The Canon Collective have truly outdone themselves this time, with their Photographic Festival at Ayres Rock.

Today’s blog is just part one of a three-part series regarding this Festival, and such is the level to which the Canon Collective delivered over the three days – to do the experience justice, just one post was never going to be enough.

Along with my fellow collective members and ambassadors, I arrived at Ayres Rock Airport on Friday for Day One of the three-day experience, before being transferred by private coach to Voyage’s Indigenous Tourism Australia Sails in the Desert Resort.

The resort is Five Star in every sense of the word, and I can’t think of anywhere better to call home during this fantastic opportunity courtesy of the Canon Collective.

After a quick freshen up, it was time to get going for our first experience of the weekend – an afternoon photography tour to the Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park with SEIT Outback Australia.

Here, we were able to photograph two of the most iconic rock formations in the country from some different vantage points, including some trails that got us right up and close to the amazing Uluru.

The timing was perfect, and even though it was overcast the afternoon light and ever-changing colours made for some outstanding photo opportunities and left us all in awe of this amazing Australian icon.

Soon after, we split off from the crowds and made our way as a group to the far end of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) to watch the sunset over the iconic domes. While enjoying some delicious refreshments, we were able to photograph the transition of hues across Kata Tjuta until dark, and it was truly an experience I will never forget.

Soon, it was time to head back to the hotel – day one was only a taste when it comes to the busy itinerary in store for the three days, and an early night was a must. Still, after looking through my photos, it was hard to stop thinking about the day’s experiences.

Both of these formations have to be seen to be properly understood and admired. The scale, the beauty, and the sheer feel of the place is something that will stay with me for a long time. If you have ever thought about visiting, I can’t encourage you enough to make sure that you experience these natural wonders without delay.

If you would like to chek out some of my photos from day one of the Canon Collective festival, please click here:…… It was overcast, so not the perfect light, but that is photography – you shoot to the conditions, and no matter what they were, they couldn’t have taken away from the beauty of what we were treated to in my opinion.