★ Top Ranked Experience!
The Bellarine Peninsula Wildlife Photography Weekend
Small Group Photography Course
Next Dates: Mar 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 the Bellarine Peninsula Wildlife & Nature Photography Weekend!
Join a small group of 5-10 people and 1x expert guide visiting some of the most spectacular wild locations across the stunning Bellarine Peninsula. We’ll be visiting several locations, each with their own collection of unique and wonderful wildlife. Expect to get up close and personal with Gang-gang Cockatoo, Blue-winged Parrot, Brolga, Brown Fur Seal, Lace Monitor, Painted Buttonquail, Freckled Duck, Tiger Snake, Krefft’s Glider, and Powerful Owl, 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: Mar 10-12 2023
Friday Mar 10th:
7.00pm – Optional ‘Meet The Group!’ dinner in Geelong (restaurant TBC)
Saturday Mar 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 Mar 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 Geelong and include Lake Lorne, Point Addis, Anglesea Heath, Lake Connewarre, 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 the Bellarine Peninsula and between the locations?
Travel is not an included service offered on this weekend. Participants will be expected to travel to 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 within the Geelong or between Anglesea & Waurn Ponds.
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 Otways National Park. Here we will search for forest species such as Pink Robin, Eastern Pygmy Possum, Long-nosed Potoroo, Australian Masked Owl, Southern Brown Bandicoot, Otways Black Snail, Glow Worms, Powerful Owl, Red-necked Wallaby, Australian Boobook, Beautiful Firetail and many more. 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]
The Bellarine Peninsula: Wildlife Photography Weekend
Course At A Glance:
- Small Group Only (5-10)
- Perfect For All Levels
- Real Field Experience
- Expert Tuition with Hands-On Support
- Amazing Photo Opportunities
- Wildlife Photography eBook Included
- Tea/Coffee/Snacks Included
- First Aid & Covid-Safe
- 6x Different Locations
- 14hrs~ Field Time
Prices:
- $480 per participant
- A 50% deposit is required to confirm your place in the class.
- The balance is due 1x month before the start date
