Hawke’s Bay Photography Workshops
Discover the beauty of Hawke’s Bay while developing your photography skills in a supportive, hands-on environment.
Available year-round for individuals and small groups, these personalised half-day and full-day workshops are tailored to your goals and interests. Whether you want to chase golden light from Te Mata Peak, explore serene wetlands and coastal scenes, photograph mist-draped orchards and trees, or capture the rolling hills of the Hawke’s Bay countryside, I’ll help you make the most of every frame – and every moment.
Words from Workshop Participants
“I took part in a half-day Sunset Photography Workshop yesterday with Jos and it was absolutely fantastic! The whole experience was so well-organised, inspiring, and enjoyable. Jos is extremely knowledgeable and supportive, and I walked away with both beautiful captures and valuable tips. Highly recommend to anyone looking to improve their photography!”
What You Can Expect
Each workshop is flexible and tailored to your goals. While every session is customised, a typical workshop might unfold like this:
Before the workshop, we’ll have a chat about your interests, photography goals, and the types of subjects you'd like to focus on. Based on this, I’ll create a personalised itinerary just for you.
We’ll start in Havelock North, and I’ll drive you to a selection of beautiful locations around Hawke’s Bay — such as Te Mata Peak, wetlands, seascapes, waterfalls, misty orchards and trees, and rolling hill country. Some light walking may be involved, but no long or strenuous hikes.
During the shoot, I’ll assist with composition, camera settings, and any technical or creative challenges you’d like help with — the level of guidance is entirely up to you.
We’ll likely have breaks between shoots to rest, grab a bite to eat, or enjoy a coffee.
If you’d like, we can include a post-processing session to explore editing in Lightroom, Photoshop, or to discuss techniques like dodging and burning, tonal balancing, local adjustments, colour grading, and how to bring depth and emotion into your images.
Alternatively, you can use this time to ask about workflow organisation, exporting images for social media, or preparing them for print.
At the end of the workshop, I’ll drop you back at your accommodation (assuming you’re based in or near Havelock North) or vehicle .
Potential Itinerary
The itinerary for half-day and full-day workshops is planned in consultation with you and includes enough flexibility to adapt to changing weather and light conditions. A typical itinerary might include:
Half Day
Each half-day workshop is planned in consultation with you and includes enough flexibility to respond to changing weather and light conditions. A half-day session runs for approximately four hours, and you can choose from the following options:
Sunrise
We begin before dawn to travel to our sunrise location. After capturing the morning light, we’ll pause for breakfast or coffee, followed by a second session at a different spot. The workshop typically finishes around lunchtime.Morning
Starting after breakfast, we’ll explore a variety of locations through the morning, wrapping up the session by lunchtime.Afternoon
We’ll begin after lunch and visit several scenic locations, with the session ending before dinnertime.Sunset
This option starts in the afternoon with our first session, followed by a dinner break, and then a sunset shoot. The workshop concludes shortly after the sun goes down.
While sunrise and sunset often offer the best conditions for landscape photography, valuable learning can happen at any time of day. Each session is tailored to help you develop your skills, especially in composition and working with available light.
I typically provide pickup and drop-off at your accommodation if you’re staying in or near Havelock North. If you're based elsewhere, we can arrange a convenient meeting point.
Full Day
Each full-day workshop is planned in consultation with you and includes enough flexibility to adapt to changing weather and light conditions. A full day runs for approximately eight hours, and a typical itinerary might include:
Sunrise shoot – for example, from the top of Te Mata Peak
Light breakfast break
Morning shoot at a second location (such as a nearby waterfall)
Lunch break
Post-processing session
Sunset shoot – perhaps in Te Mata Park again or at a nearby wetland area
Depending on the time of year, we may include a longer mid-day break, especially when sunrise and sunset are far apart.
An alternative full-day option begins with a sunset shoot, followed by an overnight rest and a sunrise shoot and post-processing session the next morning. This format is ideal if you’re travelling into Hawke’s Bay during the day and want to make the most of the golden hours on a brief one-night visit.
You’ll be picked up and dropped off at your accommodation (provided you’re staying in or near Havelock North). During breaks, I’m happy to drop you off at your accommodation, a local café, restaurant, winery, or another nearby location of your choice.
Who It's For
These in-the-field workshops are designed for photographers of all experience levels:
Beginners who are new to photography or have never shot in RAW before, and want to build a solid foundation in capturing and composing images.
Enthusiasts who are comfortable with their camera’s basic settings, shoot in RAW, and have some experience editing their photos — but want to improve their compositions, develop creative confidence, or gain hands-on guidance in the field.
