ESTHER BEATON’S DAY SAFARIS

for photographers and nature lovers

Find your hidden artistic talents. Bring some beauty into your life. Learn more about the secrets of nature and how to turn them into beautiful works of art. Ignite your passion!

WHERE
  • Central Coast region of NSW
  • A different unique environment with special scenic beauty, unusual plants or unique wildlife is selected for each safari
WHEN
  • First Saturday of May, July, September and November 2008
  • 9am – 5pm approximately, depending on each outing
  • See the full 2008 schedule »
COST
  • $145 per day safari
  • morning or afternoon tea included
    (lunch and transport are not included in this price but check the itinerary as arrangements for lunch will vary with each safari)
  • DISCOUNTS available for multiple safaris; see the
  • BOOKING/ENQUIRY FORM »

Have you ever returned from a holiday or day out and wondered why your photos don’t look quite as good as the scenes you remembered? Or that someone else’s photos of the same thing look startlingly magnificent while yours look ordinary?

All you need to learn how to “get your eye in” . . .
90% of a great photo is in learning to see one.

That’s what Esther Beaton will teach you: how to see differently—how to see with the eye that took her 30 years as a professional to develop. She is one of Australian Geographic’s top photographers and understands how to “work” a place—how to highlight and enhance its best features. With a few shortcuts based on her own experience, Esther will teach you visualising techniques that will dramatically improve your photographic skills and will have you seeing with a new, improved eye.

A day in the bush with Esther is more than just about photography. She has travelled and photographed around Australia extensively and knows its nature intimately, having worked with ecologists, scientists, editors and publishers in the production of many books and articles. She can teach you not only how to photograph the world around you, but also give you a greater appreciation of the landscape and the life that inhabits it.

A well-known photographer, Esther has been published world wide in many international magazines, national magazines, calendars and books. She has co-authored two books, produced several exhibitions and her art is featured in a gallery.

Together with Esther, you will discover and photograph some of her favourite places and special subjects, such as:

  • beautiful reflections, moving waterfalls
  • atmospheric seascapes, crashing waves
  • ferns, fungi and the forest floor
  • butterflies and other fascinating insects
  • rock platforms, tide pools and beach patterns
  • spring and autumn foliage
  • fields, meadows and country roads
  • majestic trees, bark patterns and leaf details
  • glistening spiderwebs, dew-covered flowers
  • shorebirds, gulls and terns
  • moody woods and rainforests
  • flowers—large, vibrant and dramatic flowers
  • flowers—small, sweet and delicate flowers
  • and so much more!

You’ll photograph better than you’ve ever done before because Esther will share her professional secrets on how to:

  • start with an effective shot list
  • plan a satisfying photographic outing
  • evaluate a location or scene for the right time of day
  • create more startling results than your eye first sees
  • find and set up the perfect shot
  • work with and in any sort of weather
  • create beautiful lighting effects
  • create dramatic compositions using colour, shape and textures
  • and much, much, much more.

As well as a new appreciation for nature, you will come back with new skills, the best photographs you have ever taken and the knowledge and skills to keep taking them.

Participants are expected to have a basic knowledge of how their camera works. Film or digital cameras are both acceptable. Most sessions will require a sturdy tripod. A range of lenses is ideal but not essential.

These photo safaris are unique to the Central Coast; you won’t find anything like them anywhere else. It is rare that someone with Esther’s experience and talents offers such personalised, interactive workshops and tours. Come and be inspired. Discover your inner photographer and artist. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by!