Alpine Chalet Weekend

The extraordinary Kosciuszko national park is made up of glacier-sculpted valleys and lakes, ancient granite tors and unique alpine flora and fauna. The area has long been of special significance to Indigenous Australians, and more recently, home to engineering wonder of the world – The Snowy Mountain Scheme. One of Australia’s most ambitious power generation projects, the colossal infrastructure continues to be recognised as an iconic artefact in the nation’s heritage. Yet the unique alpine environment in which it operates – covering only 0.015% of the continent’s landmass – is increasingly vulnerable to the impact of human activity and climate change.

Join a small group of likeminded photographers for an inspiring, intensive weekend immersed in this stunning and diverse environment, with its rich cultural, industrial, and ecological history. Consider the various ways to visually document this space, and consider the conceptual and metaphorical possibilities of contemporary landscape photography. Based at a mountain chalet along Alpine Way, we’ll explore selected areas of the park renowned for fascinating topography, and landscapes integrating features of the human built environment.

Inspired by vintage fold-out postcards, participants will create a contemporary take on this iconic souvenir by selecting a series of images taken during the mountain weekend. These special and covetable postcards – an early version of zines, or photobooks – formed a vital part of our social and environmental history. What stories of Australia’s alpine environment might we want to tell now, in 2021? We’ll share ideas and explore approaches to developing and curating a series of photos that tell our own unique visual story.

In this hands-on contemporary landscape photography workshop, led by Canberra photographer, Sari Sutton, you will have the opportunity to extend your practice by exploring fresh approaches to subject matter, technique and composition in a stunning environment. Sutton has extensive experience in the Snowy Mountains, and her recent solo exhibition, Avalanche, at PhotoAccess, featured photographs taken in this unique part of Australia.

Sari will help you to think thematically and conceptually about your work, based on your personal interests, as well as exploring different ways of working with light. Explore ways you might use flash to enhance atmosphere and mood, or other ways to lend your landscape photography a more contemporary edge. Based at a beautiful chalet along Alpine Way, between Jindabyne and Thredbo, we will be in shared accommodation to optimise the time we have together as a group, and allow for us all to share stories and insights.

Friday: On Friday evening, we’ll get to know each other over a relaxed home-cooked meal together at the chalet, and discuss contemporary landscape photography, perusing vintage books on the area and some fold-out postcards for inspiration. If it’s cool, we’ll get the fire roaring! Sari will share insights into the conceptual and practical development of her work for Avalanche, and some of her sources of creative inspiration in the high country.

Saturday: We will drive as a group to Guthega, and walk approximately 1km along the road down to the dam wall and spillway. Here, we will explore the incredible alpine environment and one of the key industrial features of the Snowy Mountain Scheme, completed in 1955. Time allowing, we’ll also take the opportunity to explore some other features in the area, including the historic mid-century hydroelectric power station. We’ll return back to the chalet for a shared dinner, followed by a presentation from a guest presenter on the history and ecology of the area.

Sunday: After breakfast, we’ll check out of our accommodation, and drive along Kosciuszko Road up to Charlotte Pass, with its unparalleled views over the Main Range, and check out some of the interesting features of the area, including abandoned 1960s industrial platforms. Weather here is hugely variable – calm, clear and sunny one day, and windy, foggy or snowing the next! For photographers, this is part of the thrill and challenge of working in this amazing landscape. On Sunday afternoon we will drive back to Canberra.

• A camera (or two) you are familiar with, including flash if you wish to use one, as well as necessary batteries and rechargers and sufficient memory cards. You may wish to bring a tripod as well.
• Warm, water-resistant clothing, boots, gloves, scarves appropriate for potentially very cold weather, wind and possibly snow (waterproof boots are highly recommended)
• Changes of clothing in case of variable weather conditions, and comfortable casual clothing for evenings in the chalet.
• A day pack suitable for your camera gear, as well as water and snacks.

Other requirements

• Average level of fitness. We won’t be hiking long distances, but you’ll need to be comfortable and capable of doing some modest walking in cold, possibly wet weather.
• Ideally you will want to be reasonably confident with the basic operation of your camera, so we can really focus on the environment we are exploring.

Two Wednesday evening sessions – 3 hours’ duration each – will be scheduled after the workshop, once you have had the opportunity to review your images from the weekend. The focus of these workshops will be to support you with the selection, editing and sequencing of your images for the production of the printed concertina postcard book. Photographs can be reviewed digitally, but it is often helpful to produce small inexpensive prints of your favourite images to play with to assist the editing and sequencing process. Once images are selected, we’ll use the Adobe Creative Suite to produce files ready for professional printing.

• Improved confidence and skills in contemporary landscape and documentary photography in different conditions
• Enhanced confidence and skills in selecting, editing and sequencing of images to develop a compelling visual narrative – using photographic images to tell a story
• A professionally printed concertina postcard photobook to keep and display.

Enrolments for this workshop close at 5pm on Tuesday, 12th October, 2021. PhotoAccess reserves the right to cancel the workshop if there are insufficient enrolments. If we have to cancel, you’ll receive a full refund.

PhotoAccess will happily refund or transfer workshop fees up to 7 days prior to the start date of the workshop. If less than 7 days notice is given PhotoAccess will transfer fees to another workshop but will charge a transfer fee of either 25% of the workshop cost or $50, whichever is less. No refunds or transfers can be given once a workshop has started. Please note that memberships purchased in conjunction with a workshop enrolment are non-refundable. See Terms and Conditions for further details.