Michael Snedic

As they say, better late than never…. On Friday 21st of January 2011, I officially became an Accredited Professional Photographer with the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography). For more information on the AIPP, click here.

Accredited Professional Photographer with the AIPP
(Australian Institute of Professional Photography)

The October 2010 issue of Australian Photography Magazine features my photo of a valley view at the base of Mt Barney, Queensland, shrouded in mist.  To see the full-size cover, click here.

Australian Photography Magazine – October 2010 cover

Mt Maroon, Mt Barney National Park. Qld

In early October I headed to Mt Maroon, in Mt Barney National Park, Queensland, with Innes Larkin (co-owner of Mt Barney Lodge with his wife, Tracey) for some landscape and macro photography.  It was great to be in the out in the wilderness, away from the “rat race” and photographing again.  Subjects included landscapes (capturing the subtle early-morning light), fungi and wildlflowers.

On Wednesday 13th of October 2010, Mark Rayner and I were guest presenters at the Mt Gravatt Photographic Society.  Mark did an audio-visual presentation based around 3 Trekabout Photography Workshop’s – our “Macro Experience”, “Beach to Mountains Experience” and 5 day “Red Centre Experience”.  My presentation was based around a series of landscape, macro and wildlife shots I have taken over the last 14 years.  There were around 50 very enthusiastic club members in attendance and even though our presentations went longer than the usual finishing time, virtually every member stayed to the very end and gave us both fantastic feedback afterwards! (always appreciated).  For more information on the Mt Gravatt Photographic Society, click here

In late October, I visited Girraween National Park (near the Queensland and N.S.W border) for the first time and all I can say is that I was very impressed by what I saw. Due to some of the best rainfall in over a decade, the park was looking stunning. The granite boulders throughout the park were covered in beautifully-coloured lichens and mosses, the creeks were flowing well and the wildflowers (for which Girraween N.P. is known) were absolutely amazing! I was in nature photographer’s heaven. Some of my highlights included photographing the iconic Sphinx at sunset as well as the myriad of colourful wildflowers, especially orchids.

Wildflower – Girraween National Park – Qld

Due to the success of the special offer for my “One-on-One with Michael” photography tuition, I have decided to continue with a discounted price for bookings of two people. The discount will apply, per person, when booking either a half day or full day tuition session at various locations in Brisbane (and other locations upon request). So why not join together with a friend, relative or another photographer and make a booking? For further details, please click here

Each year, Australian Geographic release a Desk Diary that features the photos of 5 professional nature photographers. For the 2011 edition, I’m one of the 5 featured photographers, so hop into an Australian Geographic store or go online to pick up your copy!

Common wombat juvenile – AG Desk Diary 2011

Tasman Boobies – Calm before the storm.
Nominee at 4th Annual Photography Master’s Cup

I received an email recently, letting me know that I had an image chosen as a nominee in the wildlife category in one of the world’s most prestigious colour photography competitions, the 4th Annual Photography Master’s Cup. My photo was of 2 Tasman Boobies (previously known as Masked Boobies) sitting calmly on a cliff-top at Norfolk Island, waiting for a storm to pass over.

On Sunday 29th of August 2010, Trekabout Photography Workshops will again be featured on Queensland’s highly-rated outdoor lifestyle program, the Great South East. The program is shown throughout Queensland on Channel 7 every Sunday and starts at 5.30pm. The segment is based around our half day “Frog and Reptile Experience” photography workshop. To keep things balanced, my business partner in Trekabout, Mark Rayner, was interviewed this time, as I was interviewed for our last segment with the Great South East in January 2008. Martin Bowerman was again the host for our segment. For more details on the Great South East program, please click here

From Sunday 29th May 2010 until Friday 11th June 2010, Trekabout Photography Workshops hosted our inaugural 5 day “Red Centre Experience” photo workshops. We ran them back-to-back, with a 2 day break in between, to twenty-one very enthusiastic participants. Our first workshop had thirteen photographers and our second one had 8 – from all the feedback we received, everyone had an absolute ball! With more rainfall over the previous months that most yearly averages, the “Centre” was looking very green and lush. Set amongst the rich red soil and rock and deep blue skies, the landscapes were stunning wherever we went (and photographed!). Some of the places we spent time at include the fabulous Desert Park in Alice Springs, Trephina Gorge, Jessie and Emily Gap, Kata Tjuta and of course, Uluru. I totally fell in love with the “Red Centre” and can’t wait to go back next year!

