Sapphire Coast Seascapes December 2025

Location: Bermagui, NSW

Dates: December 5th-8th 2025

Instructor: Benjamin Maze

Physical Activity: Low-Moderate

Group Size: 5 (4 places left)

Price: $2350

Join me on a 4-day weekend workshop exploring the rugged beauty of the Sapphire Coast!

Located about 5 hours south from the hustle and bustle of Sydney, the Sapphire Coast is home to some of the most dramatic coastline you'll find in the country. Included are the iconic drawcards Horse Head Rock and Camel Rock, which are a seascape photographer's delight in any conditions. Several more underrated locations and unique angles await too, which you'll be guided to and instructed in how to capture them at their best. To maximise our chances for good light, the timing of early December means the sun is as close as possible to being behind these icons at both sunrise and sunset.

Overview

You’ll learn how to capture dramatic, refined and unique images with personal instruction from myself every step of the way, as we explore creating engaging wide-angle compositions alongside the fascinating smaller scenes that can be found in nature. We’ll be keeping a flexible itinerary, with a range of possible locations in order to maximise our opportunities. I’ll be there to instruct you on capturing unique perspectives and what makes a compelling composition, full manual 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 small group size will ensure you receive plenty of 1-on-1 tuition.

Back at our luxurious private home in Wallaga Lake, we’ll be spending time in educational sessions to maximise your learning. This will entail presentations on theory and technique, covering the beautiful coastline to the smaller scenes of nature. When time allows, we’ll also go through some group post-processing sessions to help you make the most of your files.

Time in the field is the priority, however, which is why every guest is entitled to a complimentary post-workshop 1.5-hour online session. These can be used to go through start-to-finish edits on images captured during the workshop, critique & feedback, or whatever else would be most beneficial to your learning experience. In these sessions you’ll be able to learn the proper editing application of the in-field processes you were taught, from focus stacking to exposure blending, 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 fun 4 days of nature photography led by a passionate photographer who has created internationally recognised imagery in the area and loves to guide people along in their creative journey!

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!

Accommodation

Our three night stay will be at a beautiful house in Wallaga Lake, less than a kilometre from the car park of Camel Rock and Horse Head Rock. The house is well appointed with 7 bedrooms, 3 fully-equipped bathrooms, large living and dining spaces and large outdoor spaces, as well as a large modern kitchen and separate laundry room. 

Itinerary

We will meet at Bermagui Beach Hotel for a welcome drink at 2:30pm on Friday afternoon before checking into our accommodation between 3:00 and 3:30. After settling in, we’ll get started with a presentation on capturing seascapes, exploring compositional theory, techniques and creativity. After dinner at one of the local establishments with some fresh knowledge and skills to practice, we’ll be heading out to our first sunset shoot at either Camel Rock or Horse Head Rock (choice to be made depending on tide and swell levels). Our following three days will consist of more shoots at both of these classic locations, providing the chance to become familiar with them to allow for maximum creativity and good light. We will also get the chance to explore other less well-known (but just as spectacular) options along this amazing stretch of coastline. When time allows back at our accommodation, we’ll delve into post-processing techniques in order to bring the best out of your files.

Commencement

• Bermagui Beach Hotel - Friday December 5th @ 2:30pm

Conclusion

• Wallaga Lake - Monday January 8th @ 10:00am

Transport

This is a self-drive workshop, which means it is the responsibility of guests to arrange transportation to get to Bermagui. During the workshop we will carpool between our accommodation and photography locations. However, pickup and drop off to and from Sydney Airport is available to anyone who may need it - just email Ben with your request.

Activity Levels

The workshop requires only a low-moderate level of fitness, with minimal distance to walk to our locations. Participants must be comfortable with traversing slippery and rocky coastal terrain over distances up to 100 metres in order to access some locations, including with head torches pre-sunrise or post-sunset. Shoes that have sufficient grip are a must. Participants must also have good situational awareness of elements such as waves while using the camera.

Horse Head Rock can be a particularly tricky location to access, with a section of large, sharp & slippery boulders to traverse. Some participants in the past have decided to stay back at Camel Rock as a result. Ben is very willing and able to assist anyone who needs a helping hand throughout the workshop.

Further information as well as a packing list will be provided after booking. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have. 

Inclusions

✓ 3 nights of single-room accommodation

✓ On-location guidance & tuition

✓ Educational sessions

✓ Post-workshop 1-1 online session

Exclusions

✖ Travel costs

✖ Food and Beverage

✖ Insurance

✖ Equipment

For questions & enquiries, get in touch below

Testimonials

“Ben's Sapphire Coast workshop was the best I've done. He is an incredibly talented photographer, but also a gifted teacher: patient, intuitive, encouraging and enthusiastic. He went above and beyond to ensure everyone got the help they needed; the schedule was flexible to made best use of weather and tides; he was well-organised and great company. Highly recommended and hope to do another workshop in the future.” - Kerry L

“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

“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

“Participating in the Sapphire Coast Seascapes workshop was a wonderful and extremely enjoyable way to improve my photography skills. The locations selected were beautiful and exciting and provided lots of opportunities to photograph coastal formations from different angles and with different light. Ben, our instructor, had carefully planned our excursions to take advantages of the tides and the morning or afternoon light and he provided one-on-one instruction to all the participants in a caring, thoughtful and skilled way. The editing part of the workshop was also very informative and provided opportunities for participants to develop their skills in either Lightroom or Photoshop. I would highly recommend attending one of Ben's workshops.” - Karen S

Sapphire Coast Gallery