Please note that all workshops under the PSNZ Workshop Series are only available to PSNZ Members. If you wish to attend a workshop, but are not a member of PSNZ, you can join us by completing our online application form.
Please remember to read our Cancellation Policy, below.
Capture the Extraordinary
29 May @ 1:00 PM – 2 June @ 1:00 PM
Capture the Extraordinary: Steampunk Photography Workshop in Oamaru
Step into the unique world of Victorian-inspired sci-fi and futuristic fantasy with our exclusive 2.5-day themed street and event photography workshop, set amidst the iconic annual Oamaru Steampunk Festival! This workshop is designed to immerse photographers of all levels in the vibrant, surreal scenes of NZ’s largest annual official steampunk event, across multiple venues – from street parades and night markets, to off-camera flash portraiture, to closeup street and event photography.
Workshop Highlights:
- Street Photography Techniques: Learn how to capture those special spontaneous ‘decisive’ moments during a real-life cosplay parade; eye-catching compositions; and the fascinating details that make street photography so compelling.
- Be exposed (pun intended) to both night and day time photographic opportunities where you are an official ‘Event Photographer’, and your subjects are willing participants in the visual extravaganza that is Steampunk.
- Multiple opportunities will be available to take festival goers portraits and then sell them.
- Hands-On Instruction & Feedback: With expert guidance, you’ll receive personalised tips on framing, lighting, and compositional storytelling to bring out the character of this unique festival, and most importantly, its people.
- Explore Oamaru’s unique historic precinct with its distinctive Forrester and Lemon designed stone buildings, set against the backdrop of Oamaru’s Victorian architecture and harbour. Each shot combining modern creativity with historic charm.
- Steampunk Style & Character Portraits: Perfect your portrait skills as you photograph festival-goers dressed in elaborate costumes, from neo-Victorian characters to sci-fi creations.
- Get a taste of some of the intricacies of product photography as you catalogue competition entries.
- Working in small teams rotated across multiple venues, each participant will be exposed to various facets of street and event photography and will be granted preferential access as ‘official event photographers.’
Your tutor for this weekend long degustation of photographic opportunities is Oamaru born and raised Ted Grenfell, an award winning professional photographer now based in Dunedin. As Ted says “The world of photography would be meaningless without light, colour and emotion to help open our minds to express passion and love for each other.” Ted will guide you to capture all three on this unique photography workshop as you work with both festival organisers and participants to provide unique photographic memories for festival-goers.
All attendees on this workshop will be acting as official event photographers for the festival and will therefore be granted unprecedented access to events and backstage locations. Something previously only available to a select few. Photographs from the PSNZ team will be widely shared with the organisers and Steampunk community and distributed (with credit) on social media both during and after the event.
Photographers retain rights to their work and will be given credit for their photographs. There will be many opportunities for images taken to be sold to festival-goers, with previous year’s attendees expressing interest in such a service as part of our partnership with festival organisers in 2025. We may directly facilitate this for you, or show you how you can set this up for yourself.
The workshop fee of $625 includes 3 nights’ accommodation at the recently built Mariner Suites Hotel, share twin. Located just five minutes stroll from the Oamaru Harbour, and the historic precinct where most events are planned.
All meals will be at your own expensive with many options available at the festival, both formal and casual dining. An early Saturday evening group dinner has already been booked at Oamaru’s oldest cafe & restaurant, the iconic Star and Garter, in the historic precinct.
The workshop will take place over King’s birthday weekend and will start at 3pm on Friday 30th May and conclude around 2pm on Monday 2nd June.
Based right at the heart of the festival in the Whitestone Civic Trust building, attendees will be given daily briefings on events and are also encouraged to attend the optional final ceremony Steampunk breakfast on Monday morning to raise money for breast cancer before returning to the conference room for a wrap- up discussion.
Time will also be made for group sessions in the Civic Trust building for workshop participants to share their work and gain insight in to Ted’s workflow for processing event images from capture, through to sale. A medium level of fitness will be required as this is a busy festival and the boardroom for the group briefing sessions is up a flight of stairs. Days will commence with workshop sessions and finish with photographing the freakshow, mess dinner and Victorian ball on the respective evenings.
Once you have registered and paid, you will receive more in depth information on the schedule and locations as well as a recommended gear sheet. The workshop is limited to 10 people.
Sign up now to secure your spot for a themed street and event photographic experience unlike any other!
Log into the Member’s Area to register for this workshop.
PSNZ Cancellation Policy
Due to the nature of the PSNZ Workshop Series and that the workshops are generally for small groups and often over-subscribed, cancellations can have a significant financial and attendance effect on the workshop, as well as creating a lot of further administration work.
Although we do everything possible to ensure our workshops proceed, sometimes there are things beyond our control.
- PSNZ reserves the right to postpone or cancel a workshop due unforeseen circumstances e.g. facilitator illness, venue access issues, etc. In the event we do cancel a planned workshop, we will attempt to inform attendees as soon as possible and in most cases you will be given an alternative date to attend or provided with a full refund of the workshop costs.
- If a workshop is postponed, the first right of refusal will be given to those who were already booked on that workshop for the rescheduled workshop.
- Should a workshop fail to attract a required minimum number of attendees to make it viable to run, PSNZ reserves the right to cancel the workshop.
- PSNZ will not accept responsibility for travel and accommodation costs incurred by attendees.
- Attendees may cancel their booking if they give 60 days’ notice prior to the commencement of their workshop and receive a full refund less a $20 administration fee.
- If attendees give less than 60 days’ notice, then we will do our best to fill your place from the waitlist. If we are able to do this, we will refund your fee less a $20 administration fee. Otherwise no refund will be made.
- PSNZ may give a full refund if there are exceptional circumstances involved in a person not being able to attend.
(updated November 2024)