2023 Seascapes & Landscape Photography Retreat

Are you a beginner, intermediate level photographer or maybe just a hobbyist and are you looking to combine your photography passion with an awesome long weekend, then come join our small group of 7 based at at the head of the Marlborough Sounds for our Seascape & Landscape Photography Capture to Print retreat.

We’ll coach you how to use simple composition techniques and help you master your camera’s settings. We’ll work with you to enhance your images and will help you to take your RAW images and create an awesome images using both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop on your laptop.  If you don’t have a laptop, you can load free versions of Lightroom & Photoshop Mobile on your tablet.

Not only will you have an amazing time, but you will also come away with having met some amazing photography buddies and be more confident with your photographic and image processing skills.

ITINERARY

Thursday:  Arrive at Blenheim and make your own way to Ellena Court Motel, you can contact Kaleb at Marlborough Shuttles to book your airport transfer for approximately $20.  Join Lesley for dinner tonight somewhere local and walking distance from Ellena Court. Airport transfer & dinner is own cost.

Friday: Meet Lesley at 6.45am as we are departing Blenheim at 7.00am from Ellena Court Motel.  If you’re joining us at Picton, meet us at Seabreeze Cafe at 8.00am for breakfast and coffee before we board our one hour’s water taxi ride to Arapawa Island.

We are hosted for the next three nights by the Radon family who live on this beautiful island which is surrounded by stunning scenery and panoramic vistas of Cook Strait, Tory Channel and the heads at the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds. Settle into your accomodation, then a workshop on the exposure triangle and how to framing your images in camera – the it’s off we go and head out on our first photography walk.

Depending upon the tide, we walk the foreshore to photograph the rusting chains laying in the water, weathered copper pieces and historic jarrah piles which have laid on the foreshore since the 1970’s.

We will be spending time working on the ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) genre which will allow you to explore your creativity photographic style.

This evening golden and blue hour photography from the wharf, beach and farm to capture amazing images of the sun setting over the Marlborough Sounds.

If you are new to long exposure photography, tonight after dinner we head down to the water’s edge where we have a wire wool photography workshop – this is a fun way to learn how to operate your camera to capture long exposure images which when processed in black & white, make for spectacular photos.

Breakfast & lunch plus dinner with wines and evening cheese platter

Saturday & Sunday: Over these two days there is such a variety awesomely mindblowing landscapes, seascapes images to capture; sun rising, sun setting, WWII gun embankments and the ruins from the historic whaling station.

We will be up really early and out late so pack some good walking shoes and layers of clothing, gloves, beanie and puffer jacket.

Over these four days, we have Lightroom & Photoshop workshops and a dedicated print preparation workshop where we demystifying the print preparation and printing workflow process – showing you how easy it is to prepare and print your images.

Images will be printed on professional, quality Canson photographic paper using an Epson P706 A3+ photographic printer.

Breakfast & lunch plus dinner with wines and evening cheese platter

Monday: Our last morning, it’s free time to head out to capture those images you’ve been thinking about.  Why not get up early for another blue and golden hour sunrise photographic opportunity. We are collected from the wharf at 1.30pm and return to Picton.  Here we say goodbye to those who are departing on the ferry to Wellington.  If you’re flying home from Blenheim airport our shuttle departs Picton around 3.00pm, dropping off ferry passengers at the terminal along the way. Plan for flights departing after 5.30pm or the ferry sailing at 4.00pm

Breakfast & lunch

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• One nights accommodation on Thursday night at Blenheim – reduced cost if you’re joining us at Picton
• Breakfast, lunch and two course dinner with wines as outlined above
• Drinks and nibbles after dinner
• Tea, coffee, and milo.  Home baked snacks are provided
• Three nights accommodation at Arapawa homestead Beach House on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds
• Shared room accommodation across a variety of room types; Beach House with a variety of room types.  Note only 2 single rooms available
• Return transfers Blenheim to Picton
• Return water taxi Picton to Arapawa Island
• Mentoring from multi-award winning photographer
• Women in Photography A5 photo diary – a $40 value
• Invitation to join the Women in Photography FaceBook Alumni group
• Take home a selection of your images printed in A3+ & A4, ready for framing – value $300+
• Learning how to create high resolution multi-image panoramas using Lightroom Classic for processing
• Learn simple process workflow techniques for both Lightroom Mobile & Lightroom Classic
• Learn the art of long exposure photography in a fun way with a wire wool workshop
• Hands on coaching on composition to enable you to create inspiring images
• Mentoring to enable you to become comfortable at working in manual; mastering the exposure triangle
• Expert advice on how to create stunning images in Lightroom and Photoshop (laptop & tablet) and demystify the print preparation process
• Daily photography and processing review sessions
• NOTE: Activity is weather dependant and sequence of photographic opportunity may vary

LEVEL OF FITNESS:

A general level of fitness is required to carry your camera backpack up small, steep and narrow paths and walking on unstable farmland – some walks are 30-45 minutes in duration

Walking on slipery wet rocks is also likely plus walking at night in unlight areas.

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

• Flights or ferry to Picton or Blenheim to join.

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS

• If you choose to cancel your booking, your deposit is non-refundable unless we can fill your place
• If we have to cancel we will give you a full refund or you can have your deposit transferred to any of our other events
• Full payment is due 30 days before the commencement date and is thereafter non-refundable in the event of your choosing to cancel, unless we are able to re-fill your place.

Clothing & equipment list available here

HOW TO BOOK:

• Own Room Cost:  $3,500 joining at Blenheim
• Share Twin Room Cost: $3,100 joining at Blenheim
• If you join us at Picton, $100 less that then above rates – if you choose this option, please email Lesley once you’ve booked to arrange your final invoice reduced by $100.

You can secure your place with a $500 deposit by clicking “REGISTER”, the balance payable 4 weeks prior to travel.

Want to know more about this retreat – contact either lesley@womeninphotography.co

Women in Photography has the necessary protocols in place to operate under the the COVID-19 Protection Framework red, amber and green levels. For your safety, that of your fellow passengers and those leading leading Women in Photography’s events, we are have robust processes in place to ensure that we can operate safely at red, amber and green levels of the COVID-19 Protection Framework. Click here to know more about this policy and the requirements of you as an attendee.