New Zealand Winter Mountains & Rainforests 2027

Locations: South Island, New Zealand

Dates: August 21st-29th 2027

Instructor: Benjamin Maze & Daniel Murray

Physical Activity: Low/Moderate

Places: 8 participants (6 remaining)

Price: $9750-10750

Join me and Daniel Murray on an epic 9-day photography workshop exploring the incredible South Island of New Zealand!

New Zealand’s scenery is world-renowned for good reason. Boasting some of the most stunning snow-capped mountains in the southern hemisphere, wild fiords full of towering waterfalls plummeting into the ocean, and lush rainforests draping with moss, it’s truly a landscape photographer’s dream. In this workshop, we will be focusing on all this and more as we wind our way south, photographing the peaks, valleys and forests of the South Island.

Itinerary

Our adventure kicks off with a bang. Commencing in Christchurch, we’ll be heading straight for Mt Cook; New Zealand’s tallest mountain, standing at 3724m/12218ft. With a night close by in Mt Cook Village, and two following nights in nearby Twizel, we’ll be able to spend our first few days photographing the fantastic mountainous scenery of this region. Think locations such as Lake Mueller Lookout, Tasman Lake, Pukaki, Tekapo and much more - blue glacial lakes, flowing rivers, and epic white peaks above.

From there, we head to Queenstown, the vibrant tourism heart of New Zealand. With mountains like the Remarkables on the doorstep, it’s hard not to stay inspired. After some great photo opportunities on the way in, we’ll stop up for a day of rest and learning. Here we’ll spend some time learning about how to compose great images even in chaotic and overwhelming environments, and how we can make the most of our raw files with post processing. But it’s not all classroom - over our couple of days in Queenstown, we’ll be taking to the air for a spectacular chartered flight over the Southern Alps, photographing them in all their winter glory.

From there, we progress south to the ever-incredible Fiordland. This region really needs no introduction. A primordial place shaped by ancient glacial carving, swirling mists and dramatic storms, it can feel like you’ve stepped back in time. During rain (of which it receives 7m/275in each year!), myriads of ephemeral waterfalls cascade down steep walls of stone and forested peaks straight into the ocean. A night in Te Anau and then two amazing final nights in Milford Lodge puts us right in the midst of this incredible landscape for our last few days together. From rainforest walks to mountainous valleys, waterfalls & lakeside reflections, plus of course that iconic Milford Sound foreshore, we’ll have no shortage of amazing locations to photograph. And to really round it out, we’re including a Milford Sound Cruise so you can see and photograph the beauty of the fiords up close.

On our final day we’ll make our way back to Queenstown for the conclusion of the workshop, with many fond memories and a few full SD cards!

The Workshop Experience

You’ll learn how to capture dramatic, refined, creative and unique images with personal instruction from myself and Daniel Murray every step of the way, as we explore creating engaging wide-angle compositions alongside the fascinating smaller scenes that can be found in nature. Alongside location guidance to some of the South Island’s most spectacular scenery, we’ll be there to instruct you on capturing unique perspectives and what makes a compelling composition, settings for maximum quality and creative control, what shutter speed looks best when capturing moving water, techniques for front-to-back sharpness, maximising dynamic range, reacting to conditions, and much more. Our group size of no more than 8 guests between 2 instructors will ensure you receive plenty of 1-on-1 tuition.

The digital darkroom of course is an essential part of the modern landscape photographer’s skillset, so as mentioned we’ll be spending a day partway through our time together to work through presentations on theory and editing to help you maximise your photography learning experience.

Time in the field is the priority, however, which is why every guest is entitled to a complimentary post-workshop 1-1 Online Tuition Session with me. In these we can run through your photos together and tailor a video call to help you get the most from your workshop photos. In these sessions, you’ll be able to learn the proper editing application of the in-field processes you were taught, as well as creative techniques and workflow tips that will result in natural yet striking images that stand out amongst the crowd.

