I just returned from a 6 day photography workshop on Lady Elliot Island which is located at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef and I have to say I was blown away. It was a truly incredible experience to learn from the amazing photographers and it has really reinvigorated my love of photography.
The support of Canon Australia and the Canon Collective team meant we had access to an unbelievable range of Canon lenses and cameras to try out and play with. Colin Baker and Greg Sullavan from Canon were great and helped out so much, often pulling some pretty ridiculous hours to make sure everyone had a great time.
Watching and learning from Canon Master Darren Jew and surf photographer Sean Scott was simply awesome. I learnt some pretty interesting techniques and I’m keen to go out and put them to some more use. We also had the pleasure of Gary Cranitch’s company from the Queensland Museum who is an incredible photographer and can tell you just about everything you could want to know about the Great Barrier Reef.
Photography is one of those things that you have to work at to improve and this workshop was really helpful in giving both my skills and community exposure that extra little bump and I’m really excited to continue my photography. This workshop is great for people of all skill levels and interests with plenty of different activities happening throughout the day and night. The hardest part can sometimes be deciding which one you want to do. I personally tried to get in the water as much as possible by snorkelling three times everyday.
The location, Lady Elliot Island, is really something. If you haven’t been then I highly recommend you go. It is truly a natural beauty sitting in such a prime location on the Great Barrier Reef. The wildlife on and around the island is abundant. Birds, mantas, sharks, rays, many different species of fish and of course the turtles. I can’t imagine you’d find a better turtle experience anywhere else in the world. They are so friendly and will let you swim right up to them. Some will even follow you while you snorkel around. I had a great time swimming with the turtles in the lagoon and out on the deeper western side with spectacular scenery, larger fish and the odd Manta Ray (they are more prolific in winter).
