.
  • Laptop.
  • Plastic bag to protect camera gear from wet weather.
  • Warm clothing.
  • Sturdy, comfortable shoes suited for traversing uneven surfaces.

The fine print:

  • The accommodation options include two nights in Northam. Twin share and single-supplement options are available.
  • You will need to organise your own travel to and from the photographic locations. A meet-and-greet will be held at the Fitzgerald Hotel at 7.30pm on Friday night where you will be briefed on the weekend’s details.
  • You will need to cover the cost of your own meals.
  • The workshop organisers reserve the right to change venue and locations during the workshop (subject to weather, access and availability)

Safety first:

  • You are fully responsible for your own safety and the safety of your equipment during the workshop, and should always observe your own health and safety first.
  • Some photographic excursions may require physical travel on uneven surfaces such as trails and across rocky and sometimes slippery surfaces. You will need a reasonable level of mobility and fitness to participate.
  • Each participant will be required to sign a standard waiver at the beginning of the workshop.

Bookings

ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation must be paid for by Sunday 19th August to secure your accommodation. A Single Supplement is available on request but may be charged where no twin share accommodation can be arranged (we will try to match you with a roommate of the same gender).

HOT AIR BALLOONING
The hot air balloon experience needs to be booked separately with Windward Balloon Adventures. The fee for the hot air ballooning experience is $320, which includes a champagne breakfast.

To book and pay for the hot air balloon experience, go to www.ballooning.net.au or call 9621 2000 (0417 906 281 after hours) and mention the Avon Valley Photo Workshop. Places are limited for the ballooning experience, so book as early as possible (bookings close August 19).

You can be part of the ballooning ground crew (ie. shooting the balloon preparation and the balloons rising into the sky, but not go up in the air) for $30. Please note that there is only a maximum of 6 ground crew per flight, so book in early.

 

BOOK ONLINE

This workshop is now full. Bookings have closed.

Photograph of hot air balloon over the Avon River by Ines Canale.