About Karijini & Ningaloo
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CHRIS BRAY PHOTOGRAPHY Karijini & Ningaloo KARIJINI & NINGALOO Karijini & Ningaloo Photography Tour The only photo tour combining both the spectacular red gorges, waterfalls and brilliant stars of Karijini as well as two private, small-group snorkelling with whale sharks excursions at Ningaloo - this amazing week-long photo tour is not to be missed! Starting with four diverse days photographing from the acclaimed Karijini Eco Retreat shooting landscapes, birds and the Milky Way, we then charter a private plane over the breathtaking Pilbara landscapes to the coast near Exmouth for 3 nights at Mantarays Ningaloo. Complete with private boat and plane charters and gourmet food, this photography tour is the ultimate way to experience the best of Western Australia. Please check the website for up to date information on price, hosts, dates and inclusions. Highlights • Two days of swimming with whale sharks (and perhaps even manta rays) from our exclusively chartered 40ft boat at Ningaloo. • Photographing the iconic Karijini National Park, famous for its spectacular landscapes, red gorges, dramatic creeks, waterfalls and picturesque waterholes. • Staying at the luxury tented eco-lodge: ‘Karijini Eco Retreat’ inside the Karijini National Park. • Flying over the spectacularly patterned Pilbara landscape between Karijini and Ningaloo on our private plane, where everyone gets a window seat. • Snorkelling at Ningaloo reef with amazing coral, colourful fish, turtles and so much more. • Exclusive Yardi Creek boat tour in Cape Range National park to photograph the Black-footed Rock Wallabies and Osprey. • Photographing emus and kangaroos on-foot in gorgeous lighting. 01 CHRIS BRAY PHOTOGRAPHY | KARIJINI & NINGALOO CONTENTS 03 07 ITINERARY ABOUT KARIJINI & NINGALOO 09 13 GETTING ORGANISED WHAT TO PACK 23 25 WHY BOOK A CBP TOUR HOW TO BOOK . Online photography course videos Want to brush up on your photography skills before we go? The fastest way to get off ‘Auto’ and unlock the creative potential of your camera. http://www.chrisbrayphotography.com/courses/ CHRIS BRAY PHOTOGRAPHY | KARIJINI & NINGALOO 02 ITINERARY Day 1: To Karijini - Joffre Falls Especially impressive after rain, this spectacular curved waterfall can form a natural amphitheater with water cascading down over the A 2-hour flight from Perth (not included) will have you touching down in layered red and black rock walls. After the lookout we’ll walk to the top Paraburdoo, a small community in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. of the falls where you’ll be able to take some slow shutter-speed photos The photo tour starts with us jumping in to our 2x 4WD Land Cruiser Prados of the smaller cascades as the light turns golden making the red rocks and heading towards the luxurious ‘Karijini Eco Retreat’. While it’s normally come alive. only a 2-hour transit, we know you’ll be itching to photograph this dramatic and vibrant landscape, so we’ll take our time and make as many stops as you’d When we’re all done, we’ll head back to the retreat for dinner where a like along the way. wonderful alfresco dining experience will be ready and waiting. We know that photographing star trails and the Milky Way is high on everyone’s We’ll arrive at the Karijini Eco Retreat in time for a wonderful lunch chosen photography bucket list – especially in the famously clear, dark skies from their gourmet, seasonal menu. The retreat is ideally located in the out here. Rest assured we’ll be keeping an eye out for a perfect night depths of the breathtaking Karijini National Park and is the only permanent while at Karijini, and will help you with the camera settings and the post accommodation within the park. We’ll be spending the next four nights here processing needed to capture some amazing night shots - stars, the in our luxury tents with ensuite bathroom facilities. milky way, and even curving star trails. After settling in, this afternoon we’ll drive to a lookout near Joffre Falls for our Day 2 :Karijini - Kalamina & Hemersley first sunset shoot. This will be a great introductory shoot so we’ll take our This morning we’ll depart early to reach Kalamina Gorge for sunrise. time helping you work with the natural beauty of this stunning gorge and Making our way into the gorge in the dark, we’ll be in the best position surrounding landscapes, experiment with HDR etc. to shoot the towering red cliffs and cascade of waterfalls just as they become bathed in the golden morning light. After sunrise we’ll head back to the retreat for a hearty cooked breakfast before giving you some time off to go through some of your photos. After another gourmet lunch we’ll set off for the famous Hemersley Gorge. A 1km-walking trail leads us to a large, tranquil rockpool fed by a waterfall, beautifully framed by the strikingly layered, iron ore rich rock walls. Anyone keen for a swim? On the way back to camp, we’ll stop at Oxer lookout, an awesome vantage point that reveals the true grandeur and scale of this landscape, providing unrivalled views out over the junctions of Weano, Red, Hancock and Joffre Gorges, as well as more tiers of banded iron ore formations framing a pool at the base. After the golden lighting and sunset fades, we’ll head back to the retreat for dinner. 