View to Mt Lidgebird - Lord Howe Island

Sunday 30th of November to Saturday 6th of December 2025

 

Location:

World Heritage Listed Lord Howe Island

$AU4695 (plus GST) per person twin share. Single supplement $AU1450 (plus GST)

Please note: WildNature Photo Expeditions will endeavour to find someone to share with you, from the photography group. If no one is available to share, then a single supplement will be added and you will have your own room.

 

 

Lord Howe Island

Contact Michael Snedic directly
on +61 408 941 965

Dates:

Sunday 30th of November to Saturday the 6th of December 2025

Participants:

Maximum of 8 participants

Lord Howe Island Woodhen

Bookings:

For more information, or make a booking for this fantastic Lord Howe Island photography workshop, please contact Michael via his Contact Form or call him on +61 408 941 965

About Lord Howe Island

Rising majestically out of the Tasman Sea 550km off Australia, World Heritage Listed Lord Howe Island is a photographer's paradise.

Fed by a mix of warm and cool currents from The Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Australia, this crossroads in the South Pacific is a treasure trove of fauna and flora housed on a 7 million-year-old extinct volcano.

At the southern end of the island, the often cloud-covered twin peaks of Mt Gower and Mt Lidgebird rise perpendicular form the sea. To the north, the sheltered coral lagoon (one of the most southerly coral reefs in the world) arcs around the tiny settlement of Lord Howe. Ancient rainforests cover the slopes, and kilometre after kilometre of white sandy beaches and rocky shores await exploration by you and your camera.

Spring has been chosen not only for its favourable weather and warming seas, but particularly for the incredible bird-life, which descends on the island for the breeding season. Many exotic sea-bird species nest on the rocky shores, including terns, shearwaters, gannets and tropic-birds, along with the famous Lord Howe Island Woodhen in the forested areas.

View from Malabar Hill - Lord Howe Island

About the Lord Howe Island Tour

This workshop will be presented by professional wildlife and nature photographer and tutor, Michael Snedic. Upon arrival at Lord Howe you’ll be transferred to our workshop base, the centrally-located Ocean View Lodge, only a short stroll from the beach. Your package includes fully-cooked breakfasts (with coffee/tea) each morning. It will include a blend of structured lectures including informal discussions and one-on-one tuition time, as well as a boat cruise with snorkelling. These sessions will be interspersed with free time to make up your week of photographic learning.

Photographing Rays on Lord Howe Island

Photographic Prerequisites

This workshop is suited to the beginner, intermediate or serious enthusiast. A digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera is recommended, however, any camera that has manual functions would also be suitable. A wide-angle and telephoto lens (and a macro lens if you own one) is recommended. A sturdy tripod is also necessary, especially for our landscape photography sessions.

Flights

You can book return flights via Qantas link from Sydney (I can recommend a travel agent who can help you with your flight booking, if required).

White Tern

Equipment

One of the wonderful things about visiting the island at this time is the abundance of birdlife and their relative fearlessness. Unlike some other locations you won't need 800mm lenses to make full-frame portraits of the birds. Telephoto lenses up to 200 or 300mm can be fine, although there'll always be times you want more. For landscapes, a decent wide-angled lens is recommended. A tripod is also essential for our sunrise/sunset shoots and they can be packed into your main suitcase.

When capturing photos of action such as birds in flight, the optical viewfinders and fast autofocus of DSLRs really shine. We will be helping you take advantage of all these features. Some of the "CSC"/mirrorless cameras can do good work here too. Compact cameras make reasonable backup cameras, but their reduced image quality and sluggishness would make them frustrating as primary camera bodies.

Rainforest Lord Howe Island

If your luggage allowance allows, we encouraged you to take a laptop computer to help you review and safely store your photos. Reviewing your images is an important step in improving your techniques for the next photo session and making the most of your limited time on the island.

Many of the locations we will visit on the island are a short walk from our accommodation, for some we'll travel by bus but some can require uphill climbing on uneven paths. It's not highly-technical climbing though, and we will have rests along the way. As far as your gear goes this does mean that not only do you need to be able to get your gear to the island, you'll need to be able to carry it along bush tracks. There's not much scope for roller camera bags in the field!

Internet access

There is web access available via WiFi at our accommodation and at various locations around the island.

Photographing Sooty Terns_Lord Howe Island

Some of the topics that will be covered:

  • Birds (including birds-in-flight0
  • Sunrises
  • Sunsets
  • Landscapes/seascapes
  • Composition
  • Aperture/Depth-of-Field
  • Lighting
  • Exposure and metering
  • Focusing points and styles
  • Filters
  • Image critique
  • And much more!

