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Photo Tours NZ - South Island Photography Tour - Beginners

South Island Photography Tour and workshops - Beginners

AU$4500pp

Early Bird Booking

AU$3750

Twin Share. Single Supplement $600

See inclusions list. Does not include travel to NZ. Tour Occupancy must be filled for tour to run (Group of 4)

Aoraki / Mt Cook & Tekapo Photography Tour - Beginners

Your Perfect Introduction to New Zealand Photography

If you are looking to advance your camera skills in landscape / outdoor photography 

Your Photography Journey:
From Christchurch to Mt Cook

Day 1 | Arrival At Christchurch

• Pick up from Christchurch airport day before tour / tuition begins

• 3 hrs workshop in hotel meeting room / other / covering -

• camera settings / menu settings / lenses / manual settings / focusing methods / tripod setup / memory cards / remote triggers / white balance / exposure ruler / exposure compensation / long exposures / shutter speeds / aperture settings / the exposure triangle / composition /camera sensors / monitor settings for editing / Apps that assist with planning Milky Way shots and more…

• Evening meal

This photograph is of the mountains in Aoraki Mt Cook national Park
This photograph is of the Milky Way and the Tasman Glacier taken at night in Aoraki Mt Cook

Day 2

Breakfast at 8am then leisurely drive to Aoraki / Mt Cook (4 hrs) stopping at Lake Tekapo for lunch and drive up to Observatory Lookout.

  • Continue to Aoraki / Mt Cook

  • Check into Hotel – minimum 4 star

  • Dinner / buffet (Seafood, Vegan / Gluten Free /red / white meat etc)

  • After dinner drive 5 minutes to Tasman Glacier lookout for introduction into various forms of astro photography. Finish 10pm or earlier / later depending on group consensus (fatigue) or individuals can be ferried back to the hotel if they wish to finish earlier than other students.

Day 3

  • Mt Cook hotel 7am breakfast then Hooker valley photography hike – 8km-gentle with lots of tuition along the way. Snacks / lunch at the Hooker Valley Glacier before returning back to the hotel by approx. 4pm. Rest in hotel before dinner at 6.

  • Dinner at hotel then evening / night workshop at Kea Viewpoint to get students practicing various forms of night photography themselves– Astro / Milky Way & Star spirals

  • Finish 10pm or earlier / later depending on group consensus (fatigue) or individuals can be ferried back to the hotel if they wish to finish earlier than other students.

This photograph is of the Aurora Australis taken in Aoraki Mt Cook
This photograph is of a star spiral which also captured the Aurora Australis at Aoraki Mt Cook

Day 4

  • 6am start for 30minute gentle hike to Kea lookout for dawn sunrise workshop shots of Mt Cook and mountains. Guidance on Sealy Tarn and Mueller Hut hike (other more advance tour). Practice focusing techniques, composition, discuss, show taking series of photos to stitch together in editing software. Back to hotel for 9am breakfast.

  • 11am Introduction to editing workflow workshop using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop covering –, folder structure, best practice importing, folder names on desktop / laptop, importing into Lightroom. Introduction to Lightroom Structure and tabs.

  • 13.00 Lunch

  • 14.00 Continue Lightroom and Photoshop workshop - continuing in Lightroom, editing in Lightroom and Photoshop and exporting in 2 formats (for Print and Web use).

  • 17:30 Dinner.

  • 19.00 Night shooting workshop back at Kea Viewpoint till 10pm or later depending on Milky Way position and intro into timelapse photography using intervalometer on camera.

Day 5

Breakfast and checkout after 8am breakfast

  • 9.00 Drive to Lake Tekepo (1hr) and back up to Mt John Observatory for a coffee at the Astro Café and camera shooting of the amazing vistas

  • 12.00 Lunch in Tekepo

  • 13’00 Dark Sky Experience in Tekepo (45 mins)

  • 1400 Lake Tekapo Peninsular Walkway photography walk / hike. Gentle.

  • 17.00 Check into Hotel in Tekepo

  • 18.00 Dinner

  • 19.00 Evening shoot of Lake Tekepo capturing stars and mountains and practising techniques taught. 10pm finish or later depending on group consensus

This photography was taken at the Tasman Lookout and shows a beautiful emerald green lake
This photograph was taken at Kea Lookout in Aoraki Mt Cook and shows the green glacier water and the mountains

Day 6

  • 6am - Dawn shoot of Lake Tekapo and mountains from edge of Lake

  • 8am breakfast at hotel and checkout.

