Focus shift - photography, learning and our next era

After almost 15 years of Shutterbug Walkabouts, I’ve found myself doing quite a bit of thinking about where we go from here.

Photography and tourism have always been at the heart of Shutterbug Walkabouts. Over the years, we’ve offered photography tours and travel experiences alongside private tuition, seasonal workshops and other learn-by-doing photography experiences.

Having been part of the tourism industry for more than 26 years, it was perhaps quite natural that the balance gradually shifted towards more travel-related experiences. Meanwhile, photography learning, although still offered, became less prominent within the business.

Over the years I’ve seen the tourism industry change considerably. As the industry continues to evolve, I’ve increasingly found that some of the expectations that come with operating within it don’t always sit comfortably with the small, personal and flexible way I believe Shutterbug Walkabouts works best.

This realisation has helped bring into focus where Roy and I would rather place our energy. We’ve always said we’re here for the long haul, one way or another, and perhaps this is simply the next era of what that looks like for Shutterbug Walkabouts.

So, instead of focusing primarily on leading tours around Tasmania, we want photography education and learning experiences to become a much more prominent part of what we do – particularly photography tuition, alongside a thoughtful collection of nature-based experiences that encourage and support photo enthusiasts as they learn, explore and enjoy photography as a pastime.

This Focus Shift is about bringing photography learning back into the foreground.

We also want to bring what we do back into closer alignment with a value that has always mattered to us: creating an inclusive and supportive space for anyone wishing to explore photography as a pastime or continue along their learning journey.

This means creating more opportunities to learn, explore and enjoy photography at different price points, for different lengths of time and with different ways to participate – whether you live in Tasmania or are simply visiting for a while.

Some of you may be thinking, “Isn’t that what Shutterbug Walkabouts has been doing all along?” And in some ways you’d be right.

There is, however, an important distinction – one that may not be immediately obvious from the outside. And that’s OK.

For many years, photography learning has existed alongside a business largely shaped by tourism. The change is not so much what we offer as it is what sits at the heart of those experiences and who we’re creating them for.

What you can be assured of is that the essence of Shutterbug Walkabouts isn’t changing. If anything, this Focus Shift allows us to embrace it even more.

The shift is already underway, with subtle adjustments being made – you’ll see some familiar experiences returning, new ones emerging and more room being made for the things we’d simply like to do more of.

For now, I’m looking forward to spending more time doing what I enjoy most – helping people get more from their photography, sharing time in nature with our cameras and seeing where our renewed focus leads us.

And, of course, Roy will still make the occasional cameo appearance too.

We’ve always valued the opportunity to be a small part of your photography journey – there's no change there.