Smartphone photo and video training for Queenstown business teams
The Content Engine
Your team is already out there in the field, working in the business and interacting with your customers and products daily. Help them develop the “camera confidence” to capture it themselves.
The Content Engine turns the phones we already carry into a working content system. Whether it is through online modules, in person workshops, one to one training, or group workshops with your whole team…the aim is to develop people’s “camera confidence” through lessons in photo craft, video capture, content pillars and a plan you can actually keep running on your own.
Queenstown businesses whose teams I have trained
Most businesses do not have a content problem.
They have a capture problem.
The best moments happen when no photographer is booked. The guest’s face at the top of the climb. The kitchen at full capacity on a busy night. The 6am light on the ridge before the group arrives. A social media manager can’t be right there when something happens.
But you and your staff already are.
Hiring a social media freelancer for three months costs about the same as this training, and leaves you with nothing when their contract finishes. No themes, no skills, no footage, and a bill you cannot switch off.
The Content Engine aims to build the capability inside your business instead.
Who This Training Is For
Hospitality and venue teams
Restaurants, bars, hotels and venues where five people post to the same account and none of them agree on what good looks like. Rooms built for atmosphere are hard to photograph. Food goes cold quickly. Staff freeze up the moment a camera appears. We work in your own space, during the hours you actually trade, on the dishes you actually sell.
Tourism operators and guides
Your guides already have the access no photographer can buy. They are on the boat, the trail and the hill every day, in front of the exact moments your marketing needs. What they do not have is a way to capture them without breaking the flow of the trip. We train for shooting in motion, in weather, with guests, and for the judgement call about when the camera comes out and when it stays away.
Trades, retail and product businesses
Workshops, showrooms, growers and makers. Your product photographs well and almost nobody on your team knows how to light it or frame it. I help train you to shoot your real stock in your real premises, and you leave with a shot list built around the things you sell most.
Content training options and pricing for solo operators, groups and whole teams
Three ways in, depending on whether you are learning alone, want to learn alongside other businesses, or train as a whole team.
Phone Foundations, 1/2 day
In house training, half day focus. Perfect for solo operators, or businesses that feel they just need a refresher that helps empower staff to capture content themselves.
$
1,150
+gst, for up to 4 staff
-
4 hours on site
-
$150 per additional staff
-
phone craft basics: light, framing, settings
-
Applying learning in real business scenarios
-
Help empower staff to develop their "camera confidence"
Get in touch!
Best for teams that just need better photos from staff using smartphones to capture content.
Full Day Intensive
Full day intensive training focused on skill building and developing team cohesion around capturing content.
$
2,250
+gst, for up to 4 staff
-
Full day on site (8+ hours)
-
$150 per additional staff
-
Pre-training webinars covering phone skills and content planning
-
Morning session: Building "content themes," developing a content plan and phone basics
-
Afternoon session hands on with team, practising capturing photo/video content related to your plan
Get in touch!
Can be structured as two half days depending on the needs of your staff and business.
Most Popular
Content Engine Immersion
Full immersion into the Content Engine program across 3 to 4 weeks with a combination of pre-training content audits, in person training, and follow up sessions with SLT teams.
$
3,950
plus gst, for up to 4 staff
-
Everything in the Full Day Intensive
-
Pre-training audit of your current content
-
Full day of training with Content themes, phone craft, developing the capture and posting pipeline
-
You run it for two to three weeks with two check-ins from me
-
2nd Full practise shoot day back on site, working towards a 60-90 day content calendar
-
Written "Content SOP" so the plan can survive any staff turnover
Get in touch!
Can be structured as two half days depending on the needs of your staff and business. $150 per additional staff.
Online Course
A set of online modules to follow in your own time. Perfect for individuals and team members who have busy schedules and want self paced learning options
Coming soon
-
Self-paced video modules
-
Work through it on your own schedule
-
One time cost, lifetime access*
Express interest!
Best for operators and businesses outside of the Queenstown region.
