In this two-hour photo workshop and walking safari tour participants learn ways of photographing nature while surrounded by trees and the beautiful environment of Balls Head Reserve.

Starting at the Genia McCaffery Centre at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, we cover tips on how to compose and expose pleasing photos under natural lighting using a mobile phone or simple camera.

We will cover the basics of camera composition including framing, angle and direction. While taking photos around the Coal Loader and Balls Head we will look for unusual viewpoints and study the effect of sunlight and shadow on the trees and foliage. We will then have a show and tell after morning tea observing each others work on the data projector and discussing individual styles and perspectives.

Cost: Free

Ages: Young people aged 12+ and their adult guardians

What to bring: camera, hat, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, water bottle

Tea and biscuits supplied for afternoon tea.

In the event of wet weather, attendees will be notified of a rescheduled date and time.

About the artist:

Bernadette Smith is a Sydney-based cross disciplinary artist trying to raise awareness of the pressing need to protect our natural habitat from the risks posed by climate crisis and extractivism. Blending fine art and documentary approaches, her art practice encompasses photomedia, video, painting and installation. The subject matter includes endangered waterways, wetlands and coastal hinterlands of Greater Sydney and beyond.

Bernadette has exhibited internationally with solo shows in Berlin, San Francisco and Singapore and has been a finalist in several major art prizes. Her art is included in collections in Germany, France, Britain, Singapore, Spain, Australia and the USA. She has a Master of Fine Arts from Sydney College of the Arts and in 2020 was selected for a Bundanon artist residency and featured in the 10th Canberra Festival of Art. Her art has been exhibited at Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Perth Centre for Photography, Mosman Art Gallery, Newcastle Art Gallery and the State Library of NSW. She is represented by Linton and Kay gallery in Perth, Manyung Gallery in Melbourne and Soho Galleries in Sydney.

About the Coal Loader Artists Studio:

This dedicated space is part of North Sydney Council's Creative Spaces Program and specifically supports artists and creatives with a community-focused and socially-engaged interest in sustainability and the environment to develop their practice over a 12-month, fully subsidised residency.

Residents are supported to host open studios, workshops, talks and other events that invite residents and visitors alike to make, reflect, learn and connect.

In 2026, eco-arts collective The Tree Veneration is in-residence, with a different collective member in residence every six weeks.

For more information contact: artsandculture@northsydney.nsw.gov.au

Contact the host of Balls Head Reserve Photo Safari with Bernadette Smith