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.
Do You See What I See? with Noelle Bennett
20 March 2026 @ 4:00 PM – 22 March 2026 @ 3:00 PM
Have you ever wondered just how much single elements in your images influence the impact of the complete work? If an element is seen as dynamic and a colour as positive, does it follow that your whole image will be dynamic and positive? And why is it that some people just don’t see your images the same way you do? Why can’t they seem to see what you see?
If you have ever wondered about any of the above and now I’ve piqued your interest, then please come and join me for a weekend of interesting discoveries and discussions combined with lots of photography which I hope will ultimately lead to you understanding the why.
This workshop is not genre-specific – in fact the more varied people’s genre preferences are, the more interesting the weekend will be. The focus of the sessions will be intriguing discoveries and fun, by virtue of your participation.
Originally Noelle Bennett trained and worked as a classical musician, a career that spanned about 15 years which she credits with having a huge influence on her approach to photography even though it would be many years before she first picked up a camera.
A Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand, her work has been recognised on both national and international stages. Noelle describes herself as a nature lover who makes photographs. She sees her camera as both her paint brush and her canvas, granting her the luxury of self-expression that is also heavily influenced by music. Her hope is that she may help people begin to see that even the most mundane subject matter can be both fascinating and beautiful.
Who should attend?
This workshop will be perfect for anybody who enjoys photography of any type irrespective of how experienced they may be. What is most important is an open and enquiring mind.
Schedule
The workshop will be held at the Whanganui Camera Club, 2 Handley St, Gonville, Whanganui and starts at 4pm on Friday 20 th March with introductions and a short general discussion about the next two days. After dinner we will resume at 7.30 for an inspirational presentation of
Noelle’s work. Then sessions will run from 9am to 4.30pm on Saturday and from 9am to 3.00pm on Sunday. During this time we will look at:
- our individual perceptions of art
- what criteria are most important to each of us when viewing images – criteria such as uniqueness, points of difference, technique and technical ability, story-telling etc – and what difference, if any, those preferences make
- crafting stories through photography; trying to establish how it’s done and whether all images do actually tell stories
- what influences how we create our images.
Time for play and exploration will happen via photographic challenges which will take place at various points throughout the course of the workshop. Each challenge will last for about an hour. There will be time allocated for post-processing your favourite image(s) from those challenges. All the images will be shared with the group as the grand finale to the weekend.
This workshop will be limited to 12 people.
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. We strongly advise members to take out the low-cost travel insurance ($20) that Air NZ offer to cover non-cancellable costs such as airfares and accommodation) or to use motels that don’t require advance payment.
- 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 booked for in-person workshops 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; or where less than 60 days notice is given 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.
- FOR ONLINE WORKSHOPS – Your registration is final and no refunds will be made unless the workshop cannot proceed.