APPROACHING the customised light helicopter — a surprisingly small flying machine with the doors removed — you can't help appreciate the lengths Canon goes to ensure its keenest customers capture a great photo ... and hold on to your hat.
The helicopter rides, limited to two passengers at a time to ensure the best views, were just one of a host of unexpected photographic activities organised by Canon Collective for a festival on Queensland's Moreton Island.
More than 150 photographic enthusiasts ferried to Tangalooma Island Resort to take part in the three-day event that also featured underwater photography, bus rides through picturesque National Park for long exposure beach shots, and a fashion shoot, complete with models and professional lighting rig, on the sand dunes.
The Moreton Island Festival of Photography was spearheaded by Brisbane local Greg Sullavan, one of eight Canon Collective Ambassadors running courses to improve camera enthusiasts' skills and inspire them with new photographic ideas.
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Other photographic masters hosting events on the island included Darren Jew, who flew in from photographing humpback whales in Tonga, and another Brisbane-based ambassador Colin Baker, who recently guided photographers on a Canon Collective tour of South Africa.
Canon consumer experience marketing manager Natalie Ungurian says the Moreton Island event, and those like it, are designed to teach photographers how to use their equipment in the most practical and social way possible.
"Research says people will go out and buy a camera and they'll probably put it to the side because they don't know how to use it," she says. "It will just sit there while they wish they knew how to use it better.
"What we really try to do is to help people get the most out of their camera gear and give them the chance to try different gear as well."
The Moreton Island event was one of three photographic festivals held by Canon Collective this year, in addition to individual events spanning everything from wildlife portraits to time-lapse workshops and pet photography studio sessions.
Ungurian says the tutorials are not just designed for beginners but for camera users learning what style of photography suits them.
"People might not know straight away that they want to be a portrait photographer, for example," she says.
"So we offer different opportunities for people to try stuff like landscape photography or going in a helicopter or going underwater; things that they might not do on their own but things we can facilitate to help them explore different genres and take their photography to the next level."
Upcoming events include sunrise, macro, and street photography opportunities, as well as explainers on family photographs, video capture, and editing.
Ungurian says many of the Collective events are free, or offered at a low cost, as they're not designed to make a profit but merely cover expenses … like those involved in getting photographers airborne.
She doesn't rule a return to Moreton Island for the group, who seemed to take over the holiday island from dolphin feeding sessions to a bonfire welcome party.
But the next Canon Collective festival is set for Byron Bay, she says, where there will be "more water events" and tips from "a well renowned photographer at surf events".
Source: Canon takes over an island, employs helicopters to get photographers using cameras again
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