Most of all, you’ll get to enjoy a super fun nine days of nature photography led by passionate photographers who have created internationally recognised imagery in these areas and love to guide people along in their creative journeys!

If you’re unsure about the benefits of joining a workshop or want to learn more about my approach as a leader, you can read more about my workshop philosophy here.

By booking you acknowledge and accept our Terms and Conditions

Got questions? Read on for more info!

Activity Levels

The workshop will feature a range of locations across New Zealand’s South Island, primarily situated in the Mt Cook/Twizel, Queenstown, and Fiordland regions. While most require only minimal walking and are rather easily accessible, others may feature longer day walks (up to 2-3km each way) with elevation loss/gain. A base level of fitness is required to do these walks whilst carrying camera gear and keeping with the group. Guests will need to be able to walk to/from locations under the light of a head torch for sunrise and sunset shoots.

Photographers of any experience level are welcome. That said, in order to maximise your creative learning experience, it is recommended to have at least a basic working knowledge of your equipment.

Accommodation

Comfortable, conveniently-located accommodation is provided throughout the eight nights of the workshop’s duration. Twin-share bookings will receive a room with a fellow guest of the same gender; single room bookings will receive their own room with a double bed or larger. Four twin-share and four single room bookings are available, though this may be flexible (pending accommodation availability) should you wish to upgrade.

- Night 1: The Hermitage Mt Cook

- Night 2 & 3: Alps Motel & Apartments Twizel

- Night 4 & 5: Heartland Hotel Queenstown

- Night 6: Distinction Te Anau Hotel & Villas

- Night 7 & 8: Milford Lodge

Meals

Guests are responsible for their own meal costs, with the exception of breakfasts - which are included throughout the workshop - and dinner at Milford Lodge. We will primarily be eating at local establishments or at restaurants attached to our accommodation. There may be days where it is recommended/organised to bring a packed lunch to accommodate time spent in the field. Guests will not need to cook any meals. More details will be provided after booking; please get in touch with any questions you have about food on the workshop. 

Flights & Logistics

It is required that your flights/travel to & from New Zealand is at least one day before the workshop commences and one day after it concludes, respectively. This avoids any chance of flight changes or other unforeseen circumstances either rushing or delaying our schedule. Evening flights on the concluding day may be exempt if unavoidable; please check with Ben if this will be necessary. Travel insurance is strongly recommended to protect yourself from any unforeseen circumstances. The Christchurch meeting location will be provided during the information sessions. 

Commencement

Christchurch - Saturday August 21st @ 8:00am

Conclusion

Queenstown - Sunday August 29th @ 4:00pm

For questions & enquiries, get in touch below

Testimonials

“Ben is a great teacher and creates an atmosphere where you can ask anything, and ask again if you need. The field tuition was great; learning how to create compositions, getting real time feedback; learning additional technical features of my equipment and so much more. The locations were stunning the accommodation and food were fantastic. The workshop was full on but at the same time relaxing. I look forward to my next workshop with Ben.” - Jenny H

“Ben is a superb teacher who is always willing to provide help when needed. He provided an excellent mix of theory in his presentations with practice out in the field. He was patient and understanding, and was able to answer any questions asked of him. I would have no hesitation at doing another of his workshops, or recommending his workshops to others.” - Anne W

“Ben is so knowledgeable and is willing to share ideas on composition and processing. The workshop had a lovely blend of getting out to great locations and spending time learning new processing techniques. Ben’s help in the field gave me new composition options and things to consider: shapes, spacing and balance. And his help in processing gave me confidence to explore new techniques. Ben is very generous with his time and knowledge. I would recommend his workshops to anyone at any stage of their photography journey.” - Kate M

“This is the second workshop I have done with Ben. He is a passionate and focussed professional photographer. He is continually pushing participants the “raise” the bar with their photography. A great person." - Jim I

“Having done two other tours before, I cannot fault this one. The tutors were a delight, locations were nothing short of stunning and the option to provide your own food was very welcome and made timing of photoshoots much easier.” - Betty B