It was another awesome weekend for our second Bunker Bay workshop. Nick Rains and I entertained the crowd and lives were changed. I pulled out a few Altered Landscapes and the oohs and aghhs were almost drowning out the snoring noises! We had on awesome sunset too, everyone got some great shots of that.

Photos courtesy of Nick Rains and Leica.

This is what some of the participants had to say.

Hi Christian and Nick,

I’ve finally arrived home from a week with the family after the workshop so I’m itching to get in and start processing some new images and then have a crack at some of my older stuff, but not before dropping you a note to thank you for the excellent course you ran.

I was only half joking when I replied when asked what I wanted from the course that I was looking for salvation from the monotony of failure!  Unbeknownst to you guys, I had marked this course as a kind of make-or-break point in my photographic journey.  To say that my passion for photography had become stale was an understatement but nevertheless I wanted to be better at it, both in terms of capturing the image in-camera as well as post-processing, something that I had done in only the most basic fashion previously.

Within the first few minutes of arriving at the first shoot (after I had found my glasses) I had a whole new approach to setting up the tripod and camera ready for the stitched panos I had been looking forward to trying.  I could tell already that my photography was about to improve significantly!  Those few minutes spent guiding me through the setup process and the rationale behind it were invaluable.

As far as the classroom component went, I couldn’t have been happier.  There was a great dynamic between you two, both bringing your own styles and qualities to the educational process that while distinctly different, complemented each other very successfully. As a result we ended up with the benefits of two lifetimes worth of knowledge on tap, shared generously and enthusiastically and with a healthy dose of humour.  It must have been very difficult to balance the delivery of the information to a group with such varied levels of skill and knowledge, yet there always seemed time to share some one-to-one tutoring as necessary.  Your enthusiasm and passion for photography was infectious and made it an extremely enjoyable weekend while at the same time presenting new challenges in approach and technique that will take some time to absorb and integrate.

While the workshop filled a large void in my knowledge, it has whetted my appetite for more – maybe one day there will be an “advanced” workshop, not that this one was in any way basic, but just because I’d love to come on another one!  I’d certainly recommend it to anyone interested in photography, especially those thinking of improving their post-processing understanding and skills.

I’m already looking forward to more – somewhere, sometime.

Thanks again to both of you for a great weekend, and for the enjoyment I’m about to get from my new improved skill level and recharged enthusiasm.

Cheers, Muzz

Murray Spittles

G’day gents,

I know i said this to you both personally before i left, but i just wanted to say thanks again for a great weekend. I learnt so much from the both of you and also confirmed a few things that i had learnt already. I cant wait to go back through my catalogue of photos and see what i can do with them now that i can visualise the potential of the photoshop techniques you taught.

I was expecting lots out of the workshop based on the feedback i saw on the previous ones and you delivered. You are both very likeable characters and there is no sense of ego from either of you, just a willingness to share what you know, which is very refreshing for people in your position. Perhaps what is not mentioned too often in the feedback is that the environment created in the course is very personal and relaxing; its was really fun to be able to ‘nerd it up’ with a bunch if like-minded people and make some new mates.

So, when i head off on my trip to Canada in the middle of the year i will be armed with some renewed vision and enthusiam. If you happen to plan a trip to the US or Canada late this year or in 2012, drop me a line cos I will be looking for some good places to shoot and probably some good company too!

Cheers and thanks, Kris Holmes

Hi  Christian and Nick

Just a note to thank you both for the recent Bunker Bay workshop weekend.  This would have to be the best photographic workshop of any kind that I have attended.  The presentation was delivered in an easy to understand format  and the small class size made it easy to ask questions as we went along.  The two of you are undoubtably experts and leaders in your craft and it must be frustrating  at times for you to teach mere novices. The friendly manner in which you delivered the content  and the time spent by you both as you helped us all as group and on a one to one basis all weekend is a quality that is very rare these days and one to be admired. We learned many things out of the course but if nothing else then I’m sure we all came away with a large dose of enthusiasm.

This is a course that I can highly recommend to anyone.

Merv French.

Hey Nick & Christian,

What can I say……thank you…..thank you for sharing your passion…thank you for sharing your knowledge…..and thank you for inspiring me to be a better photographer…

I had a fantastic weekend in Bunker Bay at your workshop on the 15th & 16th……Despite being an “absolute amatuer”, your knowledge and passion for photography was contagious…

You’ll both be happy to know, the first thing I did was retire my wobbly old tripod and buy a new one !!!

Best regards

Darren Devenish