nz winter photography workshop

Saturday 4 - Saturday 11 July 2026

Southern Splendour NZ Winter Photography Tour

Location: Ashburton Lakes, Canterbury High Country, Tekapo, Twizel, Mt Cook, Lindis Pass, Wanaka, Queenstown, Glenorchy

Workshop Length: 8 days

Investment:

$5,999 NZD (Deposit of $2,000)

Max attendees on tour: 3

Sponsored by:

Tesla logo in black on a white background.
Kase Filters New Zealand logo with "Kase" in large red letters

Overview

Winter is magical in the mountains, and you'll have the opportunity to capture an incredible variety of glorious NZ scenes on this 8 day landscape photography tour travelling the length of the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Queenstown with me and award-nominated Sony photographer Andrew Francombe. We'll explore pristine alpine lakes with glorious mountain backdrops, hidden alpine valleys and capture the stars under snowcapped peaks by night on this amazing photography adventure through the heart of NZ's high country. With a small group of only three attendees, you’re guaranteed to maximise your learning opportunities!

What you'll experience

It's one thing to visit amazing NZ landscape locations, but quite another to photography them in a way that truly captures the essence and feel of a place. On this tour we will help you create quality images in each location, finding unique compositions to really portray the beauty we find, whether it's a sunrise or sunset, long exposures, amazing reflections, serene waterfalls or astrophotography. The light in winter is much softer and lends itself to landscape photography, and we'll take advantage of that on our travels through the spine of the South Island. This will be a photography adventure to remember!

Your Host

Meghan Maloney

I'm a full-time landscape photographer, and my greatest passion is helping you discover your photography potential through photography adventures around New Zealand. Whether it's teaching you the art of capturing beautiful images with the help of filters, helping you to transform your raw images into stunning works of art in Lightroom, learning how to improve your workflow, or simply having a grand adventure together in amazing places, you will come away from my workshops filled with new knowledge and skills, not to mention amazing memories.

When not photographing and educating, I'm a mum to two teenage boys and I spend my time sideline supporting their football endeavours, and finding places to go hiking in NZ's outdoors.

A person wearing a knit hat and blue jacket takes photographs in a field of purple flowers using a camera with a zoom lens.
  • Day 1-2 Asburton Lakes & Canterbury High Country

    Meet at Christchurch Airport at 12pm for the short drive inland. We’ll spend the next two days exploring the Ashburton Lakes & Canterbury High Country.

    Days 3-5 Mackenzie Country & Aoraki Mt Cook

    Experience the magical Mackenzie Country! We'll be staying at a central Mackenzie location with easy, central access to Twizel, Tekapo, Aoraki Mount Cook, Lake Ohau and more.

    Day 6-8 Queenstown

    We'll take the scenic route to Queenstown via Lindis Pass and Wanaka and spend two days exploring Queenstown including a scenic sunrise flight over the Alps to appreciate the majesty of the mountains from on high. The tour will conclude at 12pm on Sat 11 July.

    • Professional photography guide tuition

    • 7 nights AirBnB accommodation in single share room (shared bathroom)

    • All breakfasts

    • Transportation for the duration of the workshop

    • Post-Processing sessions

    During the workshop, there will be time to go over post-processing to help you create images that will wow. I’ll assist you with your image selection process, and guide you through Lightroom and Photoshop workflows and techniques to bring out all the potential of your best images.

    The workshop is suitable for the photographer with basic knowledge through to expert level.

    • Airfare to/from Christchurch & Queenstown

    • Lunch & dinners

    • Camera and lenses - ideally to cover wide angle from 16-24mm right through to telephoto 200-300mm

    • STURDY tripod - very important

    • Torch or head torch

    • Spare batteries and charger (plenty of batteries as we are unlikely to be able to charge during the day while travelling)

    • Laptop with both Lightroom Classic & Photoshop installed

    • Plenty of memory cards and adapter to link with laptop for editing

    • Remote shutter control (unless your camera has bulb timer)

    • Neutral density filters (if you do not have your own set, please advise)

    • Warm winter clothing - it's midwinter so you will need merino layers, puffer jacket, hat, gloves, warm comfortable hiking boots and possibly gumboots

    • Umbrella, rain poncho and waterproof camera sleeve

    • The full workshop fee is $5,999 NZD

    • A deposit of $2,000 NZD is required to secure your place

    • Remaining workshop tuition amount is due 90 days before workshop. A reminder invoice will be sent out 120 days before the workshop commencement.

  • Click on the link to view Terms and Conditions.

Let’s sign you up!

See what my workshop attendees say

  • "Having just come off an 8 day workshop with Meghan, I can absolutely recommend the experience to anyone interested in photography. The group of 5 participants had a wide range of photographic experience and skills, but the needs of each were catered to by Meghan's care and attention to detail. The itinerary was adapted where and when necessary to ensure that we had the very best opportunities to make great images. A most enjoyable experience."

    Lynda, Auckland

  • "Just back from a brilliant 5 day Landscape Photography course with Meghan where I learnt so much. We started with sunrise shoots and ended with sunset and astrophotography shoots most days, and did even more photography in between. We also had time to look at processing our pictures and learning workflow and how to stack Astro shots.The course atmosphere was supportive and fun and well organised. Meghan is a great teacher and communicator and her passion for Landscape Photography is infectious. I've got to know my camera and feel so much more equipped to plan and shoot. Having a new network of Photography buddies for feedback and advice is also invaluable. I booked on another Landscape course with Meghan for next year the day I got home which says everything. Hugely recommend - you will have an amazing time!”

    Jane, Wellington

  • "Just completed an 8 day workshop with Meghan and it was an experience of a lifetime. Meghan's knowledge of the area ensured that we always had something to shoot, even on the bad weather days. Meghan is also very generous with her photographic knowledge and is always eager to help out with compositions or camera settings. Can highly recommend."

    Ian, Auckland