As soon as our Red Centre photo workshops were over, I flew straight back to Brisbane to participate in the PSQ2010 Photography Convention, being held over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend. I manned an exhibitor’s stall for 2 days, promoting Trekabout Photography Workshops as well as my new half day and full day “One-on-One with Michael” photography tuition sessions. I also presented an audio-visual on rainforests on Sunday afternoon and 3 back-to-back macro workshops on Monday afternoon. A huge congrats to all at Brisbane Camera Group (BCG) who were involved in making this convention one of the best on record!

The June 2010 issue of Wingspan Magazine (Bird’s Australia) has my photo of a White Tern flying on the cover. To see the cover, click here

The Photographic Society of Queensland’s (PSQ) Annual Photography Convention, hosted by the Brisbane Camera Group, will be held over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend (Sat 14th June – Mon 16th June 2010) at the Riverglenn Convention Centre in Indooroopilly, Queensland. I’m pleased to announce that I’m one of the presenters this year, my audio-visual titled “Australian Rainforests – a breathtaking photographic odyssey”. I will also be presenting a hands-on nature photography workshop.   On Sunday and Monday, I will be manning a stall at the convention, selling signed copies of my book, “Wildlife of Australia – a nature photographer’s journey” as well as promoting both Trekabout Photography Workshops and my new “one-on-one” photography tuition sessions. If you are planning to attend the convention, come on over and say hi! To read more about the convention, click on this link PSQ2010

The March 2010 edition of Australian Photography Magazine features my 5 page article on macro photography, titled “Macro Magic”. To view the article, click on this link “Macro Magic”

The March 2010 edition of Wingspan Magazine (Bird’s Australia) features my 3 page article on the Albert’s Lyrebird, titled “Albert’s Lyrebird: Showman Extraordinaire”. To view the article, click on this link “Albert’s Lyrebird: Showman Extraordinaire”.

In late October 09 to early Nov 09, I spent 11 glorious days on Norfolk Island, my third trip to this glorious place. This beautiful island sits between Australia and New Zealand, in the South Pacific, and is only a few hours by plane from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. My time was spent partly having a much-needed break with my wife, Dena, (and helping celebrate her 40^th birthday!) as well as lots of photography. Norfolk Island is only 8km x 5km but there is so much to photograph! Wherever you go, there are sweeping ocean views, stunning cliffs, great sunrises and sunsets, lots of birds and convict ruins. I also had an opportunity to cruise around the island for half a day with a whale research team as well as taking a boat trip to Phillip Island, just 6kms from Norfolk Island, to photograph birds.

Tasman Booby with chick

I also had a lovely surprise whilst on Norfolk, receiving a phone call from Sorrel Wilby, asking if I’d like to catch up. For those that haven’t heard of Sorrel, she is an award-winning adventurer, author of numerous books, tv presenter (including a 9 year stint as presenter on Channel 9′s Getaway program), journalist and keynote speaker. One of her recent projects was to develop a series of documentaries titled “Best of Australia” for Australian Geographic, as well as being Chairperson for the Australian Geographic Society. Dena and I spent a lovely few hours with Sorrel, her husband Chris and kids at their home, sharing stories and experiences. She is a delightful person, so enthusiastic about life and very passionate about nature/wildlife and our environment. It was a pleasure to spend time with her – a real inspiration to me.

Michael with Sorrel Wilby on Norfolk Island

Anson Bay – Norfolk Island

During my stay, I spent time doing research for our proposed Trekabout Photography Workshop 7 day “Norfolk Island Experience”, scouting accommodation venues/photographic locations and talking with Travel Agents. The “Norfolk Island Experience” is set for early November 2010, but details need to be confirmed. For further details (in the not-too-distant future), please visit our photography workshop website www.trekaboutphotography.com

Michael on Phillip Island – off Norfolk Island

While at Norfolk Island, we also had the pleasure of seeing my friend David Warth’s documentary “Rainforest – the secret of life” premier on ABC TV. Feedback to the documentary has been very positive and dvd sales at the ABC Shops have gone through the roof! Having spent so much time helping David and my mentor in photography, Glen Threlfo, during the filming of it, makes this documentary very special to me.

