The best of Margaret River

■ 3 day tour capturing the gourmet Margaret River region of WA

■ Practical workshops including food, lifestyle & landscapes

■ Visiting beaches, forests, wineries & quaint villages

■ Fun, creative, well researched itinerary

■ Small groups of like minded photographers

■ Andrew & Serena are your personable, professional tutors

■ Complete understanding of your DLSR, compact, mirrorless or film camera functions

■ Learn shooting modes including Aperture, Shutter speed, Program, Auto, Pre sets, raw vs jpeg, metering  & focusing modes, white balance , ISO, picture style & control, exposure lock & compensation, adding light into shadows  

■ Lighting:  - natural & artificial light, white balance, time the light 

■ Composition: leading & converging lines,  the rule of thirds, framing, reflections, colour, star bursts,  showing motion, viewpoint, selective focus, vertical vs horizontal, aspect ratio

■ Landscape photography throughout

■ Photography of flora and fauna

■ Motion, architecture, nature, flowers.

■ late afternoon, low light seascapes

■ Use of your flash & shooting techniques in wireless flash

■ Understanding editing

■ Insight into photographing for personal, stock, editorial & commercial use

■ View unique Australian wildlife and birdlife

■ Use of light on water, clouds, silhouettes, shadows, twilight

■ Notes, critique & ongoing networking, advice and technical support

■ Practical workshops over 3 days covering: What gear, camera handling, food, architecture, landscapes, portraiture,  photography, action & motion, lighting, composition, nature, wildlife, editing, Lightroom 6 classic, output for screen & print and more 

 * we vary the workshops according to the weather conditions and other factors

■ No prior photography experience

■ Suitable for amateur photographers right through to semi-professionals 

■ Any Digital DSLR, mirrorless, quality compact, smartphone camera

■ Film Camera's are catered for (Having both digital & a film camera is preferred as it allows for on-location photo critique)

■ At least one quality lens such as a Nikkor 18-200mm or a Canon 17-85mm and other lenses that you own

■ Min 4GB card per day of shooting

■ Any camera accessories - such as a tripod, and polarising filter

■ Instruction booklet, sense of humour

■ Every tour participant gets custom tailored advice on their gear, what / where to buy, destination shooting tips, knowledge on cameras, lens, accessories and the best deals. Detailed notes give tips on etiquette, security, the best time to go, image storage, battery life, camera care, security issues and much more. We are strong advocates of using an image capturing device to suit the location, your mood and objectives.

■ Fitness Level / Difficulty
Moderate. Some easy-pace walking required at various locations.

What is your photography tour philosophy ?
■ As Australians are currently unable to travel overseas we are lucky to have a great range of Australian tours on offer

■ We take you on a personal journey of discovery, where life and the traditional cultures remain relatively unspoilt, where the wildlife viewing is spectacular, where the scenery is breathtaking.

■ A Focus 10 photography tour reflects our fascination and love for interesting cultures, great architecture, the world's great cities and the natural world. These tours are not just for expert photographers.

■ In fact, we attract an eclectic mix of people who blend other interests with photography - the lover of wildflowers, the birder, the naturalist, the antiquities buff, the painter, the wine and food lover, the avid traveller looking to expand their horizons.

■ Using professional operators companies such as World Expeditions and Utracks who look after the logistics, transportation, accommodation and food, leaves us free to concentrate on the photography.

■ Small groups & journeying to unusual and 'off the beaten track' places

■ Destinations & activities specifically chosen for their photogenic nature

■ Itineraries tailored to take full advantage of photographic opportunities

■ Friendly tuition by master trainers and professional photographers

■ On-location analysis and critique of images after each days shooting

■ Detailed pre-departure and on-location notes to fast track your skills

■ Travel with interesting, fun loving, like-minded individuals

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Do we handle all logistics or work with Travel Companies or local operators?
■ Focus 10 only operate its own tours in Australia and in areas we know intimately through running our huge variety of courses in each area. We also shoot commercially in these areas for local Tourist boards, for other travel companies and local tourist business ranging from restaurants, tourist activities ecetera . In other words- we know what works photography wise!
■ Almost all our tours are centred in one area with a minimum of driving . In fact often the participants had their own vehicles and prefer to drive themselves to the various locations we photograph at

■ Using professional operators companies such as World Expeditions and Utracks who look after the logistics, transportation, accommodation and food, leaves us free to concentrate on the photography.

