Astrophotograph
Workshops
Unlock the universe through your lens and join Starbright Wonderland Photography for an enchanting astrophotography journey in Mandurah, Western Australia.
Have you ever gazed at the stars and wished to capture their brilliance with your camera?
If you've been longing to capture the cosmos but have been held back by fears of standing alone in the dark, the complexities of camera settings, or the mysteries of photo editing, you're in the right place.
Welcome to Starbright Wonderland Photography, where dreams of stardust and galaxies come to life!
Why Starbright Wonderland?
I’m Suzy, photographer, adventurer and generally pretty happy human being. I have been taking photos for as long as I can remember but I didn’t get my first ‘good’ camera until about 2012. I didn’t even buy that - it was a hand-me-down!
I remember my first attempts at astrophotography; pointing the camera at the night sky with no idea what to look for or what settings to use. I saw all these incredible images in magazines with no idea how to create them. Take a look at the early images of mine below. They're not great. I still love them because each holds memories, but I was always, and still am, so eager to learn more.
It took many nights out on my own under the stars, making many mistakes over the years but it all payed off.
I won Best New Talent at AstroFest 2020 and hosted my first solo exhibition in April 2023.
A beginners guide to Astrophotography
Now I want to share this love of the night sky with you. I have condensed the last decade of learning, trial, error, mistakes and triumph into a course that will take you from novice to creating your own beautiful astrophotography images in the one workshop.
My Astrophotography workshops have been created especially for beginners. There is no entry requirement other than you want to capture the night sky.
You do not need fancy equipment! There is an idea that astrophotography is an expensive hobby. It really needn’t be. I see so many posts in Facebook groups of people suggesting special tracking mounts or camera modifications to beginners. Believe me, you do not need this. I have the original mount that came on my tripod, my ten year old lens and, well OK I do have a pretty good camera now, but I still use my decade old Canon 6D all the time.
Here is what you do need:
-
A camera with a manual setting. You will also need to be able to manually focus your lens.
-
A tripod
-
Access to a computer with Lightroom
That is it...
Let’s have a look at how the workshop is structured.
Astrophotography Workshop
Astro Classroom Session
Join me in a nice warm classroom setting for a friendly, professional lesson. I’ll demystify your camera settings, teach you the art of capturing the Milky Way, and help you plan your celestial shoots.
Hands-On Night Sky Workshop
Venture into the dark with confidence. We'll head to a captivating location, where you'll learn hands-on, with me by your side, how to perfect your camera settings and exposure for stunning starry photographs.
By the end of this evening you will have a handful of perfectly focussed, well exposed and beautifully composed astrophotography images.
Remember those incredible images in magazines I mentioned above? The ones I was trying to emulate? Well even when they printed the camera settings my images still looked nothing like those - this is because we need to edit the images.
We capture all the detail and information we need in the camera and it is essential to get that part right, but it is the editing that teases the beauty out.
BONUS EDITING WORKSHOP
Astro Editing Made Easy - online
No need to fear editing software. In our follow-up classroom workshop, we'll edit RAW images taken during our night shoot. Witness firsthand how to transform your shots into stunning works of art. I will be editing some of your images taken on your camera to show you what is possible. You can follow along on your computer so you are practicing with me. Ask questions and use my expertise to create images you are truly proud of.
The online editing workshop happens one week after the in-person Astrophotography Workshop.
By the end of this workshop you will have a handful of beautifully captured and edited images.
So you get 3 sessions, each a minimum of two hours and personalised advice for
$350
What if it is cloudy?
We definitely need clear skies to see the Milky Way core. If we are forecast clouds then I will let you know two days prior and we will reschedule for the back up dates. You will see the back up dates when you clike through to each tour below. Please note no refunds are available if you cannot make the back up date.
Upcoming Workshops around WA
Click 'read more' to see full details of each tour location, start and finish times.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF BACK UP DATES
THE MAY 11 WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO OUR BACKUP DATE DUE TO WEATHER