03 CHRIS BRAY PHOTOGRAPHY | KARIJINI & NINGALOO Day 3: Karijini - Weano Gorge Another early morning departure (you guessed it!) will have us making our way to Weano Gorge for sunrise. A short walk down concreted steps will take us to the bottom of the gorge where a large pool will then reflect the brilliant red rocks and snappy gum trees as the morning sun brings the colours to life. Continuing further along the gorge as it starts to narrow, we’ll encounter a series of small pools as the walls of the red gorge tower above us. Here we’ll be able to use some long shutter speeds to capture photos of the waterfalls flowing over the rocks. A picnic breakfast will top it off before returning to the lodge mid-morning. After lunch we’ll run an Adobe Lightroom photo editing tutorial before returning to Joffre Falls in the afternoon. This time, however, we’ll view it from the vantage point on the other side of the gorge. It’s only a short walk from your tents to this lookout and this is a great opportunity to look for macro shots of wildflowers, back-lit leaves and textures on trees. This is also a chance for the more energetic among us to walk to the pool at the base of Joffre falls while others slowly make their way back to the retreat, photographing the huge red termite mounds and white snappy gum trees glowing of the afternoon light along the way. Day 4: Karijini - Fern Tree Pool & Circular Pool While we’re in this spectacular location we have to make the most of it, so yes, we’ll be up early again this morning for our sunrise photography shoot at Fern Tree pool and Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge. Here the vibrant green ferns flank azure streams, tranquil pools and permanently cascading waterfalls, all contrasted against the red cliffs in the background. It’s stunning! After a picnic breakfast you’ll have the option of taking the beautiful walk down through the gorge to Circular Pool. Along the way you’ll see giant fig trees with their roots cascading over the terraced rock faces and be rewarded with a cool swim in the Circular Pool oasis at the end! On our way back to the retreat we’ll visit the new Karijini Visitors Centre. It’s our last afternoon here in Karijini National Park so as the golden lighting of sunset approaches, we’ll be driving out towards Mt Bruce to capture some iconic ‘Australian Outback’ landscape shots. The outback here offers a huge array of photography opportunities from the back-lit snappy gum trees to reflections in pools of water, towering termite mounds, blossoming wild flowers, Spinifex grass and, of course, the terraced red hulk of Mt Bruce (the second highest mountain in WA) and the Hamersley Ranges. CHRIS BRAY PHOTOGRAPHY | KARIJINI & NINGALOO 04 Day 5: Karijini to Ningaloo This morning we’ll be driving back to Parraburdoo where our private Cessna Caravan jet prop will be ready and waiting to take us on our 1hr 45min flight to Exmouth (saving us two days of 4WD’ing!). This incredible flight over the spectacularly patterned Pilbara landscape really is a highlight! There’s room for everyone to have a window seat, and with big windows to shoot through it’s a great aerial photography opportunity (use your polarising filter if you have one) as the red rocks and mountain ranges slowly turn to a kaleidoscope of turquoise pools, azure water and white sand. We’ll land in Exmouth and be picked up by Dave from Ningaloo Safari Tours who’ll drive us to Cape Range National Park while stopping for lunch along the way. We’ll also keep an eye out for any Emus, Bustards, Galas, Kestrels, Osprey or Eagles we might be able to photograph. By the afternoon we’ll be on his boat for a short tour up Yardi Creek to photograph Ospreys and the threatened Black-footed Rock Wallaby. On the way back to town and to check into our accomodation at Mantarays Ningaloo we’ll be looking for more wildlife and landscape photography opportunities as the golden afternoon lighting hits the coast and the sunsets over the ocean. We’ll check into Mantarays Ningaloo, our accomodation for the next three nights and dine at their ocean view restaurant tonight.