This year I’ve been lucky enough to start leading photography workshops. It’s a big step forward for me, but I’m always up for a challenge! Back in May the wonderful team at the Kaipatiki Project asked me if I’d like to lead a weekend course introducing people to their DSLRs and the world of nature photography. Balancing writing a photography course with my university commitments was a bit of a challenge, so we scheduled it for my break between semesters, and I got Dad on board to help with the technical aspects of teaching photography.

We ran the first course in July, and had some great feedback. It was a lot of fun! My favourite part of teaching is getting out into the field with people and helping them make images that they surprise themselves with. Everyone gets something different out of a photography workshop, and I learned a lot myself! Figuring out (and remembering) how everyones’ different cameras worked was a lot of fun.

(Did you know that Arum lilies are a massive weed in New Zealand? They’re still very photogenic though!)

In the works since has been a Smartphone photography course. I love the creative challenge of making great images with limited gear. Smartphone photography is so accessible, and it’s a great way of connecting with nature. Last weekend I taught this as a one-day workshop where we minimised class time and spent most of the day making images. The weather didn’t hold quite so well, but it gave us some great opportunities to photograph water droplets and the vibrant vegetation in Eskdale Reserve. I was really impressed at how keen everyone was to get out in the wet and get some great images! Here’s a few:

Harakeke by Char Bailie

And a few of mine!

Our next course runs in November – the 5th and 6th. It’s the “Beginners course” – a two-day introduction to nature photography where we’ll get to grips with the technical side of DSLR photography, and the more creative techniques to bear in mind when capturing the world around us. You can book online here!  If you’d like to join us, get in quick – we keep our course sizes small to maximise one on one time with each participant. It’s been great fun putting these courses together, and I really enjoy running them. I’m looking forward to expanding the range of courses we offer next year, so keep an eye out!