Wheatbelt Salt Lakes Workshop

Drone Photography Workshop
4 Days | Maximum 3 participants

Welcome

Western Australia’s Wheatbelt is home to one of the most extraordinary collections of salt lakes anywhere in the world. Hidden amongst rolling farmland, quiet country roads and tiny rural communities are hundreds of lakes, each with their own unique colours, textures and character.

Over the years this workshop has evolved considerably and is now one of my favourite adventures to run. Rather than simply visiting a handful of locations, we’ll complete a large loop through the Wheatbelt, exploring everything from well known lakes to some of my favourite hidden discoveries that I’ve spent years researching from both the air and on the ground.

One of the highlights of the workshop is our journey to the spectacular Paint Pot Lakes in the north eastern Wheatbelt. These lakes are unlike anything else in Western Australia, with vibrant oranges, yellows, greens and deep blues combining to create abstract landscapes that almost look painted rather than natural.

We’ll also travel north to the beautiful Hutt Lagoon, one of Australia’s most iconic pink lakes. Depending on the season and conditions, its colours can range from soft pastel pinks through to vivid magenta, providing a spectacular finale to our journey before returning to Perth.

This workshop has been designed specifically for drone photographers. Every location has been chosen because it offers something truly special from above, allowing us to focus on creating strong abstract imagery while learning the techniques I’ve developed over more than a decade photographing these remarkable landscapes.

This isn’t a luxury photography tour. It’s a genuine road trip through regional Western Australia, designed for photographers who enjoy adventure, exploration and discovering places that most travellers simply drive straight past.

More Than Just A Workshop

One thing that’s difficult to explain on a website is that you’re not simply booking four days of photography tuition.

You’re joining me on a route that has been built over more than a decade of exploration.

Every lake, every road and every stop along this expedition has been discovered, refined and revisited over countless trips throughout the Wheatbelt. Thousands of kilometres have been driven, hundreds of hours have been spent flying, and every year the route continues to evolve as I discover new locations and refine old favourites.

This isn’t an itinerary copied from Google Maps or built around the obvious tourist stops. It’s a collection of places that I’ve spent years researching and photographing, many of which I’ve never seen photographed by anyone else.

To me, that’s one of the biggest values of these workshops. You’re not only learning aerial photography, you’re gaining access to years of experience, local knowledge and a body of work that has taken a significant part of my career to develop.

Workshop Ethos

One thing that has always been incredibly important to me is keeping my workshops personal.

Group numbers are limited to just three participants, allowing plenty of one on one tuition throughout the adventure while creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. You’ll never find yourself standing in a crowd waiting for your turn to ask a question or launch your drone.

This isn’t about rushing from location to location trying to tick boxes. It’s about slowing down, understanding why an image works, experimenting with different compositions and genuinely enjoying the journey.

Expect plenty of laughs, roadside discoveries and the occasional detour when something catches our eye. I want these workshops to feel like a genuine road trip shared with a small group of like minded photographers.

What We’ll Photograph

Throughout the four days we’ll explore an incredible variety of aerial subjects, including:

• The famous Wheatbelt salt lakes

• The spectacular Paint Pot Lakes

• Hutt Lagoon

• Hidden lakes rarely photographed by visitors

• Salt textures and abstract patterns

• Agricultural landscapes and colour contrasts

• Country roads and geometric farmland

No two lakes are ever the same. Wind, water levels, light and seasonal conditions constantly change the colours and patterns, meaning every workshop produces completely different imagery.

Drone Requirements

This workshop revolves entirely around drone photography, so bringing the right aircraft makes a big difference.

While smaller drones such as the DJI Mini series are certainly capable of producing nice images, they can struggle in the Wheatbelt’s often windy conditions.

For the best experience I strongly recommend bringing a DJI Mavic 3 or DJI Mavic 4, which offer significantly better wind performance, image quality and battery life for this style of photography.

If you don’t own one, or simply want to experience flying the latest equipment, I have DJI Mavic 4 Pro aircraft available to hire throughout the workshop for a small additional fee.

Just don’t crash it. 😉

Accommodation & Travel

Over the years I’ve refined this workshop considerably.

Rather than staying deep in the Wheatbelt where accommodation and food options can be quite limited (and yes… bed bugs have unfortunately become a thing in some places!), we instead base ourselves in the coastal towns of Jurien Bay and Kalbarri.

These towns offer comfortable accommodation, fantastic cafés and restaurants, beautiful beaches and all the little comforts that make a big difference after a full day of flying and photographing.

The route has been carefully refined over many years to maximise photography while keeping the driving enjoyable. We’ll complete a large loop through the Wheatbelt, exploring remote salt lakes, the spectacular Paint Pot Lakes and finally Hutt Lagoon before returning south.

While meals aren’t included, we eat breakfast and dinner together each day. It’s one of my favourite parts of the workshop, a chance to unwind, chat photography, review the day’s adventures and plan what we’ll be chasing tomorrow.

Lunch is usually wherever we happen to find ourselves, whether that’s a country bakery, a local café or grabbing something along the way as we continue exploring.

What You’ll Learn

Whether you’re relatively new to aerial photography or have years of experience, this workshop is designed to improve both your technical skills and your creative vision.

Throughout the expedition we’ll cover:

• Finding strong abstract compositions

• Reading landscapes from the air

• Understanding colour, texture and visual flow

• Camera settings and exposure

• Flying techniques for abstract photography

• Understanding weather and lighting conditions

• Editing workflow in Lightroom

• Image critiques and personalised feedback

Every evening we’ll sit down together, review the day’s images, discuss editing approaches and answer any questions you may have. With only three participants, there’s plenty of opportunity for individual guidance throughout the workshop.

Is This Workshop For You?

If you’re passionate about drone photography, abstract landscapes and genuine adventure, I think you’ll absolutely love this expedition.

The Wheatbelt offers one of the most unique collections of aerial subjects anywhere in Australia, and after many years of exploring these landscapes I’ve carefully refined this route to showcase an incredible variety of colours, textures and compositions.

More than anything though, I hope you leave with not only a fantastic collection of images, but great memories, new friendships and a deeper understanding of aerial photography.

I look forward to sharing this incredible part of Western Australia with you. 👊