Fiordland Photography Tour
5-Day Milford & Doubtful Sound Photography Workshop
Duration: 5 Day
Location: Milford & Doubtful Sound
Price: $4,800 (NZD)2021 - Fully booked : Book now for 2022
5th - 9th May 2021
ITINERARY
Day 1 - Queenstown - Milford Sound
After departing from Queenstown (or meeting in Te Anau), we take the Milford Highway up the Eglinton Valley. Winding through the mountains; past dark, brooding lakes and mossy beech forests, perched at impossibly steep slopes, we arrive at Milford Sound. Milford Sound is one of the country's most iconic locations, granite peaks soar more than a mile above the dark waters of the fjord. Huge waterfalls tumble down into the sea giving the area a scale and grandeur that has to be seen to be believed. We will end the day shooting sunset over a vista of Fiordland’s dramatic peaks.Day 2 - Milford Sound - Te Anau
After shooting sunrise over Mitre Peak we will spend the day exploring some more locations along the Milford road that we missed on the way in, before heading back to Te Anau to spend a night. We walk the tranquil shores of Lake Te Anau, the South Island’s largest lake, on an easy path at the start of the Kepler Track. This evening we photograph the sunset over the lake, with a vast array of mountains beyond.Day 3 - Te Anau - Doubtful Sound
This morning there will be an option for sunrise over Lake Te Anau, or to join an one and a half hour-long flight by helicopter (optional extra) over the Doubtful and Dusky Sounds to photograph atop the mountains that rise above. This extra offers sublime aerial photography opportunities of the mountains in the early morning light. After sunrise, we transfer to Pearl Harbour in Manapouri, to cruise across picturesque Lake Manapouri to West Arm before travelling through the dense rainforest across Wilmot Pass. Once at Deep Cove we board our boat for our time at the beautiful Doubtful Sound.Day 4 - Doubtful Sound
Today will be spent cruising the Sound with excellent photo opportunities of waterfalls, rainforest and mountains as we head into a truly untouched part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.Day 5 - Doubtful Sound - Queenstown
Waking up on the boat sheltered in the wilderness of Doubtful Sound, we cruise through some more of the fiord’s most stunning scenery. No matter what the weather, Fiordland is always spectacular. After arriving back to Pearl Harbour, we can drop you off in Te Anau or provide travel back to Queenstown to connect with late afternoon flights.
PRICE INCLUDES
- 5-days photography tuition
- 2 night cruise on Doubtful Sound
- Boat trip on Lake Manapouri
- 1 nights luxury accommodation at Milford Sound Lodge (all accommodation is twin-share, single upgrade available)
- 1 nights 4✩ accommodation at Te Anau
- 2 nights accommodation on Doubtful Sound boat
- (all accommodation is twin-share, single upgrade available)
- 4 breakfasts
- 2x 3 course dinner on Doubtful Sound Boat
- Queenstown pickup/dropoff (or meet at Te Anau)
- Transport during the tour
- DOC (National Park) concession fees
- Copy of our Pocket Guide to Landscape & Wildlife Photography
- Donation to our Conservation Fund
- Native tree planting to Carbon Offset your tour
Optional Extra: Helicopter Flight over Doubtful and Dusky Sounds
Take to the air with your photography on this special optional extra (at additional cost) on the Fiordland Photography Tour. Soar above some of the world's most incredible wilderness landscapes and mountains, landing atop it all to photography the morning light filtering through Fiordland.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Class Size
This tour runs with a maximum group size of 8 and 2 tutors, offering 1:4 ratio of tutors to guests. Limiting group sizes ensure we provide you with expert guidance, instruction, and personal attention according to your learning style. Smaller groups of up to 4 may only be led by one tutor.Itinerary
Our exact schedule each day will be determined according to the weather to allow for the best shooting, we may choose to swap out locations for other that are better suited to the conditions and we keep a flexible itinerary to accommodate this. We focus on spending as much time as possible out shooting, often from before dawn until sunset. During the tour, we will make time for some image review and processing session, we will fit these around times that are not optimum for shooting.Transport
Option 1 - Queenstown pick up & drop off: We will pick you up early (approx 8 am) from any central location in Queenstown on the first day and provide transport to the whole tour. The tour will finish at Queenstown Airport (or hotel drop off) at 3 pm to meet flights after 4 pm to the main cities. Option 2 - Meet at Te Anau: We will pick up from Te Anau at 10 am and provide transport to the whole tour. We will drop you back to Te Anau at 2 pm on the last day of the tour.Accommodation & Food
Accommodation Type: Our tours use a standard of 4-4+ star hotel/lodge accommodation and we try where possible to stay 2 nights at each hotel. We sometimes will book a 1-night stay at a 3-star motel to be close to a place where we are shooting for sunrise/sunset at a location that does not have any other options. Single Room Upgrades: The tour price is based on twin/double share rooms. If you are travelling alone you can book a single room upgrade for $300. This is for nights 1,2 and 3 at Milford Sound and Te Anau. For the Doubtful Sound overnight boat, single rooms are available on request but require booking out an extra bed on the boat. Please inquire for a price. Food: The price tour includes breakfast each morning, this is normally at the hotel but sometimes a local cafe. Lunches and dinner (apart from any listed as being included) are at your own expense. We will stop at a cafe/shop for lunch and book a table for the group for dinner each day at a local restaurant. Sometimes evening meal times might be early/late to fit around the time of sunset. New Zealand had great food and caters well for any preferences like allergies, vegetarian etc.Physical Difficulty
A minimum level of physical activity is necessary to enjoy this tour. All locations we shoot will be within a short walk along the forest tracks or the coastline. These are sometimes uphill, over uneven ground, or rocky beaches and you will be carrying your own equipment. On this tour, there may be a couple of longer walk options (30-45 min one way) but if these are difficult for the group, we do have the option to split the group at these locations. If your fitness or mobility is an issue please let us know.Experience
Ideally, you will have a basic knowledge of photography and be comfortable adjusting camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed. An aim of this tour is to get you to the best locations, in the best light. While providing you on-location help from our experienced tutors, to come away with the hero shots of your own personal vision. We will have a brief session at the start of the tour, covering camera settings and controls, to be sure everyone is up to speed.Equipment
Camera Equipment: Our tours focus on how to use your camera, not your type of camera. A basic list of recommended camera equipment can be found here Clothing: A list of recommended clothing to bing on the tour can be found hereBooking & Payment
A non-refundable deposit of NZD$600.00 is required to reserve your space for the workshop. The remaining balance is due 45 days prior to the start of the workshop. You may pay in full at time of booking, the balance (minus the deposit) will remain fully refundable until 45 days before the workshop. Booking and Cancellation Policy: Please click here for our booking and cancellation policy.
TUTORS
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