3 minute read
Look Back: Graham Dainty Workshop
By Craig McKenzie. Photos by Graham Dainty.
Early on Friday afternoon, I found the venue for the Autumn Landscapes workshop with Graham Dainty, in a nearly new building at the edge of Alexandra, right beside the rail trail. At the other end of the building, there was a bustling cafe. A promising sign, as Industrial Lane Eatery provided our refreshments. The location of the seminar room was not obvious. Soon after, Graham arrived, and by the start time everyone else had found the room. This boded well for people being able to find their way to and from our photography locations. A relief, as I was determined not to lose anyone on this workshop!
After introductions, our first classroom session introduced landscape photography, followed by an afternoon tea. The food didn’t disappoint.
Our first location was the lookout above Clyde. The signpost was missing. Still, everyone managed to find the location and enjoy the marvellous light, changing cloud patterns and setting sun. Then it was off to Montieth’s Brewery Bar for our pre-selected meals.
The dawn start on the following morning was at Butcher’s Dam, a few kilometres away. Great light again, then back to town for a warmup before meeting for more classroom tuition. More in-depth lessons this time.
It was time to put our new knowledge into practice with an early afternoon trip to the top of the Manuherikia Valley, below the photographically famous Hawkdun Range.
The first photographic stop was the rustic fishing huts at the top of Falls Dam. Time seemed to rush by, and soon it was time to leave and go to our sunset location at Blue Lake, St Bathans, stopping at sites of photographic interest along the road. As cars in front stopped, those following had to decide whether to stop too or continue in the hope of finding something better. We eventually made it to St Bathans in time for a few quick photos before dark. A quick count of widely scattered photographers accounted for everyone. Phew!
After changing a punctured tyre, it was back to town for a final meal together.
The workshop finished with a sunrise shoot the next morning at the Lower Manorburn Dam. A bit crisper this morning, with good frost and ice, to add a foreground element. From there, the group of 16 dispersed. I know; I counted them.
Thanks to Graham for generously sharing his accumulated wisdom.
“Graham gave us tremendous detail about how to create fantastic landscapes. Alexandra was a wonderful base for the workshop, with so many close-by scenic locations. It’s up to us now to go out and practise - and enjoy the journey!” Linley Earnshaw
Testimonials by Participants
Autumn Landscapes 2021 Photography Workshop with Graham Dainty FPSNZ
“I really enjoyed the workshop, and it is wonderful that PSNZ is offering them at such a reasonable cost to members. Graham was a very informative and knowledgeable tutor. A big takeout was the importance of recognising the elements you wanted in the image and then working to place them to tell the story you want.” Jo Broadhead LPSNZ
“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. Graham is a great presenter, giving an insight into several tricks to capture a landscape image and showing that breaking compositional rules can make for much more interesting results. I love the fact that he works to create images in-camera without relying on post-processing.” Wendy Fell
“An excellent weekend. Graham was a wonderful teacher, showing us many inspiring images, and I learned a lot from him. Mother Nature turned on beautiful weather, and Central Otago was cloaked in gold for the occasion. It couldn’t have been better.” Kathy Richards APSNZ
First Light, Gaynor Hurst
By Miriam Godfrey LPSNZ
Early Light Frosty Morning, Lester Hurst
By Kathy Richards
By Miriam Godfrey