Valley of the Shadows Lord Howe Island

Highlights include:

  • Sunrise shoots at Ned’s and Blinky’s Beaches
  • Seascape and bird photography shoot at Malabar Sea Cliffs
  • Sunset shoot at Signal Point
  • Cruise and snorkelling at North Bay
  • Mt Eliza and North Bay bird photography shoot
  • Mt Gower and Mt Lidgebird photography from sea level
  • Bird photography including LHI Woodhens, Sooty Terns, White Terns and many more
  • Image critique

Rainbow over Mt Gower

Inclusions:

 

  • Photography tuition by Michael Snedic, as per itinerary
  • Accommodation (twin share) at Ocean View Apartments
  • Transport to photographic locations around the island
  • Two hour boat cruise, which includes snorkelling

Exclusions:

 

  • Flights to and from Lord Howe Island
  • All meals
  • Any extra personal expenses (extra hot drinks, alcohol etc)

Ball's Pyramid

About Michael

Michael is an experienced and widely-published wildlife and nature photographer, writer, tutor, presenter and photography competition judge. His articles and images have featured in magazines such as Australian Photography +Digital, Australian Geographic, Wildlife Australia, Australian Birdlife as well as the BBC Wildlife, Nature TTL and WildArt (all based in the U.K.). His images have featured in numerous calendars, diaries, books and many other publications, including billboards and he has published two coffee table books on Australian wildlife. Michael is a Nikon School tutor in Queensland, Australia and regularly conducts wildlife and nature photography workshops and tours across Australia and the world.

Mmichael Snedic on Lord Howe

Sample itinerary

NB – The sample itinerary provided may be subject to change or variation due to prevailing weather conditions and/or other localised circumstances, that are out of the control of Michael Snedic.

Day 1

After arriving on Lord Howe and a quick settle-in at your accommodation at Ocean View Lodge, we will meet for introductions and a session titled “Getting to know your digital camera and settings”. Michael will also let you know what to expect from the week ahead

 

 

View from Malabar Hill - Lord Howe Island

Day 2

It’s up early for a pre-dawn shoot at Ned’s Beach, just a short distance from our base. Here you will photograph the sunrise over the beach, followed by a bird photography shoot on the beach

After breakfast, we’ll head off for a cruise onto the lagoon in a glass-bottom boat, which will include some snorkelling in one of the most renowned coral/fish areas in the world! You will see amazing coral reefs, as well as huge green turtles, rays, sea snakes and lots of incredibly beautiful fish, in all sorts of shapes and colours. Time to get those underwater compact cameras out :-))

After our snorkel, we will land ashore and have morning tea, followed by a bird photography session. With the variety of birds on Lord Howe Island, we should find lots of subjects to photograph, including thousands upon thousands of Sooty Terns nesting on the beach, as well as Grey Ternlets and Common Noddys. This is followed by a walk up the Mt Eliza track, for a chance to photograph the spectacular views over the turquoise lagoon of North Bay, southward to the twin peaks of Mt Gower and Mt Lidgebird, as well as Sooty Terns at eye level! We will return via boat back to our starting point, close to our accommodation.

 

Sooty Tern

Day 3

After a sleep in and breakfast, Michael will present and audio-visual on wildlife and landscape photography. This will be followed by a trip out towards the southern end of the island for a combination of landscape and bird photography.

In the afternoon we will head to Lover's Bay for some more seascape photography and any birds we can find. These include Lord Howe island Woodhens, Golden Whistlers, Pacific Emerald Doves, Buff-banded rails and Silvereyes.

 

 

Day 4

Morning shoot at Blinky's Beach for a sunrise shoot and bird photography.

After breakfast, there will be an image critique session, where Michael will offer critique on photos taken so far.

Late in the afternoon, we start our slow walk to the top of the sea cliffs at Malabar (situated just behind our accommodation). The cliffs themselves are spectacular and the views to the north across the Admiralty Islands are remarkable. Different bird species that frequent the clifftops include Masked Boobies, Red-tailed Tropicbirds and White Terns. On the way back, there will be a sunset shoot where you can get great shots overlooking the island, before heading back to base.

 

 

View from Mt Gower

Day 5

Free Day. This is your chance for your own personal explorations, or a time to relax. Options include a guided Mt Gower climb; a SCUBA dive; another snorkelling trip or fishing charter, or maybe a boat trip out to Ball's Pyramid. You could also revisit your favourite locations and subjects again with your camera, either on foot, by bicycle or hiring a car for a day.

 

 

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Day 6

This morning we will head to the jetty to photograph the delightful White Terns as they hover and land on the Norfolk Island pine trees.

After breakfast, we spend time playing with light and shade in the palm forest called 'Valley of the Shadows'. Photogenic fig trees, with amazing aerial roots and buttresses, are one of the many forest highlights as well as more Woodhens.

Our final session is a seascape shoot from the jetty and along the shores near Signal Point.

Group shot

Day 7

This morning you’ll have free time to pack and prepare for the trip home and say your goodbyes. Departures for home cities are at various times through the day.

No matter what your level of experience, Michael will help you gain valuable photographic technique that will ultimately lead to you taking better quality photos. With a professional wildlife and nature photographer and experienced photography tutor on hand throughout the week, there will be many opportunities to ask any photography-related questions, specific to your own personal needs.

Lord Howe photo workshop

Bookings and Contact:

To reserve your place or just to ask more questions about this photo expedition, please contact Michael either via his CONTACT FORM or by calling +61 408 941 965.

Your position on the tour will be guaranteed immediately upon payment of non-refundable deposit of $AU1100 (plus GST) The balance will be due up to 90 days prior to the start of the workshop.

Cancellation Policy:

Cancellation up to 90 days before departure non-refundable or transferable. Cancellation between 90 and 60 days before departure - 50% of total workshop price forfeited. Cancellation less than 60 days before departure or during tour, no refund available.

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