Victorian Drone Photography Masterclass

The only Drone Photography Masterclass scheduled for 2022!

  • Date: Saturday 30 July 2022
  • Venue: Bright Motor Inn, Victoria (Alpine country; northeastern Victoria; close to Mount Buffalo National Park, Alpine National Park and Mount Hotham)
  • What is included: a full day of unique drone photography information plus an a hot la carte lunch at Bright Brewery, a light morning & afternoon tea. (Extra meals & accommodation not included)
  • Reserve your place at the Victorian Drone Photography Masterclass, via Eventbrite, now
Rural Drone Academy
General Rural Drone Academy training covers the A to Z of everything a drone pilot needs to know in order to fly safely, productively and enjoyably. Drone photography workshops are based on a wealth of drone, small business and professional aerial photography experience. Each workshop is unique.

What does the Victoria Drone Photography Masterclass include?

Global standard information covering 2 main areas:

  1. Drone operation: a summary of the fundamentals that drone pilots need to know to fly safely, productively and enjoyably plus advanced information. Extra topics include travelling with drones, battery safety, sorting out geofencing, avoiding public issues and hazards, problem solving plus image storage.
  2. Aerial photography & cinematography: a summary of essential photography principles, ground and aerial photography differences, drone camera settings, what filters are really for vs myths, creating stand-out images, using sound, fancy moves to practice and a multitude of next-level tips.

The style is interactive. Questions are encouraged throughout and sharing stories helps make discussions memorable. There’s always a lot of laughter while learning. Illustrated with image examples taken by Fiona Lake across Australia.

If you’d like more detail visit the Rural Drone Academy blog post or don’t hesitate to contact me.

Also – optional gathering for dinner at a nearby eatery early on Saturday evening, for anyone who’d like to continue conversations over a meal (dinner booked & paid separately by individuals – not included in the workshop cost. This is subject to table availability, as it’s the busy snow season.)

Drone Photography Masterclasses are suited to:

Age range:

  • From late secondary school to well past late retirement. There is no upper limit and it’s common to have a 5-6 decade spread in age and this diversity makes workshops far more interesting.
  • Under 16s must usually be accompanied by a parent but contact Fiona Lake if you would like to talk about what’s possible if you have a keen student.

Experience levels:

  1. Established professional photographers
  2. Licenced drone operators
  3. Recreational/casual drone owners & photographers
  4. Newcomers to the drone industry (it’s not necessary to have flown or own a drone)
  • But how does this broad range of experience work? It’s common to have photographers present who haven’t touched a drone before, and experienced drone operators who have no photography knowledge. At all workshops, every participant already knows something that others don’t. And everyone has gaps in their knowledge and/or experience. The drone industry is so vast, detailed and fast moving that no one person knows it all. There’s plenty for everyone to learn and discuss and nobody ever feels ‘left behind’.
  • Participants are encouraged to bring all their drone gear to the workshop however it’s absolutely not essential to own a drone or have one present.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 20170909_190137-las-vegas-night-flight-selfie-extra-650x488.jpg
Fiona Lake, 2017 Night Flight training in Las Vegas, USA. Drone night training is one of the essential requirements in order to safely and legally fly a drone at night (in addition to a licence). As well as many hours of drone flying, Fiona Lake has undertaken drone training & education in different parts of Australia and in other countries.

About the workshop presenter, Fiona Lake:

Some recent awards received:

  • 2022 – One of 6 global AirWards finalists, in the ‘Education’ category
  • 2021 – National winner – Industry Award for Education & Safety, from Australia’s largest drone organisation – AAUS
  • 2020 – Global winner – International Federation of Agricultural Journalist’s Star Prize for Photography (more than 50 member countries, entries from 5 continents)

Drone & speaker/presenter experience:

  • Repeat invitations to speak at the world’s largest drone events on 4 continents
  • Drone presentations in every state & territory except one, to date
  • Fully CASA licenced & certified drone pilot (one of few Australian women, and one of the few licenced drone pilots in northern Australia)
  • Owned more than 10 different drones & flown in every state & territory

Professional photography business background:

  • Selling photographic images since 1982 (many changes and much adaption over 40 years)
  • Aerial photography from choppers for more than 30 years
  • Publisher of three best-selling photography books, sent to purchasers all over the world
  • Twenty five years of producing national magazine stories (images and words)
  • Solo photography exhibitions in a range of locations, from Sydney’s Bondi Pavilion and the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach to Australia’s Embassy to the US, in Washington DC. Exhibition openers include Michael Jeffery, 24th Governor General of Australia, and Joe Hockey, Australian Ambassador to the US.
  • Judge of many awards – international, national, industry specific and local.

Booking into the Victorian Drone Photography Masterclass:

If you are interested I do recommend booking immediately because:

  • Attendance numbers are limited to ensure personal attention; no two workshops are the same – each is tailored to suit the specific audience on the day. It’s not uncommon for participants to travel long distances to attend as these workshops are rare
  • Staying locally is best but accommodation in Bright is in high demand as it is the snow season, so best be quick to book a bed for the night if you need it
  • As we are having a sit down lunch in a busy season – late tickets are subject to seat availability in the meal venue
  • Attendees who book early have the option of mentioning topics of specific interest to ensure they are comprehensively covered

Make a booking via Eventbrite today!

More information:

Please note that bookings are essential and that no walk-ins will be accepted as catering is arranged in advance. Refund policy: Because it is the busy snow season, venue & catering is not refunded if cancelled within 14 days of the event. Attendees cancelling 15 or more days beforehand will receive a full refund less $50 to cover the booking fee and admin. Attendees cancelling 14 days or less beforehand will not receive a refund. In the unlikely event that the workshop had to be cancelled for any reason, booking fees would be refunded according to how much of the workshop had been run. IE – if the workshop hadn’t commenced, 100% of the attendance fee would be refunded to participants; if half a day had run, then 50% of the cost would be refunded.

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