Take part in our five-day summit offering you the unique chance to learn from four leading New Zealand landscape photographers. Transform your approach to fine art nature photography and coastal photography set against the dramatic landscapes of Punakaiki on the West Coast. The summit is hosted by iconic New Zealand photographers Craig Potton and Richard Young who will give a number of Keynote talks addressing landscape photography as an art form, along with how to take your own unique approach to make personal expressive work. They will be joined by expert landscape photographers Ken Wright and Matthias Risse, who will each present talks on their unique approaches to landscape and coastal photography.
Paparoa National Park is a region rich in both conservation and photographic history. Craig, along with fellow conservationists, fought hard to protect the Paparoa forests from logging—a campaign that led to the creation of his first major book, Images from a Limestone Landscape, and ultimately contributed to the establishment of the National Park.
With its wild coastline, lush rainforest, limestone canyons and river gorges, Punakaiki provides the perfect canvas for exploring landscape photography as art. You’ll be guided through a structured programme of inspirational talks, balanced with practical fieldwork sessions led in small groups at a 1:4 tutor ratio alongside Craig, Richard, Ken, and Matthias.
Whether you’re looking to refine your vision, grow your portfolio, or reconnect with nature through the lens, this offers a rare opportunity to learn from top New Zealand photographers and respected photographic voices.
On the Landscape Photography Summit you will gain a breadth of skills and experience spanning capture to print processes . You’ll explore creative vision, master compositional skills as well as post-processing techniques and fine art printing.
Master natural light, composition, and working with dynamic coastal conditions.
Explore the philosophy and intent behind fine art landscape photography.
Learn effective editing workflows to bring out the best in your images ready to print.
Print your best work and get feedback to grow your artistic voice.
From the iconic Pancake Rocks and Blowholes to the wild coastline and dramatic river gorges, this region offers some of the best coastal and wilderness photography in New Zealand. Capture surreal limestone formations and crashing waves at sunrise and sunset. Discover abstract compositions in moss-draped beech forests and crystal-clear canyon streams. Photograph towering nīkau palms, rainforest reflections, and moody light filtering through the canopy. Explore hidden beaches, sea caves, and tidal textures along the rugged shore. We stay at the iconic Scenic Hotel Punakaiki with access straight down onto the beach from our hotel.
Each day on the summit brings together the perfect immersion of time out shooting and conference room sessions to learn from our expert tutors. Each day has been carefully planed to allow for optimum time shooting sunset and sunrises coupled with learning opportunities throughout the day.
Sunrise Field Shoots – Start each day out on the beach with our expert tutors to capture sunrise.
Midday Conference Sessions – Hosted in Punakaiki Visitor Centre conference room, be inspired by talks from our leading landscape photographers, covering their unique approaches, post-processing instruction, and image critique.
Afternoon Fieldwork – Explore rainforest trails, rivers, and coastal formations with our expert tutors helping you to create unique photographs, finishing with a classic West Coast sunset.
Evening Social – After dinner each evening, enjoy our creative lounge discussion sessions. Print your best work from the day and share this with the group and receive constructive feedback from your peers
Award winning Craig Potton is one of New Zealand’s best known and respected landscape photographers and an ardent conservationist.
Richard Young is a full-time landscape and wildlife photographer based in Wanaka. He has been guiding groups of photographers in New Zealand since 2010, and in 2013, he founded New Zealand Photography Workshops.
Ken Wright’s seascapes speak for themselves, outstanding moments in time that capture sunrise and sunset. With 40 years experience in creative industries, Ken is highly skilled in design, illustration and photography.
Matthias H. Risse is a photographer and technologist who has dedicated his career to exploring the intersection of nature, technology, and human experience.
Please bring 4 of your best images — or a small portfolio project — on a laptop or USB stick for review. This will help shape your learning goals and personal development over the week.
A 15% deposit is required to reserve your space (deposit is non-refundable). The remaining balance is due 45 days prior to the start of the workshop.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Please click here for our booking and cancellation policy.
The workshop is based in Punakaiki on the West Coast.
Start time on day 1: The whole group will be picked up from Christchurch at around 7 am, and we will drive to our location. If flying into Christchurch, you will need to fly in the day before the workshop.
Finish time on day 5: Finish time on day 5: After travelling back from Punakaiki, the tour finishes in Christchurch. We will arrive at Christchurch airport at 6 pm in time for domestic flights departing from 7 pm. Please only book flights after 7 pm, or you will not make it to the airport on time. For international departures, please ensure you plan your flight departure allowing for the required check-in time requested by the airline.
For each location shoot, the group will be split into two groups of eight 1:4 tutor ratio. One group will be led by Richard and Ken, and the other by Craig and Matthias, with the groups alternating between instructors throughout the summit. This allows plenty of space at each location and to benefit from in the field experience with all four of the photographers. Summit has been designed for 16 participants and 4 tutors, with less numbers tutor ratios will reflect this.
A moderate level of fitness is required for this workshop to make sure you can access all the locations. Most locations we shoot will require some walking of 20 minutes one way, sometimes uphill or on rough trails carrying your gear.
Having an Epson SC-P906 printer setup on-site gives you the opportunity to make prints of your work each day to help evaluate your work to refine your approach to the landscape.
No previous printing experience is required.