:: SYDNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES

Landscape Photography Courses > One Day Courses > Sydney

Learn how to capture professional quality photo's in only one day! Join one of our highly popular Sydney photography courses to learn the simple but highly effective techniques of Mark Gray, one of Australia's leading landscape photographers...

WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS

•	Visit the highlights of Sydney Harbour at the best times of the day to photograph them (Sydney Harbour Bridge, Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney City, Sydney Opera House, Pylon Lookout, Luna Park, Milsons Point & more)
•	Receive personal photography tuition at each location from a 'Mark Gray Accredited Photography Instructor'
•	Group technical sessions allow you to learn photography in a small group environment
•	Take home a technical handbook with extensive landscape photography tips and advice
•	Enjoy an exquisite 2 course lunch and delicious morning tea
•	Workshops are limited to only 6-8 people

Location

Sydney, New South Wales (Meeting point is at Mrs. Macquaries Chair)

Meals

Morning tea and an exquisite fine dining lunch is included on the workshop.

Skill Level Required

Suitable for complete beginners to intermediate amateurs.
*** We highly recommend our photography tours for more advanced photographers

Fitness Level / Difficulty
Good fitness is necessary. A lot of easy-pace walking is required between each location.

Equipment/Clothing Required

· Digital OR Film Camera (Digital is preferred as it allows for on-location photo critique)
· Tripod
· Polariser Filter
· Sturdy, Comfortable Walking Shoes
· Suitable clothing for all wet and dry weather conditions

Places Available

Each workshop is limited to only 6-8 participants

TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS

• Part 1	Camera Setup Setup your camera for the day. Learn the best choice of lens, which filter to use and how to use your tripod & cable release.
• Part 2	Exposure, Camera Modes & Understanding Your Histogram • ISO, Aperture & Shutter Speed Learn what these settings are and how to use them to capture the best quality photographs from your camera and lens. • Creative Camera Modes (Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority & Manual Mode) Learn the 3 most important camera modes on your camera. How they operate and when (and how) to use each mode. • Understanding Your Histogram How to use your histogram to perfect your exposures.
• Part 3	White Balance, Raw Vs. JPG & Focusing • White Balance Learn about white balance - what it is, how and when to change it. • RAW vs. JPG Learn the benefits of shooting RAW vs. JPG. • Focusing for Landscapes Learn basic and advanced focusing techniques for landscapes.
• Part 4	Composition Technique & Working with Natural Light • Composition Techniques Learn the most effective composition techniques to help you place your camera in the perfect position every time. • Natural Light Learn the importance of working effectively with natural light in a city environment. Best times of day to shoot, best angles to shoot and how seasons / time of year effect your photographs. • Filter Basics Learn the 2 most important types of filters to own for landscape photography and how to use them.
• Part 5	Recommended Resources A comprehensive list of websites for photo sharing, photo tutorials, weather information and more.
• Part 6	Recommended Suppliers A comprehensive list of recommended suppliers for camera equipment, printing, framing and more.

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK

"Mark & Suzy, I just wanted to drop you both a line and say a huge thank you for the best photography day ever, during the Sydney Splendour photography course.

Your knowledge of this craft is second to none and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to listen to you speak so passionately about this profession.

Your commitment to students or "photographer enthusiasts", your patience with people at different skill levels, and your willingness to teach others is commendable. Opening yourself up to as much 1:1 time each participant required is a testament to not only the pro photographer you are, but the man.

The notes that you provided were well crafted, informative and made the technical sessions easy to follow with practical applications. Being a visual and auditory learner, I found the photography tech sessions very useful and well explained, with ample time for clarification or any questions.

What gives your courses that extra something special, is having Suzy there, and allowing the participants to talk freely about their lives, their photographic experiences and really relax into the day, therefore creating a very unique and special learning environment for each participant.

I have developed so much even in the few short hours I was privileged to learn from your abilities. (I think I am driving my fiance Ryan a little crazy speaking about the day!).

Ryan and I will keep in contact and would love to organise a private photography lesson in the New Year down in Merimbula. Mostly, we just want to head out to spots you are connected to in Merimbula and shoot great photos.

Thank you again for providing this wonderful experience and sharing your passion with others!"

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Respectfully, Sarah Rivett, NSW

"Hi Suzy and Mark, Please see below my comments/feedback regarding the recent one-day Sydney photography workshop I attended. Thanks to Mark for a really great day out, I had a fantastic day in Sydney.

I haven’t even been to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair before, so the first stop we had at the lookout was definitely a memorable location for me, as was Milsons Point on dusk.

I enjoyed listening and learning from Mark about how he creates his spectacular landscape photos, but I also loved visiting and exploring different vantage points around the harbour. We were really lucky with the weather - it was a beautiful day, so that was certainly a highlight. Walking and getting exercise throughout the day was great, as was meeting and speaking with other like-minded photography students.  
  
The technical sessions were excellent. Mark started with the basics, and didn’t go into too much detail which was good for me. We learnt the manual settings in the first technical session, which we used throughout the day so we could then just concentrate on composition, etc. I will have to start saving up for a three day workshop!"

- Liz, QLD

"Hi Mark, Thanks for the great Sydney photography workshop on Saturday. I can see that a good time was had by all. In fact it was one of the best days I've had in my own city!"

