Join A Scenic New Zealand Landscape Photography Retreat
Join Women in Photography for an unforgettable New Zealand landscape photography retreat in the breathtaking Broken River alpine region of the Southern Alps. After a hugely successful 2024 edition, we’re returning in 2025 to capture the beauty of spring in the mountains, an ideal time for vivid colors and dramatic scenery.
Priced at NZ$3,800 per person, the retreat runs from Friday, 7th November to Wednesday, 12th November. We’ll gather at 3:00 pm at the Commodore Hotel in Christchurch and return to the same spot around 3:00 pm on the final day. Everything is included: all meals (cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner), transportation, and shared bunk-room accommodation with fresh linen, duvets, towels, and pillows.
Throughout the retreat, you’ll receive personalized photography mentoring tailored to your skill level and creative goals. Whether you’re refining your skills or diving deeper into the art of landscape photography, this experience offers the perfect balance of learning, nature, and community.
With a maximum of 10, this retreat is ideal for photographers of all levels, from beginners to advanced. You’ll develop new techniques, hone your skills, and create stunning images in an inspiring alpine setting.
Check out the images to explore the kind of shots you could capture—from crisp, clear scenes of rugged alpine landscapes to dappled light effects and even creative ICM (intentional camera movement) photography.
What You Can Expect: Our retreat combines classroom and field sessions in the heart of the alpine environment. You’ll dive into landscape photography techniques, learn the art of composition to enhance your photos. We’ll also introduce you to professional editing, followed by printing selected images on high-quality A3+ paper—perfect for framing.
Expect plenty of time for experimentation and growth, supported by expert guidance.
Itinerary Highlights
Friday: Join Lesley at the Commodore Hotel between 3:00 and 4:00 pm for a meet-and-greet, where we’ll go over our exciting itinerary, including the locations we’ll explore for evening, sunrise, and dappled light photography. If you need any help with your camera settings, Lesley will be available to assist tonight and will continue offering guidance on location at Broken River. We’ll enjoy dinner together tonight at the Commodore Hotel.
Note: Commodore Hotel has a complimentary airport to hotel courtesy shuttle.
Included: Dinner and accommodation.
Saturday: After breakfast we depart around 8.30am for a drive to Broken River, stopping at Springfield’s pie shop for a cup of coffee and morning tea (own cost). After unpacking at Broken River it’s a light lunch, then out exploring the area with our cameras.
Included: Transportation, accommodation, breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Sunday & Monday: On-location photography sessions, followed by processing and printing workshops.
Included: Transportation, accommodation, breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Tuesday: Final printing session and wrap-up. We’ll depart around 1:00 pm, returning to Christchurch by 4:00 pm. Arrange your flight home to be around 6.00pm in case of travel delays.
Included: Transportation, breakfast and lunch.
What’s Not Included:
– Travel to/from Christchurch
– Travel insurance
– BYO alcohol (lodges are out of season)
– Morning/afternoon tea or evening nibbles —bring snacks!
– Personal expenses
Accommodation: At Broken River, accommodation is in bunk rooms – everyone has a bottom bunk with the top bunk and under the bunk being your own space. Allocation of bunks is on a first booking basis:
- Bunk room # 1 – 2 people
- Bunk room # 2 – 4 people
- Bunk room # 3 – 4 people
Three showers and two toilets are located on the ground floor. You should pack hairdryer and all your own toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc).
Who Should Attend: Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer, this retreat welcomes all who have a basic knowledge of camera settings (tip: keep your camera manual handy on your phone!).
A medium level of fitness is required, as we’ll be exploring alpine landscapes on foot – walking to most locations at Broken River is over uneven ground, clambering over rocks and moss laden tree trunks. One walk up the Broken River location takes 30 minutes and includes 325 steps to climb up the stairs. Include a walking pole in your luggage if you require stability.
This retreat promises to enrich your photography skills, connect you with fellow enthusiasts, and culminate in printing your favourite images in A3+ and A4 sizes.
What to Bring
Equipment: Including your camera, tripod, wide-angle and telephoto lenses, filters, and a headlamp or torch, will be essential. This is a “Capture to Print” retreat, so please bring a laptop (Lightroom Classic installed) or tablet with Lightroom & Photoshop Mobile. We have a loan laptop and iPad pre-loaded with the required software for use.
Thinking of upgrading? A Nikon Z fc camera with lenses will be available for use.
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About the Author
Lesley Whyte
From Antarctica to Arctic & Places In Between