Experienced photographers who have been shooting in RAW for years and are looking to refine their techniques, experiment with new approaches, or explore more expressive and artistic image-making.
Whether you're after a technical deep dive or a more intuitive, creative session, each workshop is shaped around your personal interests, learning style, and goals.
What You’ll Need
To make the most of your workshop experience, please bring the following:
Appropriate clothing and footwear – Dress for the weather, and wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes.
Your camera gear – Bring your camera, spare batteries, memory cards, and a tripod.
A laptop – If your workshop includes a post-processing session, you’ll need a laptop with Adobe Lightroom (or your preferred software) installed.
Food and refreshments – Feel free to bring snacks or drinks. We can also stop at local cafés along the way.
Additional Things to Arrange in Advance
Please take care of the following before the workshop:
Accommodation – If you're travelling from outside the area, I can recommend local places to stay upon request.
Insurance – Make sure you’re covered with health, accident, travel, and equipment insurance as needed.
After booking, I’ll send you a detailed checklist and any other relevant information to help you prepare.
Other Common Questions
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This workshop doesn’t include accommodation and you must arrange this yourself. We’re happy to provide information about places to stay nearby.
It’s suggested that you stay somewhere near Havelock North, which is close to the various photo locations we’ll be visiting.
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The price of the workshop excludes food, drinks and snacks. Generally, we’ll have our first shoot of the day before breakfast. Sometimes evening mealtimes might be early or late to fit around the time of sunset.
Snacks are handy to have with you to tide you over. Generally, Hawke’s Bay has great food and caters well for food allergies and different dietary requirements.
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The workshop is designed to be suitable for people of all ages in good health and reasonable fitness.
Shooting locations will be within a short walk from the carpark. We will be walking on well-maintained paths and tracks. It will be necessary to carry your own camera equipment for these activities.
Should you have any concerns about your own capabilities and/or fitness in relation to the workshop, please contact us to discuss this before registering.
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Sure! Non-photographers are welcome and have the freedom to come out with the group on shoots as they decide. The focus will be on photography though!
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A non-refundable deposit of 20% is required to reserve your space for the workshop. The remaining balance is due 6 weeks prior to the start of the workshop. You may pay in full at time of booking, the balance (minus the deposit) will remain fully refundable until 2 weeks before the workshop. We’ll invoice you at the time of registration for the deposit, and we’ll send another invoice for the remainder 8 weeks prior to the start.
Read our Terms and Conditions for our booking and cancellation policy.
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We understand that there may be unforeseen events which mean that you are unable to join the workshop. In general, our cancellation policy is that:
We’ll try to find an alternative workshop date for you, in which case any credits will be applied to this. If no suitable date can be found, then:
The deposit is non-refundable, unless we can find a replacement for you, in which case we will refund the deposit minus an administration fee.
We’ll refund the remainder of the workshop fee, unless you cancel within 2 weeks of the workshop, in which case there will be no refund available.
Read our Terms and Conditions for our booking and cancellation policy.
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Ideally, you will have a basic knowledge of photography and be comfortable adjusting camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed. We aim to get you to the best locations, in the best light, while providing you with on-location help. However, you need to operate your camera to create the portfolio shots that meet your own personal vision. We will have a brief session at the start of the tour, covering camera settings and controls, to be sure everyone is up to speed.
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The most important thing is to be sufficiently familiar with your camera equipment, so that you can concentrate on your photography. Prior to the workshop we send out a suggested camera equipment packing list. Let us know if you’d like advice on cameras, lenses, filters, tripods or other accessories.
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You want to be comfortable and warm during the workshop, so that you can focus on photography. Although Hawke’s Bay is known for its sunshine, you should prepare for a wide range of temperatures, sun, rain, and wind. As we will most likely visit Te Mata Peak, it is advisable to bring warm clothing and waterproof gear with you.
Bring comfortable outdoors clothing, including:
Comfortable walking shoes/boots
Raincoat
Fleece/down/outer jacket
Warm/layered clothing
Warm hat
Gloves/finger-mitts (winter mornings can be freezing)
Sunhat
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Anything that you would normally bring on a trip involving outdoor activities, such as:
Sunglasses
Water bottle
Sunscreen
Alarm clock :-)
Personal medication
Ready to book?
A full-day workshop is $560 per person while a half-day workshop is $300 per person. A 20% deposit is required after we have set a date and full payment is due before the workshop.
Complete the details below to book your session today. Or contact me if you’d like to know more.
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Let’s head into the landscape and turn real moments into compelling photographs – one shot at a time.