In late November I headed to Tweed Heads, on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, to adjudicate the Tweed Photo Arts Club‘s monthly photography competition. It was great to see both novices and more advanced photographers enter some great photos into their club’s competition.

Late November also saw the opening of the summer season’s exhibitions at the Wilderness Gallery in Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. I’m pleased to announce that twenty of my wildlife photos are displayed there this year, as matted and framed 20″ x 30″ prints. My exhibition is titled “Wildlife of Australia – a nature photographer’s journey” and will be shown at the gallery until Easter 2010. To see the photos I have exhibited, please click here.

In early September I travelled with a friend and fellow-photographer, Howard Aron, on a nature photography trip to Kangaroo Island, South Australia. This stunning island has been called the “Galapagos of Australia”, due to its amazing array of native wildlife and the distinct lack of pest species.

Nankeen Kestrel – Kangaroo Island

One of the main reasons for travelling to Kangaroo Island was to photograph the Australian Sea Lions at Seal Bay. Around 600 – 700 of these magnificent mammals live here and I was fortunate to have three attempts to photograph them right on the beach, over three days. Access to the beach is only available via guided tour, either with a tour group or ranger.

Yuraygir N.P – ACF Diary 2010

Also in September, The Australian Conservation Foundation released its 2010 Wilderness Diary, which features 5 of my photos. These include a breaching Humpback Whale, Lace Monitor, Masked Boobies, Red-tailed Tropicbird and kangaroo prints on sand dunes. All profits from the sale of the diaries go to fund the Australian Conservation Foundation and its conservation projects. For more details on ACF, please visit their website: www.acfonline.org.au

Australian Sea Lion juvenile – Kangaroo Island

Just days before we arrived, the island had been battered by weeks of gale-force winds and horrid weather – certainly not conducive to photography! Fortunately for us, the weather was extremely kind and offered made for pleasant living and great photography.

Australian Sea Lion juvenile scratching – Kangaroo Island

A couple of days after arriving back from Kangaroo Island, on the 6^th September 09, it was up to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat for Trekabout Photography Workshop’s third fully-booked 5 day photography workshop. Dena, my wife, joined me and had a bit of a holiday while Mark and I presented another successful 5 day workshop. The weather was kind to us, lots of photo opportunities and a great bunch of participants made for a fantastic 5 days.

Red-tailed Tropicbird – ACF Diary 2010

During July, I went to the Wet Tropics (Tropical North Queensland) for the fourth time in 2 years, to photograph some of the amazing wildlife endemic to the area. I spent quite a bit of time in the rainforest in Rocky Point, north of Port Douglas, the Daintree, Mossman Gorge and Julatten.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Some of the species I photographed included Musky Rat Kangaroos, Spectacled Flying Fox, Lace Monitors, Spotted Catbirds, Macleay’s Honeyeaters, Orange-footed Scrub Fowl, Spangled Drongos and a Grey Goshawk. The weather was very kind to me on this trip and was therefore able to photograph these species unhindered.

Trekabout Photography Workshops presented our second 5 day photography workshop, starting on Sunday 17th May 2009, once again conducted at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park. This workshop was again fully booked out. Regardless of the torrential rain and winds we encountered throughout the week, Mark Rayner and I filled program with lots of photographic activities. During heavy rain, we set up indoor macro shoots, presented audio-visuals, critiqued photos and gave tuition on numerous subjects. When the rain cleared, we all piled out and photographed the amazing amount of birdlife that surrounded our every move, as well as plants, fungi and landscapes. Despite some adverse weather, we again received fantastic feedback and testimonials about the workshop.

On January 28^th 2009, Mark Rayner and I were guest presenters at the Caloundra Camera Group on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Mark’s audio-visual was on our Trekabout Photography Workshops while mine was based around my book on Australian wildlife. We were also co-judges in the club’s monthly photography competition. Some great entries received by some very talented photographers.