■ Over 30 years as a photography leader with companies such as World Expeditions teaches you many things! Your job as an instructor is to do just that - to instruct your fellow travellers and impart as much of your professional knowledge to achieve the end result - brilliant , memorable photographs that your guests have taken themselves.

■ You also have to be an opportunist. To create opportunities.To be pro-active, energetic and committed.

■ It helps if you have been in the country, area or region before so you understand the customs, the light and the boundless opportunities to take amazing photographs

■ It's also a huge help to use highly reputable travel companies preferably with their own operations on the ground. Having a local when things go pear shaped, and a deep understanding of local customs and protocol is essential. It allows for a division of labour; the local guide can go ahead and check the group into a hotel while the group continues to shoot a beautiful sunset.

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What sort of insurance cover do you and the tour operators your represent have?
■ Focus 10 Pty Ltd has full insurance to run our own tours. It it however mandatory that you also have your own insurance policy. We will not accept anyone on our tours without having a copy of your insurance.

■ We use the reputable PIPP brokers for our camera gear insurance
www.photoinsurance.com.au
www.wscbrokers.com.au
Contact : nancy@wscbrokers.com.au for a quote

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What is our guest to Instructor ratio?
■ All our dedicated Focus 10 tours have small groups of up to 8 persons . This ensures a highly personal training experience with lots of individual attention to each photographers needs. Everyone has their own ideal when it comes to instructor-to-guest ratios. We prefer a small group of
up to eight.

■On other photography tours where we are acting as the photography host and the company runs all the tour logistics such as transport, accommodation, food etc the ratios can be higher.

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What is the difference between your photography tours and courses?
■ A tour is a chance to be guided through an area typically rich in photographic content. There is less direct hands-on instruction, moment to moment, and the subject matter can cover a large spectrum.

■ A course by contrast, is usually more hands-on and directed to a specific goal. An example of this is a one day workshop on street photography. Your instructor will be close at hand to make all those small course corrections and critiques needed for improvement.

■ Photography courses and workshops tend to have a more structured atmosphere with assignments and critiques. Really good courses and workshops are taught by professional photographers and tutors.

■ Our Photography tours are more casual in nature and the instruction isn’t as intense. More emphasis is placed onexperiencing and photographing a bucket-list of great locations, activities and so forth. On our tours we never dispense assignments. We put a high emphasis on having fun.

■ Depending on the tour photographer, you should have the opportunity to get some one on one tuition. We provide that with detailed reference notes and the opportunity to perhaps do one of our 'online' or 'on location' Travel Photography courses beforehand.

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Has the photographer leading the trip been to my destination before?
■ One of the many great things about photography tours is that you don’t have to worry about wasting time scouting locations yourself.

■ Ideally, your leader has been there before and knows what looks best at certain times of the day. They know where the hidden gems are in addition to the tourist hot spots.

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Is it safe to travel and book a Western Australia holiday right now?
Western Australia remains one of the most desirable destinations in the world, Business wise, adventure wise, lifestyle wise - it is a fabulous place

This is Straight from www.wa.gov.au website

'Travel is now permitted throughout all regions within WA, except for entry into remote Aboriginal communities.

Western Australia is incredibly vast and diverse; as the largest state, it covers nearly one-third of the country. Its the size of Western Europe ... From baffling rock formations and ancient Aboriginal sites to sweeping green vineyards of world-class wineries and unbelievably clear ocean waters, Western Australia is the land of endless exploration.

