Taranaki Spring Photography Workshops

Experience the spectacular Taranaki scenery while enhancing your photography skills.  These 4-day workshops in October and November of 2025 will enable you to experience coastal scenery, (goblin) forests, waterfalls and of course the ever-present Mount Taranaki.

Overview:

When:

Location:

Duration:

Difficulty:

Group size:

Price:

Registration:

Full payment:

24 October 2025 – 27 October 2025
7 November 2025 – 10 November 2025

Starting and finishing in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand

Four days (three nights)

Easy, no long hiking

Maximum of 6 people

From $2,796 per person

20% (from $560) non-refundable deposit to secure your booking.

The remainder is due 6 weeks prior to the workshop

See the terms and conditions for the cancellation policy and other details.

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Itinerary

The exact itinerary of the four-day workshop is worked out closer to the time considering the group’s photographic objectives and the weather.  In general, we aim to be outside as much as possible, and shoot from sunrise to sunset with breaks in between to have morning tea and a rest.  On some days, you may be asked to bring along food to have while travelling, depending on the time and location of the shoot.

A typical workshop could look like this:

Day 1:  We meet at our accommodation for the four days (pickup at the New Plymouth airport can be arranged) at 12pm.  We kick off with a ‘meet and greet’ session, followed by a presentation by me covering the plan for the workshop and an introduction to photography and composition techniques.  We’ll then head out for our afternoon and sunset shoot at the coast.  We’ll have (late) dinner back at our accommodation.

Day 2:  We’ll get up early for our sunrise shoot at the coast.  We’ll then have breakfast in New Plymouth, before heading into the Egmont National Park to capture forest and waterfall scenery.  We’ll then have a rest at our accommodation, before we head out to a nearby lake where we’ll aim to capture a beautiful reflection of Mount Taranaki with an awesome sky at sunset.  Again, we’ll have (late) dinner back at our accommodation.

Day 3:  Today, we’ll travel a bit further north for more spectacular coastal scenery, while occasionally looking back at the mountain.  We’ll stay there for sunset, before heading back to our accommodation for the night.

Day 4:  After our sunrise shoot of the mountain, we’ll have breakfast at our accommodation, followed by a joint session where we review some of the work from the last 3 days, offering feedback and advice on post processing.  The workshop will finish at midday with return transport provided back to New Plymouth airport for those flying back out.

Included

  • 4 days of on-field and off-field photography tuition

  • Transport during the workshop

  • Accommodation (3 nights)

Excluded

  • All travel required to arrive at the workshop commencement location (a pickup at the New Plymouth Airport can be arranged)

  • Insurance (health, accident, travel, and equipment)

  • Food and refreshments

  • Suitable clothing and walking shoes

  • Camera equipment (bring your own camera, spare batteries, tripod, etc.)

  • Computer equipment (bring your own laptop with Adobe Lightroom installed on it, if the workshop includes a post-processing session)

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Common Questions

  • This workshop uses an excellent 4+ star hotel that is located just outside of the New Plymouth CBD.  It is a nature-filled setting with modern rooms overlooking a stunning river valley.  It has a very good restaurant nearby for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

    The workshop price is based on twin/double share rooms.  If you are travelling alone, you can request a single room upgrade or we can try and pair you with another traveller for the workshop.

  • The price of the workshop excludes food, drinks and snacks.  Depending on the plan for the day, we’ll have food at the hotel or at a local café.  Generally, we’ll have our first shoot of the day before breakfast.  Sometimes evening mealtimes might be early or late to fit around the time of sunset.

    Snacks are handy to have with you to tide you over.  Let us know if you have dietary requirements and we will try to accommodate that.  Generally, Taranaki has great food and caters well for food allergies and different dietary requirements.

  • The workshop is designed to be suitable for people of all ages in good health and reasonable fitness.  Shooting locations will be within a short walk from the carpark.  We will be walking on forest tracks and along the coastline, which may involve uphill walks, uneven ground, or rocky beaches.  It will be necessary to carry your own camera equipment for these activities.

    Should you have any concerns about your own capabilities and/or fitness in relation to the workshop, please contact us to discuss this before registering.

  • Sure! Non-photographers are welcome and have the freedom to come out with the group on shoots as they decide.  The focus will be on photography though!

  • A non-refundable deposit of 20% is required to reserve your space for the workshop.  The remaining balance is due 6 weeks prior to the start of the workshop.  You may pay in full at time of booking, the balance (minus the deposit) will remain fully refundable until 2 weeks before the workshop.  We’ll invoice you at the time of registration for the deposit, and we’ll send another invoice for the remainder 8 weeks prior to the start.

    Read our Terms and Conditions for our booking and cancellation policy.

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  • We understand that there may be unforeseen events which mean that you are unable to join the workshop. In general, our cancellation policy is that:

    • We’ll try to find an alternative workshop date for you, in which case any credits will be applied to this. If no suitable date can be found, then:

    • The deposit is non-refundable, unless we can find a replacement for you, in which case we will refund the deposit minus an administration fee.

    • We’ll refund the remainder of the workshop fee, unless you cancel within 2 weeks of the workshop, in which case there will be no refund available.

    ‍Read our Terms and Conditions for our booking and cancellation policy.

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  • Ideally, you will have a basic knowledge of photography and be comfortable adjusting camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed.  We aim to get you to the best locations, in the best light, while providing you with on-location help. However, you need to operate your camera to create the portfolio shots that meet your own personal vision.  We will have a brief session at the start of the tour, covering camera settings and controls, to be sure everyone is up to speed.

  • The most important thing is to be sufficiently familiar with your camera equipment, so that you can concentrate on your photography.  Prior to the workshop we send out a suggested camera equipment packing list.  Let us know if you’d like advice on cameras, lenses, filters, tripods or other accessories.

  • You want to be comfortable and warm during the workshop, so that you can focus on photography.  New Zealand’s weather is unpredictable, and you should prepare for a wide range of temperatures, sun, rain, and wind.  It is advisable to carry warm clothing layers and waterproof gear.

    Bring comfortable outdoors clothing, including:

    • Comfortable walking shoes/boots

    • Raincoat

    • Fleece/down/outer jacket

    • Warm/layered clothing

    • Warm hat

    • Gloves/finger-mitts

    • Sunhat

  • Anything that you would normally bring on a trip involving outdoor activities, such as:

    • Sunglasses

    • Water bottle

    • Headtorch

    • Sunscreen

    • Insect repellent

    • Alarm clock :-)

    • Personal medication

About Me

Born and raised in the Netherlands, I’m a husband, father and full-time landscape photographer who immigrated to New Zealand over 30 years ago.  I have been a keen photographer since I was a teenager and have toured New Zealand extensively to capture its beauty.

I love spending time in and experiencing the beauty of nature and I aim to show New Zealand’s natural landscape in a positive light.  Looking down on a winding river through a misty valley, seeing the sun come up from a mountain top, or witnessing the reflection of colourful trees in a lake on a windless day, is food for the soul.  There is a sense of awe, calm, optimism, hope and harmony with nature, and it is these feelings that I aim to evoke in my photography, and I delight in sharing these moments with others.

What customers are saying about Jos Buurmans Photography

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