Sony Alpha Weekend | South-West WA

Join Sony Digital Imaging Advocate Andrew J Clarke and the team from Bunbury Camera House on 5-7 November 2021 for an epic Sony Alpha photography experience in WA’s beautiful south-west. This will be an amazing opportunity to explore and photograph one of Australia’s most visually stunning regions, including sunrise/sunset landscape shoots, astrophotography, editing seminars, as well as the option to capture this iconic coastline from above in a chartered, doors-off helicopter flight!

The weekend will be packed full of events and includes: 

• A pre-workshop webinar covering things like equipment to bring and the use of filters.
• Access to Sony’s extensive range of cameras and lenses for the weekend.
• FIVE on-location practical workshops including landscape, seascape and astrophotography (subject to suitable astro conditions!).
• An optional chartered scenic photography flight for the significantly discounted rate of +$200 pp (about 35% off the price you would pay to book for yourself!)
• A post-workshop webinar covering all things post-production, including editing in Lightroom and Photoshop and finalising your images for web & print.

This workshop is open to all levels of photography and you do not need to shoot on Sony to attend! Andrew and representatives of Sony Australia and Camera House will be on hand at each location to help you develop your camera skills and your eye for landscape photography. 

Important Note: To accommodate those that live in the South-West and those that cannot partake in aerial photography, the ticket price only includes the on-location workshops and the two webinars. The 45 minute scenic flight and your accommodation are not included in the Sony Scene ticket price. If you are visiting the South-West region, we recommend you arrange accommodation in Dunsborough or Yallingup to make travel more convenient.

Check out the teaser video!

Event Itinerary

Pre-event Webinar

Join Andrew online for an online presentation covering things like logistics, what to bring, use of filters and answering any questions.

Day 1 – Friday, 5 November 2021

The Sony Alpha Weekend starts with an afternoon golden hour shoot at Yallingup. From there we’ll head straight to a group dinner, where Andrew will give a brief introduction presentation and guests can have their pick of Sony’s latest and greatest E-Mount lenses and cameras to loan for the weekend. We’ll finish off day 1 with an astrophotography session at Sugarloaf Rock where we’ll watch the Milky Way set over the Indian Ocean.

Day 2 – Saturday, 6 November 2021

Day 2 starts bright and early with a sunrise shoot at Castle Rock near Dunsborough. After sunrise, we will all need to take a break, rest up, and maybe have a nap. Just before midday, we’ll re-group and travel to a local winery/brewery for lunch. For those keen to get airborne, our chartered helicopter will pick us up from lunch for an epic aerial photography adventure. Everyone will have the opportunity to shoot from a window seat to get the most out of your time in the air. To cap things off, we will go out for another sunset session in the evening along Cape Naturaliste.

Day 3 – Sunday, 7 November 2021

We’ll be up early again for another sunrise shoot at the gorgeous Meelup Beach before finishing up with a short debrief session and departing for home. The team from Bunbury Camera House will have a pop-up shop set up and have some very special prices for all guests.

Post-event Webinar

Once we’ve all had a chance to recover from the action-packed weekend and review your images, join Andrew for an interactive online webinar where we’ll discuss file handling, editing in Lightroom + Photoshop and finalising images for printing and web.

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

• Your mirrorless or DSLR camera (must have full manual controls)
• Lenses covering focal lengths of 16-35mm and 24-70mm 
• (Recommended) A fast (f2.8 or brighter) wide-angle lens for astrophotography 
• (Recommended) A standard zoom lens (24-70mm or 24-105mm) for aerial photography. 
• 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 2 nights (3 days)