Aoraki / Mt Cook & Tekapo Photography Tour - Intermediate
The Perfect Tour To Elevate Your Skills
Photographers who have a general to good working knowledge of their camera and how to adjust dials, settings and menus on their camera but feel lost in understanding YouTube videos / online tutorials because of camera terminology etc. This tour is for those really looking to to advance their camera skills in landscape / outdoor photography.​
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Your Photography Journey: From Christchurch to Mt Cook
Day 1 | Arrival At Christchurch
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Pick up from Christchurch airport day before tour / tuition begins and taken to hotel.
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18.00 - Evening meal to become acquainted with each other. No such thing as a silly question on these tours for intermediate level photographers and my brain is willing to share all the knowledge I can to you.
Day 2
Breakfast at 8am then leisurely drive to Mt Cook (4 hrs) stopping at Lake Tekapo for lunch and drive up to Observatory Lookout.
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Continue to Mt Cook
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Check into Hotel – minimum 4 star
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Dinner / buffet (Seafood, Vegan / Gluten Free /red / white meat etc)
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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
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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.
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Dinner at hotel then evening / night shoot at Kea Viewpoint to get students practicing various forms of night photography themselves– Astro / Milky Way & Star spirals
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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.
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Day 4
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6am start for 30minute gentle hike to Kea lookout for dawn rise 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.
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11am Introduction to editing workflow 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.
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13.00 Lunch
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14.00 Continue Lightroom and Photoshop introduction - continuing in Lightroom, editing in Lightroom and Photoshop and exporting in 2 formats (for Print and Web use).
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17:30 Dinner.
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19.00 Night shooting 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
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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
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12.00 Lunch in Tekepo
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13’00 Dark Sky Experience in Tekepo (45 mins)
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1400 Lake Tekapo Peninsular Walkway photography walk / hike. Gentle.
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17.00 Check into Hotel in Tekepo
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18.00 Dinner
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19.00 Evening shoot of Lake Tekepo capturing stars and mountains and practising techniques taught. 10pm finish or later depending on group consensus
Day 6
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6am - Dawn shoot of Lake Tekapo and mountains from edge of Lake
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8am breakfast at hotel and checkout.
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8.30 Mount John Walkway hike (intermediate level of fitness required but there are plenty of photo stop rests along the way)
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11.00 Lunch at Astro Café on Mt John Observatory
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12.00 return walk back to Tekapo
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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
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All pickups and drop-offs
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All transportation in minivan / SUV (hence baggage limitations for 5 passengers)
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All hotel fees (minimum 4 star) and meals excluding any alcohol
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All tuition – Photography and Editing
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In cases where hikes mean we are away from a café or restaurant then snacks / lunches / water / soft drinks are included.
Master Landscape Photography with Expert Techniques
This photography tour is for photographers who have a good working knowledge of how to set their tripod and camera up and have a keen interest in learning advanced landscape photography techniques and the many forms this can take. You will know how to change your camera settings to make sure you are shooting in the correct profile, correct resolution and correct size of images. You will fully understand how to correctly expose your shot and how to use exposure compensation. You will know how to take time lapse, long exposure shots and know what ND filters are used for. You will have heard of or practice composite photography and know how to take a series of photos that can be stitched together to create a panorama. You will understand the principles of composition and understand the terms DOF, F-stops', Focal Length, Bokeh, Exposure Ruler, Dynamic Range and the difference between cropped and full frame cameras.
Skills You’ll Master
By the end of this week tour you will be able to:
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Set your camera correctly for shooting RAW
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Shoot manually / shoot using Aperture Priority
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Set your camera shooting profiles correctly
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Change lenses
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Understand what different lenses do
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Understand F stops and Aperture
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Understand and be able to focus correctly
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Correctly expose a shot
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Understand exposure compensation
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Understand white balance
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Take composite shots
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Take a series of photos to create wide panoramas
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Understand a cameras dynamic range capability
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Import images from camera to laptop and desktop
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Download editing software and install
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Understand computing requirements
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Import images into Lightroom and create catalogues
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Edit RAW images
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Export images for print use and web use
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Understand Monitor settings for editing
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Understand night time focusing techniques for astro photography
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Understand long exposure photography and settings
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Understand timelapse settings and camera positioning for star spirals
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Know which app to download to assist with Milky Way / other star positions
Intermediate Photographers Equipment list
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Tripod with level (ball head tripod recommended with bubble level on legs and a separate bubble on ball head (not critical for two bubble levels) – Manfroto are a good brand of Tripod
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A DSLR or mirrorless camera (cropped sensor or full frame) that has full manual capability (M) on dial
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Any lenses you have for the camera (Prime, zoom or telephoto)
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Any lens filters (ND filters) if you have them
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Lens warmer
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128GB Memory card (minimum)
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Camera to laptop data cable OR memory card reader
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Camera battery charger
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2 batteries (minimum)
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Remote trigger (if you have one)
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Good walking shoes
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Sand Fly repellent
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Lightweight jacket
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Lightweight warm jacket
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Lightweight trousers for outdoors
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Head torch
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Hat
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Sunglasses
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Water bottle
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Laptop (if you have one) if not don’t worry you will be shown
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Lens wipes or old soft Tshirt for cleaning lenses
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Clean camera sensor (you can ask a camera shop to do this for you)
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Clean (no mould on lenses) You can ask a camera shop to check this for you
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Mobile phone to download free version of Camera / Star locations App
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Gloves that you can poke tips of fingers out of (depending on tour date)
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Personal Travel Insurance
Disclaimer
By signing up to this exciting tour you accept the following.
Photo Tours NZ cannot be held responsible for:
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Adverse weather which might affect outdoor shooting
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Personal injury sustained while hiking / walking
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Travel delays by your airline. If you miss the start date your tour will need to be re-scheduled so as not to impact the rest of the group.
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Personal sickness while you are on the tour. All meals are prepared and served by others i.e restaurants and shops.
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Cancellation by you of your trip 30 days from the start date which will incur a 50% fee which covers pre booked and paid accommodation. You will receive a 50% refund or you can re-schedule.
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Personal injury sustained due to horse play while on the tour / socialising
Gallery of Previous Tours of South Island New Zealand
Capture the Extraordinary!
Join Our Intermediate Tour and Advance Your Craft
Take the next step in your photography journey with our Intermediate Photography Tour. Designed for those who already understand the basics, this tour will deepen your knowledge and refine your technique in stunning landscapes. With expert guidance, you'll learn advanced methods, from long exposure to time-lapse photography, ensuring your skills are pushed to new heights. Don’t miss this opportunity—secure your spot today!