Considered
one of the most beautiful countries in the world, be prepared for New
Zealand to knock your socks off! Sparsely populated and seemingly a
million miles away from civilization, the West Coast offers some of New
Zealand’s most ruggedly beautiful scenery – from dense primeval forests
and scarred mining settlements, to glaciers and pounding surf beaches.
Defined
by the wild Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps, the West Coast is like
nowhere else in New Zealand. The far extremities of the coast have a
remote, end-of-the-road feel, from sleepy Karamea surrounded by farms
butting up against Kahurangi National Park, to the southern end of State
Hwy 6, gateway to NZ's World Heritage areas. In between is an alluring
combination of wild coastline, rich wilderness, and history in spades.
Built on the wavering fortunes of gold, coal and timber, the stories of
Coast settlers are hair-raising. A hardy and individual breed, they
make up less than 1% of NZ’s population, scattered around almost 9% of
its land area.
This
adventure is designed not only to guide you to the most photogenic
locations carefully planned for the best light, but to aid you
in mentally visualizing a scene before capturing the decisive moment.
Our aim is to raise your awareness and spark your creativity so that you
not only go home with images to be proud of, but use your new found
skills to improve and expand your photographic technique in general.
Apart from the technical aspect of learning your camera settings and
capabilities, you will learn how to turn an ordinary image into an
extraordinary image by using your own creativity.
In
addition, you will become knowledgeable on how to survey the landscape,
utilize and approach your environment, photograph people indigenous to
the region and the cultural considerations and challenges of
photographing in a foreign country. Our time together will include
individual and group discussions, inspiring ideas and great fun. We
cannot think of a more inspiring location to express your creativity
than New Zealand’s West Coast.