  • 8.30 Mount John Walkway hike (intermediate level of fitness required but there are plenty of photo stop rests along the way)

  • 11.00 Lunch at Astro Café on Mt John Observatory

  • 12.00 return walk back to Tekapo

  • 14.00 Drive to Christchurch (3 hrs) for drop off at airport or your own hotel if you are continuing your holiday in South Island.

Inclusions

  • All pickups and drop-offs

  • All transportation in minivan / SUV (hence baggage limitations for 5 passengers)

  • All hotel fees (minimum 4 star) and meals excluding any alcohol

  • All tuition – Photography and Editing

  • In cases where hikes mean we are away from a café or restaurant then snacks / lunches / water / soft drinks are included.

This photograph was taken near the top of Mt Oliver beside Mueller's Hut

Unlock The Basics

This photography tour is for entry level photographers who have purchased a camera or been gifted a camera and have a keen interest in learning landscape photography and the many forms this can take. If you don’t know how to change your camera settings, or understand what the buttons or menu options mean then this is the course for you. Or if you do know some settings but the content of this tour description is confusing to you then this course is for you to set you up on your way into your own photography journey.

Skills You’ll Master

By the end of this week tour you will be able to:

  • Set your camera correctly for shooting RAW

  • Shoot manually / shoot using Aperture Priority

  • Set your camera shooting profiles correctly

  • Change lenses

  • Understand what different lenses do

  • Understand F stops and Aperture and focal lengths

  • Understand and be able to focus correctly

  • Correctly expose a shot

  • Understand exposure compensation

  • Understand white balance

  • Understand a cameras dynamic range capability

  • Understand camera sensors

  • Import images from camera to laptop and desktop

  • Download editing software and install

  • Understand computing requirements

  • Import images into Lightroom and create catalogues

  • Edit RAW images

  • Export images for print use and web use

  • Understand monitor settings for editing

  • Understand night time focusing techniques for Astro photography

  • Understand long exposure photography and settings

  • Understand timelapse settings and camera positioning for star spirals

  • Know which app to download to assist with Milky Way / other star positions

Beginners Photographers Equipment list

  • Tripod with level (ball head tripod recommended with bubble level on legs anda separate bubble on ball head (not critical for two bubble levels) – Manfrotoare a good entry level Tripod

  • A DSLR or mirrorless camera (cropped sensor or full frame) that has full manual capability (M) on dial

  • Any lenses you have for the camera (Prime, zoom or telephoto)

  • Any lens filters (ND filters) if you have 

  • 128GB Memory card

  • Camera to laptop data cable OR memory card reader

  • Camera battery charger

  • 2 batteries (minimum)

  • Remote trigger (if you have one)

  • Good walking shoes

  • Sand Fly repellent

  • Lightweight jacket

  • Lightweight warm jacket

  • Lightweight trousers for outdoors

  • Head torch

  • Hat

  • Sunglasses

  • Laptop (if you have one) if not don’t worry you will be shown 

  • Lens wipes or old soft T-shirt for cleaning lenses

  • Clean camera sensor (you can ask a camera shop to do this for you)

  • Clean (no mould on lenses) Lenses. You can ask a camera shop to check this for you

  • Mobile phone to download free version of Camera / Star locations App

Gallery of Previous Tours of South Island New Zealand

This is the perfect opportunity to unlock your potential as a photographer. Whether you’re new to the world of cameras or looking to enhance your skills, this beginner's tour will set you on the path to capturing stunning landscapes. With expert guidance and hands-on tuition, you'll leave with more than just beautiful photos—you'll gain the confidence and skills to pursue photography independently. Spots are limited, so book now to secure your place!

 Don’t Miss Out!

Book Your Spot In The New Zealand Beginners Tour Today!

This is the perfect opportunity to unlock your potential as a photographer. Whether you’re new to the world of cameras or looking to enhance your skills, this beginner's tour will set you on the path to capturing stunning landscapes. With expert guidance and hands-on tuition, you'll leave with more than just beautiful photos—you'll gain the confidence and skills to pursue photography independently. Spots are limited, so book now to secure your place!

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