Because of its location so far away from the likes of Sydney and Melbourne, its far less touristy and much more laid-back. WA locals know they reside in the best state in Australia, but you won’t catch them boasting about it, because they wouldn’t want the secret to get out. In the current nasty virus pandemic ravaging the world , we urge everyone in Australia to consider one of our favourite tours in WA

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■ Tour Dates:  1-3 May 2021  |  7-9 Aug 2021   |    27-29 Nov 2021

■ Tour Cost: $1190* ex Margaret River

■ Tour Style: easy. You should be able to walk up to 1/2 km on the designated workshops - along a beach etc

■ Activities: 3 days of photography, walking & driving

■ Accommodation: sometimes we get an entire house & share the rental cost between the group or you are welcome to arrange your own accommodation

■ Tour Host: Andrew Thomasson & Serena Pearce

■ Tour operator: Focus 10 Pty Ltd

We love our Margaret River Photography tour! What can beat shooting surfers whilst savouring a local wine as the sun slowly sinks into the Indian ocean.

■ Serena and Andrew would love the opportunity to share our love of destination photography with you in a fun and exciting way

■ Our driving passion is to get you to the best places for great shots at the right time. That way you'll get the finest and photographs possible.

■ Our goal on all our tours is to provide a supportive, inspirational and fun learning environment in beautiful regional areas of Australia

■ Photographers of all levels can build confidence in their creative and technical skills, to achieve their personal and professional photographic goals.

■ Group technical sessions allow you to learn photography in a small group environment

■ Margaret River and its premium wine region is the place for indulging many passions. It's the only wine region in Australia where you can hop from award-winning wineries and restaurants to stunning beaches, tall-timber forests, world-class surf breaks and ancient caves.... Situated just a few hours drive from Perth, the region offers a huge selection of world-class wineries, gourmet food and boutique accommodation making it ideal for a romantic getaway, weekend escape and to run our 2 day Travel Photography weekend course.

■ Where we go:  We use a variety of locations around  Margaret River to give you a feel for scenarios you will encounter throughout the world. Shooting boats and water at Hamlin bay is similar to shooting on a Corsica sailing holiday, the tips on architecture photography at Voyager Estate can be transported to taking pictures in Cape of Good Hope and the white sandy beaches along this WA coast give you skills in shooting snow-covered scenes in polar and alpine regions.

■ Some of the great locations and wineries visited include Aravina winery, Swallow winery, Watershed Winery, Voyager Estate, Hay Shed Hill Winery, Margaret River Chocolate Company, Olio Bello Olive Oil Company, Margaret River Dairy Company, Redgate Beach Blowholes, Hamelin Bay, Boranup Forest, Limestone caves, Canal Rocks, Sugarloaf Rocks, Leeuwin- Naturaliste National Park, Cape Leeuwin National Park, Margaret River, Prevelly, Gnarabup and Yallingup. On every course we discover another location gem or winery and are totally flexible as to where we go.

■ Inclusions
Comprehensive PDF on notes
Sunset drinks and nibbles overlooking Margaret River surf break

■ Exclusions*
Accommodation - we can recommend several options
Transport to/from Margaret River
Food and beverages
Cave entrance fees (for those that would like to explore this option)

Payments
Paying for your tour in full upon booking will confirm your attendance. Places are limited on all courses.

Insurance
You are required to have general travel insurance for all our tours

Refunds
We reserve the right to cancel and reschedule any course, due to inadequate enrolment, bad weather, instructor illness, or an 'act of God'. We also reserve the right to cancel any course if there is insufficient demand, especially if it means that our costs would be higher than our income. Please therefore do not leave it until the last few weeks if you are interested in a particular date, as you may find that it has been cancelled. As our costs for each training event remain the same no matter how many delegates attend, like any pre-booked tickets for the theatre, concert, flights etc, we are unable to give a full refund in the event of non-attendance, regardless of the circumstances. If withdrawal occurs within the 14 days before the course starts we will try to put you on an alternative date if places are available. Please note that we cannot be liable for any other costs incurred by yourself, so please check with us before booking any non-refundable accommodation or transport.

Workshop Photography
We reserve the right to take photographic, (both still and video) records of any of our workshops/courses which may be used for promotional purposes, submissions, advertising and records. We grant permission for participants to use any images captured by them during this workshop for self-promotion only. Participants may not make any financial gain from any images captured during this workshop/course.