When to photograph Tasmania: a season by season guide for 2027
There is no bad season to photograph Tasmania. There is only the right season for what you want to shoot. Autumn brings gold fagus and fungi. Winter brings long nights, snow and the best chance of aurora. Spring fills the waterfalls. Summer gives you the longest days. Here is how the year plays out. Here is where our 2027 tours sit in it.
Autumn, March to May
Autumn is the most loved season for Tasmanian landscape photography. For good reason. The air settles, the light softens and the wet forests come alive.
Late April into May is when fagus, Tasmania's native deciduous beech, turns gold and orange on the high country. It is the only time of year you can photograph it. The window is short. The forests are also full of fungi, which makes autumn the best time of year for macro work.
Our 2027 tours in autumn:
East Coast Tasmania, 9 to 12 April 2027
Fungi and Fagus, 30 April to 2 May 2027 (sold out, register your interest)
Bruny Island, 14 to 17 May 2027
Winter, June to August
Winter is for photographers who like drama. Short days mean sunrise and sunset come at civilised hours. Long, dark nights mean more time for astro. Snow can turn the highlands into a different world overnight.
Winter is also when many Tasmanians go looking for the Aurora Australis. The long nights help. The aurora depends on solar activity, so nothing is guaranteed, but when it arrives it is unforgettable.
In June, Hobart's Dark Mofo festival fills the city with light, art and fire, which makes for night photography you will not find anywhere else.
Our 2027 tours in winter:
Southwest Tasmania, 25 to 28 June 2027
Cider Gums, 9 to 11 July 2027 (1 place left)
Dark Light, our evening photography walk during Dark Mofo (date confirmed when Dark Mofo announces its 2027 programme)
Spring, September to November
Spring is waterfall season. Winter rain and snow melt fill the rivers and falls. The rainforests are at their greenest. Days lengthen quickly and the weather can change four times before lunch, which makes for moody, fast-changing light.
Summer, December to February
Summer gives you the longest days of the year. Sunrise comes early and sunset comes late, so plan for short nights and a nap in the middle of the day. The coast is at its best for long exposure seascapes. Warm evenings make it easy to stay out late.
Which season is right for you?
For fagus and fungi: late April to May.
For aurora and astro: the long nights of autumn and winter.
For snow: winter in the highlands.
For waterfalls: spring.
For long days on the coast: summer.
Whatever the season, the light in Tasmania changes fast. That is why we plan every day of every tour around the light and the conditions, not a fixed timetable.
See every 2027 date and price on our tours page.