Day Two of the festival started bright and early, with the AAT Kings Field of Light Tour. We were at the doors to the foyer at a bright and early 4.15am, but I can tell you, it was worth the early rising!
Created by artist Bruce Munro, the Field of Light is an art installation created from more than 50,000 slender stems crowned with frosted glass spheres which illuminate as the sun rises over Uluru.
Well before the sun would appear, we were treated to the chance to walk amongst the installation itself which was truly incredible. The work that has gone into the installation is just phenomenal, and it truly blew us all away.
While absolutely captivated by our surroundings, we were sure to keep an eye on our watches – we needed to make sure we were back at the viewing sand dune while it was still dark, so that we would be able to be ready and waiting for first light.
As the sun rose, the installation became a glowing sea of coloured lights on the desert floor, inspiring plenty of gasps from the group and a flurry of snaps as we all worked hard to do justice to this beautiful sight in the short window of time where it was dark enough to capture the lights, Uluru and the stars all in the one frame. We were all very grateful for the staff that were on hand to help us achieve this once-in-a-lifetime image of Uluru.
Once back at the Voyage’s Indigenous Tourism Australia Sails in the Desert Resort, we took some time to download our images, charge our batteries (both our own and those of our cameras!) and take in the facilities of the resort before getting ready for some workshops.
First up, was the Edit to Print workshop, with the Canon Collective’s Jay and Scott delivering an in-depth seminar on editing and the use of Adobe Lightroom. We were able to select images from our morning’s exploits for manipulation and printing, and looking around the room there were some great prints being produced by the range of Canon Pixma Pro printers.
Next was the Intro to Instagram workshop, where Canon Collective’s Natalie took the group through not only how to share the edited image on Instagram, but also discussed how photographers can benefit from this social channel.
And still, there was more to come for the day. We were soon gathering up our gear, for a big afternoon ahead.
This time, we were driving deep into the desert to a private station, to experience the true Australian Outback with SEIT Outback Australia.
The Curtin Springs Station is over one million acres in size and boasts a vast variety of landscape and colourful vistas that were described to us as a photographer’s playground – and man were they right!
We made our way through the station along dusty back roads, stopping at key locations along the way to photograph the central Australia desert and its wildlife – always keeping an eye out for the king of reptiles, the Thorny Devil! We were lucky enough to spot one while driving along – our driver saw it and pulled up, ran back and picked it up so we could all dive off the bus to snap this little beauty in all its glory before returning it safely to the bush.
Our first major stop was upon a large saltpan – with its Martian-like encrusted ground, it resembled another planet and made for some great snaps.
Once we left the salt pan behind, it was time to take in the many interesting landscapes and rusted cars that the station had to offer, as we made our way towards our sunset shooting location.
We were treated to spectacular views of Mount Conner as it was hit head on by the setting sun – projecting bright red light into sunset – before enjoying dinner at the Curtin Spring Station Hotel.
Soon, it was time to head back to Sails in the Desert and while we were reluctant to leave, we were also very exhausted from such a huge day!
If you would like to check out some of my photos from day two of the Canon Collective festival, please click here…..