- Michael Paton, NSW

"Guys, please find below some feedback regarding the Sydney Photography Course. I would say that the day exceeded expectations!  I would be more than happy to consider another workshop with Mark, one of those over several days in central Australia or elsewhere, once I have some more time to experiment.  The day proved inspirational and has certainly sharpened my interest in all of this.  I feel that I have been through a watershed experience in picture taking.  Thank you for that! 

I enjoyed the day tremendously, not only for the opportunity to work with a landscape photographer of note but also for the chance to see many things about Sydney harbour and its surrounds so differently.  I live in Brisbane but have previously lived in Sydney for about ten years during the 1970s and 80s, during that time though I never once walked across the bridge let alone climb to the top of a pylon, with or without backpack and tripod!  So, I guess it was a revelation on more than one level.  This proved interesting because it is sometimes so hard to see things outside your own normal frame of reference.  In photographic terms it is often as difficult to see all of the elements in a scene as it is to be an active listener in the professional sense and to consistently understand and appreciate what people are saying.  Sometimes when I have reviewed photos taken by others of scenes where I was also present I have been amazed at things captured that I did not even see at the time.  Getting around this requires some 'smarts'.  It was a great advantage to be able to work with someone attuned so well to this idea of really 'seeing'.
  
And besides, Mark reminds me of my personal trainer, which makes him pretty cool!  Immediately he mentioned the prep for the Sydney Splendour shot from the top of a hotel, he sounded exactly like my PT - an innovator if ever there were one.  Mark is an excellent communicator, establishes an instant rapport, has great patience and treats everyone with respect, will not leave you behind, is passionate and makes you feel the same way about the matter at hand.  He is a seriously likeable guy.  I suppose that helps!

The photography workshop was excellent value for money, costing only around the same as the hourly rate for major consultancy firm reps to tell you a lot of things that you probably know already ... and they don't factor morning tea, lunch or pylon climbs!  And on this occasion, I was certainly not being told things that I knew already; there was some fundamentally important and new stuff being covered.

The location highlight was most probably Milson’s Point at the end of the day, experimenting with the time exposure shots of the sweep of the bridge, Circular Quay and Opera House.  I have never set foot there before, and what a view that provides!  It was also a new experience to walk westwards along the Cahill Expressway from the lift (I have always headed off in the other direction, via the Gardens to Wolloomooloo).  This provided for a great unobstructed view of the Quay and the ferry terminals, similar to that from the railway station below, a very in-your-face perspective on the Gateway Building and the cluster of buildings around it, and a different series of views down into The Rocks and across its rooftops and along its walls and streets running north.

If there were a single one, it would be the epiphany moment that occurred right at the beginning, and that was reinforced during the day, with the session about how best to focus and run things in manual mode.  This would simply never have occurred to me in this lifetime otherwise, and the realisation went off with a bang in my head.  Just reading the theory is simply not enough.  Thank you.  Also, I should mention the welcome constant messages about the importance of planning and preparation - weather forecasts, setting up well ahead of a predictable event (sunrise/sunset), pressing the release button as if you are paying for every shot, and so on.  These messages were important, as they go to thinking about what you are doing and why you are doing it, to make you reconceptualise your whole approach to one where quality edges out quantity.  

The facility for the post-workshop use of Flickr via the MG photo tour group is an excellent idea.  I have posted a few pictures there already. 

All of this has really inspired me to get stuck into Lightroom big time (20-30hrs a week), which is fascinating.  Only trouble is that I have a library of so many raw files from the past several years, I hardly know know where to start!  None of this would have happened, certainly not the vigour involved anyway, without the inspiration that the 14 April tour provided.   The workshop was proof that, yes, I can do this!

The locations chosen were a good fit, and offered a variety of perspectives around the arena of the harbour.  The flow of the day to the west and north proved logical and filled out the program to the maximum.  Anyone new to Sydney would have been astounded!   

The meals and the breaks injected good humour into the day and created a sense of connectedness.  I enjoyed both morning tea and lunch.  At both times there was more food than one could really handle, but with catering it's always better to have more than not enough.  The meal breaks were arranged well, were very comfortable, well located and allowed plenty of opportunity to relax and chat with others - an important thing considering that we were looking at a ten-hour day together, pretty much on the go.

I did not really know how the technical sessions would unfold or what would be the depth of the content.  It proved to be the right approach to start from the ground and work upwards.  This helped fit technical detail into the big picture and explain 'why' as much as 'what'.  Mark understood, and communicated, very well that you need to understand why you would do something, rather than just go through the motions.  Delivering the technical sessions quite separately from the shooting was effective.  It helped to put your thinking on a different level, and absorb some additional advice before then putting that into practice." 

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Wayne Williams, QLD

"Hi Mark, thank you to Matt and yourself for putting on such a fabulous Sydney photography course! Not only did I get some great photographs on the day but I discovered many new locations and ways to view the city of Sydney. I also learnt a great deal about some of the finer points of photography - in particular the filters information was a great help along with revising technical info and then applying that specifically to landscape photography. Lunch was superb -  so much food - and I really enjoyed being able to chat with yourself and the other participants about different aspects and perspectives of taking photos. Its always great to be challenged by different perspectives and ideas.

My favourite location was definately sunset at Milson's point, I got some amazing photos and I have become addicted to the weather forecasts to try and better predict the weather conditions for a shoot. I had a ball and would definately recommend the Sydney photography courses to others. Thank you so much!"

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Michelle Berger, NSW

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