★ Top Ranked Experience!

Port Fairy Wildlife Photography Weekend

Small Group Photography Course

Next Dates: Feb 10-12 2023

An Unforgettable Weekend Experience

Want to learn how to use a camera? How to get up close and personal with wildlife? Take your photography to the next level? Learn directly from an expert guide live in the field? Try the wonders of nocturnal photography and wildlife? Enjoy a spectacular weekend in stunning regional Victoria? Then it’s time to check out our Port Fairy Wildlife & Nature Photography Weekend!

Join a small group of 5-10 people and 1x expert guide visiting some of the most spectacular wild locations within the stunning Port Fairy region (voted Victoria’s #1 Top Tourism Town). We’ll be visiting several locations, each with their own collection of unique and wonderful wildlife. Expect to get up close and personal with Koala, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Emu, Swamp Wallaby, Short-beaked Echidna, Hooded Plover, Black Swan, Eastern Barn Owl, Red-browed Firetail, Magpie Goose, New Holland Honeyeater, Crimson Rosella, Australian Boobook, Sooty Oystercatcher, Shy Albatross, Southern Right Whale, Southern Water Skink, Ruddy Turnstone, Black-shouldered Kite, Sugar Glider, Common Ringtail Possum, and Lowlands Copperhead, just to name a few!

You’ll be led by an expert guide and professional photographer, who will help you understand your subjects, how to track them down ethically in the field, improve your photography, and enjoy countless close encounters with some of the most unique wildlife on the planet. What makes this weekend so popular is our practical, real-world field experience. No ‘online classes’ and textbook based learning – we will take you out into nature and help you apply tried and tested techniques to real life situations and wildlife encounters. All extra field equipment include tripod, scope, binoculars, field guides, spotlights/torches, and checklists included.

Itinerary & Details: Feb 10-12 2023

Friday Feb 10th:
7.00pm – Optional ‘Meet The Group!’ dinner in Port Fairy (restaurant TBC)

Saturday Feb 11th:
8.00am-11.30am: Morning Class
11.30am-1.30pm: Lunch Break
1.30pm-4.00pm: Afternoon Class
6.00pm – 9.00pm: Spotlighting/Nocturnal Wildlife Class

Sunday Feb 12th:
8.00am-11.00am – Morning Class
11.00am-12.00pm – Travel Break
12.00-1.00pm – Group Lunch & Sea Watching
1.30pm-4.00pm – Afternoon Class

Locations are all within 30minutes of Port Fairy including Tower Hill, Belfast Coastal Reserve, Griffiths Island, etc but will be formally confirmed 4 weeks~ before start date, due to seasonal and current wildlife conditions.

Sounds good! What else can I expect?

This weekend is for people of all levels of experience, all camera-types, and all natural interests (animals, plants, landscape – we gotcha!). You will receive over 14hrs of real-life field experience that will help you develop lifelong photography and wildlife watching skills. Also, sign up and receive “Treeswift Wildlife & Nature – Basic Guide to Wildlife & Nature Photography eBook” for you to refer to both during and after the weekend.

Unit Breakdown:

Location, Location: where to go & how to locate wildlife
Take That Shot!: how to interact with wildlife without disturbing your subjects
Photos In The Field: understanding what it means to photograph in the field – weather, habitat, natural light, etc
Reactionary Principles: expect the unexpected when dealing with nature
Crafting Your Shot: composition, lighting, framing, and natural settings
Safety First: Keeping safe in the field
Tools Of The Trade: equipment & gear – maintenance, set up, tripods, lenses/camera, finding the best set up for you, getting the most out of your equipment, etc
Wildlife Watching Ethics: ethics in the field – respecting nature, conservation, and your subjects
Post-Production: editing software recommendations, storing your photos, publishing, licencing, etc

Travel, Accomodation, FAQ, and Prices:

How do we get to Port Fairy and between the locations?
Travel is not an included service offered on this weekend. Participants will be expected to travel to Port Fairy and between the site locations by use of their own vehicles. If you have any queries on this or foresee this being an issue, we encourage you to get in touch. For an additional fee, we may be able to accommodate some participants travelling from Melbourne.

How does accommodation work?
Accommodation is not included in the service offered on this weekend. This is because we want our guests to choose accommodation that best suits their circumstances, as we often have couples, partners, individuals, etc on this trip, as well as local participants who do not require this service. We can however book or help book appropriate accommodation for those that require assistance. All guests are recommended to book accommodation either within the Port Fairy township or on the western side of Warrnambool.

Do I need to be a photographer, or can I just come to enjoy the wildlife and scenery?
You do not need to strictly be a photographer to attend this course, however the focus will be on capturing the scenery, nature, and wildlife on film – so expect most of the time and attention to focus on this. However, we often have a few members who do attend just for the experience and encounters and from all reports, equally enjoy the experience.

Can my spouse/partner come along?
Similar to above, this is an exceptional weekend out for nature lovers in general. If you wish to bring your partner/spouse/friend/etc along as a participant, we highly recommend so, even if you are the one focusing more actively on photography. There is an enormous amount to just see, learn, and appreciate, so this can be a great weekend away for a family, partners, friends, etc.

What is the pricing and inclusions?
This weekend costs $480 per participant. This price includes all guiding and tuition, all national park entry fees, all 14hr+ field time, use of spotlighting/torches equipment, scope, binoculars, checklists, field guides, tripods, food/snacks/drinks in the field such as water/soft drink/tea/coffee, snacks, etc, a copy of our “Basic Guide to Wildlife & Nature Photography eBook”, a Treeswift Coffee Mug, and lunch on the final day. You may also be interested in purchasing a Treeswift Wildlife jumper for the weekend – details and sizing’s TBC.

Do you offer any extensions or private guiding/classes before or after the trip?
Yes! We offer a 2-day extension tour after this weekend in which we will travel further west visiting the Australasian Gannet colony, search heathland for Southern Emu-wren, Rufous Bristlebird, and Red-necked Wallaby, spotlight for Australian Masked Owl, Powerful Owl, Long-nosed Potoroo, and Southern Brown Bandicoot, chase after critically endangered species such as the Victorian Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and Australasian Bittern, and spend time along the coast watching for rare seabirds and cetaceans such as Humpback Whale, Blue Whale, Southern Right Whale, Common Bottlenose Dolphin, and Brown Fur Seal.This is extension is subject to availability and will be quoted per participant. Please get in touch for more details.

If you’re interested in private guiding, we can organise half or full day guiding/photography outings in the days leading up to the weekend in the area. Like above, it is subject to availability and first-in-best-get. Prices are $300 for 6hrs private guiding, or $520 for full day.

I still have more questions?
Please get in touch! Feel free to call us on (03) 7018 2302 or email us on [email protected]