Bendigo Weekend Away, April 1-3 2016

© A. Coloma

Join Williamstown Camera Club and you learn things you didn’t realise you needed to know.

Simple things like LR, PS, light trails, bokeh, newborn, landscape and panoramic photography, how to make frames for competition entries, the world of multiple lenses and how to photograph the stars.

How did my life exist before without all this information?!

The recent trip to Bendigo was yet another opportunity to practice newly learnt skills and to learn heaps more. WCC members are very friendly, generous with their time and are happy to share their expertise. Brilliant for a newbie like me!

Kick off for me began when the weekend officially commenced at 1pm at Bendigo Cathedral on Saturday 2nd April. What an awesome space with incredible light. I got lost in there for hours. A highlight was being able to trek upstairs to check out the organ and pipes with a bonus recital by the organist thrown in. Another highlight, which I sadly missed out on, was the appearance of a drone. Belonging to a fellow clubbie, it was a great source of interest as it snapped aerial shots of the Cathedral and surrounds and of dazzled members gazing up at it.

The program for the rest of Saturday included a visit to:

• Bendigo Pottery – the historical display in the Interpretive Museum provided many photographic opportunities and the Antiques and Collectables Centre gave the purse a bit of a workout. This was also a chance to have a cuppa, a bite and to share shots.
• Botanic Gardens – Macro lens heaven. A simply gorgeous setting in the late afternoon sun.
• Rosalind Park in the CBD precinct with the Golden Dragon Museum and its gardens nearby.
• The Big Marilyn – The oversized sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in downtown Bendigo, was a traffic stopper and provided lots of fun and antics with Club members.
• Moonlight Market – Live music and art, craft stalls and speciality food trucks provided an interesting diversion before sunset.
• Poppet Head Lookout Tower for sunset. A great opportunity to give the legs a workout climbing to the top. The view was spectacular but the sunset was a fizzer so we all quickly retreated to the National hotel for a delicious dinner.

Sunday sunrise at a park with a wonderful view of Bendigo’s skyline, was attended by some hardy souls before breakfast at Beechworth Bakery. Then it was off to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion where we attended a talk and video presentation by one of the Nuns. We viewed the Holy Relics before being given a tour of the new temple (undergoing a lengthy construction) and gardens. The prayer wheels and statues of Buddha were amazing.

Then it was time to head back to Melbourne with various small town stops along the way. Historic Maldon was a favourite for lunch and was a photographic gold mine!

The whole weekend was a wonderful opportunity to get to know people and have lots of fun.

Oh and I also found out that I needed to know how to take a starburst photo, how to magnify the display, how to shoot a sunrise, Snapseed and a little about drones…need I go on?