Seriously Stunning: Element’s Photography Camp on the Sunshine Coast
For the eleventh year in a row, Element have taken Year 10 students throughout the stunning Sunshine Coast Hinterland, cameras-in-hand, for a photography adventure to be remembered!
Throughout the five day trip we guided students through a jam-packed hands on learning experience. Students came away with the knowledge and understanding of how to manually control their DSLR cameras in different situations and how to follow a post-production workflow to share their edited images with others.
The camp culminated in a Friday Powerpoint presentation where students all shared their images and learnings with others in the group.
Read on for some of the highlights of the trip!
The Glasshouse Mountains; what a spectacular backdrop to our camp.
Capturing bubbles and trialling different shutter speeds is a great way to begin learning.
Lachie about to receive a balloon to the head in the name of “shutter speed” practice.
The higher the shutter speed, the more frozen in time the image will become.
The Wildlife
Notable on this year’s journey was the incredible wildlife we came across – both planned and unplanned on our trip. Discovering wild horses roaming through the paddock at Wild Horse Mountain, with the Glasshouse Mountains positioned behind them, was an unforgettable photo opportunity.
A magic moment on Day One – capturing wild horses and a kangaroo perfectly waiting for us in front of the Glasshouse Mountains.
There were plenty of bees around for the students to test their focusing and composition skills.
This curious little guy was one of the many birds on display at the Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World.
Some angry looking yet surprisingly chilled-out wasps, who allowed us to come right up close for an image.
A gorgeous green tree frog, just metres from our campsite’s front door.
This baby tawny frog mouth sat on its branch for a couple of days just outside the property fenceline!
A Sense of Adventure
Throughout the week we pushed the boundaries a little and found ways to challenge the students, emphasising the choice we have between taking the “known path” and the unknown. Every time we chose the adventurous path it proved to be memorable in its own way.
We accepted an invitation to join another group (the rock climbers) on a creeking exploration.
Choosing the unknown path to Wild Horse Mountain, rather than the standard carpark.
The adventure of the unknown path to Wild Horse Mountain.
The beginning of our combined creeking activity experience.
We opted for waterproof cameras in some of the more risky weather & environments.
Students had to find their footing as part of the creeking adventure.
It sometimes caught them off balance.
There’s nothing better than lending a hand.
So much to see along the way
With so many beautiful landscapes and interesting stops along the way, there were so many opportunities for photography.
We saw changing scenery with the wet weather coming and going.
Students really enjoyed the photo opportunities that the wet weather allowed.
It’s always interesting seeing how everyone captures a scene differently.
Maroochy Botanic Gardens statue walk, another lovely stop on our adventure.
Seeing nature up close is also a great way to form an appreciation for it.
One of the many photo opportunities at Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World.
Visiting other groups
We were lucky to visit some other groups including the climbing and mountain bike camps, who provided us opportunities to take action shots.
Getting abstract.
Mountain Bike leader Corinne showing how it’s done.
Andy, MTB instructor, taking a rocky corner with ease.
Learning Outcomes
With the Sunshine Coast on our doorstep, there are so many opportunities for students to push their learning as far as they desire. This year especially it was a delight to see so many students really exploring the limits.
One of the most valuable outcomes is the process of mastering a new skill and learning to see things from a different perspective, challenging your own perceptions of what is possible.
In a more technical sense, students learned a whole range of photography skills and terminology:
Composition & Angles
Lenses and focal lengths
RAW v JPEG
The Exposure Triangle; Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO
White Balance
Shooting in different priority modes
Autofocus & Manual Focus modes
Capturing and stitching Panoramas
Editing and Organising Images
Light painting/Slow Shutter Photography
Copyright
Student Images
Congratulations to the students for capturing some incredibly moving images throughout the week! These are just a selection of what the group captured.
Overall it was a fantastic camp and we look forward to doing it all over again next year.
Element also offers photography education to schools and organisations; if you are interested in learning more, simply get in touch today.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers, Lachie.