NOTE: The $600 ticket price on Sony Scene is the deposit required to secure your spot. The full cost of event is $2,450 per twin share guest ($2,850 per single). Full payment details and terms & conditions can be found on Andrew's website. The balance payment (full cost minus deposit) is due 1 October 2023.

KALBARRI METEORS 2023

Join myself and Sony Australia for this truly special opportunity to shoot the 2023 Geminids meteor shower in one of Australia's most picturesque dark-sky regions - Kalbarri National Park.

In December 2021, on a whim, I made the 6 hour drive up to Kalbarri National Park to capture the Geminids meteor shower. The Geminids is the southern-hemisphere’s best and most consistent annual display of meteors, and in December 2021 up in the north of WA it peaked at around 40 meteors per hour over two nights. We battled cloud cover on the first night, but everything cleared up for night two granting us a few hours with minimal moonlight allowing me to capture the images below - among many others!

This year up in Kalbarri, the forecast is for more than double the intensity you see above, at around 85 meteors per hour! There will also be no moon visible during the entire shower. These are some of the best conditions imaginable for meteors in the southern hemisphere and won’t be matched again until 2031. So you bet I’m going back - this time bringing a few adventurous astrophotographers with me and plenty of gear from Sony Australia to help us make the most of what is going to be a truly special celestial event! Places are strictly limited to 6 guests to ensure the best experience for all.

Please refer to the FAQ's below (or Andrew's website) for a full list of inclusions/exclusions.

After getting settled into our accomodation, we’ll make our way to the coast for sunset over the iconic cliffs of Pot Alley. The striking textures of these rock formations make for fantastic dramatic landscapes in the warm light of golden hour. After dinner, we’ll head back out for some astrophotography practice to make sure we’re all ready for the big show on Friday morning!

 

Day 2 - Exploring Kalbarri National Park

On day two, we make our way into Kalbarri National Park for some exploration and nature photography. We’ll check out the Kalbarri Skywalk, Nature’s Window and the Z Bend and scout out our composition(s) for the meteor shower. We’ll make sure to get to bed early because day three will be starting early…

Day 3 - Geminids Meteor Shower

…very early. The peak of the Geminids is from approxiamtely 1 am to 4 am and unlike in previous years, we’ve only got one chance to experience the full intensity of the meteor shower. For the night owls among us, there is also the option to hang around for sunrise in the National Park (approximately 5:15 am), which can be truly spectacular as well! We’ll take the rest of the day off to recharge the batteries, before heading out for an easy sunset shoot near to the accomodation.

 

Day 4 - National Park Sunrise + Aerial Photography

After a restful day three, we’ll be back at it for sunrise in the National Park. In the afternoon we’ve organised an amazing doors-off aerial photography tour with Kalbarri Scenic Flights, flying over the river gorges in the National Park and back over the coastal cliffs. If we're lucky and time permits we might even make it down to the pink lake at Hutt Lagoon!

 

Day 5 - Sunrise + Farewell breakfast

For our final day we’ll wake up to sunrise over the Murchison rivermouth in the Kalbarri township before wrapping things up at our farewell breakfast in town. We’ll depart with memory cards full of stunning Australian landscapes, from both land and air, ready for our post-event online editing workshop where we’ll unlock the secrets to getting the most out of our amazing meteor images!

 

Fitness / Mobility

A reasonable level of fitness and mobility is required to make the most of the opportunities available during this workshop. You will need to be able to carry your backpack full of camera equipment and a tripod to most locations on this tour, with a handful of shooting locations requiring short hikes of 30 – 45 minutes in length. Although the trails are well established and marked, some of the ground will be uneven and there are areas of loose gravel, sand or rocks that can be slippery (especially in the event of rain). If you have any questions about the physical aspects of this tour, please contact Andrew here.

Questions

If you have any questions or would like any additional information regarding the event, please feel free to contact Andrew here.

Terms & Conditons, Cancellation Policy

Terms and conditions for our workshops and tours (including our policies relating to Covid-19 guidelines, cancellations, refunds and health and safety) are set out here. Please read carefully before booking and contact Andrew if you have any questions or concerns!

• Essential equipment for landscape / astrophotography 
• The importance of light — how to recognise and plan for the best shooting conditions
• Setting up your camera and customisation 
• Controlling exposure in manual mode 
• Focal length and its role in landscape / astrophotography photography 
• Using the histogram 
• Compositional concepts and techniques
• Techniques and tips for landscape photography
• Techniques and tips for astrophotography / long-exposure photography
• Techniques and tips for aerial photography
• Working with RAW files and post-processing in Lightroom + Photoshop 
• Advanced landscape techniques (panorama, HDR, focus stacking etc) for those wanting a challenge 
• And more! 

• Your mirrorless or DSLR camera (must have full manual controls) 
• Lenses covering focal lengths of roughly 16-35mm and 24-105mm (note: some Sony lenses will be available to borrow)
• A fast (f2.8 or brighter) wide-angle lens for astrophotography (note: some Sony lenses will be available to borrow)
• SD cards 
• Spare batteries for your camera 
• A sturdy tripod 
• Lens filters for long-exposure (we recommend at least a 6-stop neutral density filter (ND) and a circular polarising filter). Please contact Andrew in advance if you would like to borrow some filters to try. 
• Remote trigger for your camera 
• Microfibre cloth for cleaning 
• Laptop or tablet for editing 
• Head torch (ideally with a red light) for astrophotography 
• Either a camera rain jacket or a plastic bag to shield your camera from rain/sea spray
• Warm clothes for astrophotography and sunrise 
• Wet weather clothes (just in case) 
• Enclosed sturdy shoes suitable for hiking Snacks and water as required 
• Clothes and toiletries for 4 nights (5 days)
• A detailed checklist of things to bring will also be provided to participants by email