Coming soon!
Phone Fundamentals, 4 Hour Workshop
A half day in person workshop focusing on the fundamentals capturing photo and video content with your smartphone. Work beside other businesses to develop your "camera confidence" and strengthen your content capturing abilities.
$
295
inc. gst, for one seat
-
12 attendees max to promote small group feel
-
One 4 hour session focused on a mix of theory and practical learning
-
Work in a group setting beside similar businesses
-
$245 inc gst for 1st additional team member (chamber member price)
-
$195 inc gst for any additional team member (chamber price)
Next cohort opens in February 2027
This workshop series is meant for individuals or businesses located in the Queenstown Lakes region (and those close enough to drive to Queenstown!).
Teams are encouraged to book staff together for a discount!
In partnership with
Workshop series hosted at the Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce conference room, Level 3/19 Rees Street, Queenstown 9300
Why train your staff to create content in-house?
Most companies don’t need more gear, they need smarter systems and a trained team.
✅ They’re out in the field every day
✅ Real-time content is authentic and effective
✅ Better UGC = better engagement + trust
✅ Reduces dependency on pro shoots for marketing content
✅ Staff love having creative tools that enhance their role
Training is a creative investment in yourself, your staff, your systems, and your brand.
Keen to book but have something else in mind? Let’s design a bespoke experience for your business!
What Queenstown teams say about the training
We recently engaged Chris Chase Photography to run a half-day workshop for a few of our SkyCity Queenstown team members, after being recommended by the Chamber. Chris was incredibly responsive and easy to work with from the start. He tailored the session to our objectives, covering the basics and then guiding the team through capturing their own imagery in a way that supports the type of content and collateral we create.
His communication was clear, his teaching style excellent, and his background in education really showed. The team found the workshop both practical and enjoyable. I’d happily recommend Chris to other businesses or individuals looking to upskill.
Chris ran a workshop with our team at Erik’s. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and we’ve ended up with a team full of enthusiasm for creating content.
Chris is a rare mix of some who’s technically excellent as well a great teacher and motivator of people, making things engaging and fun.
I’d highly recommend his workshops for any businesses wanting to motivate their team to create content.
Your trainer: A registered NZ teacher and working commercial photographer
Hi, I’m Chris Chase — a commercial photographer, filmmaker, educator, and creative consultant based in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked as a trained teacher in New York and across New Zealand, while also spending any spare time working in all sorts of roles within tourism and outdoor pursuits.
I have been a hiking and mountain biking guide, a snowboarding instructor and I’ve worked with tourism operators across NZ create content for all sorts of HERO marketing campaigns.
From creating HERO marketing content for businesses myself, to guiding all sorts of outdoor adventures across New Zealand, I’ve seen firsthand how the best photos often come from the people already out there every day: your staff.
These trainings and workshops were built to give your team the confidence, tools, and systems to turn great moments into even better content, without breaking the bank on new content each year.
-Chris
Chris Chase, Award-Winning Adventure Sports
Photographer, Filmmaker and Educator
Registered NZ Teacher and Proud member of the
Other recognition
Common questions about team content training
Do you run social media training for staff in Queenstown?
Yes. Sessions run on site at your premises or at the Queenstown Business Chamber conference room, for up to 12 people, with larger groups quoted separately.
Can you train our whole team to make content in-house instead of using an agency?
That is the point of the programme. Teams finish with content themes, a capture and posting pipeline, and a written Content SOP that survives staff turnover.
Do you offer smartphone training for hospitality and tourism teams?
Yes. The training is phone-first and built around the work your team already does, whether that is a kitchen service, a guided trip or a front of house shift.
How much does content training for a team cost in New Zealand?
Individual options (all options shown exclude gst):
Online course Modules – $895 for one seat in the online course COMING SOON
4 Hour Workshop with Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce- $295 inc gst per seat
1/2 day Public Group Workshops (in partnership with Queenstown Business Chamber):
$295 inc. gst per seat (Chamber member price)
$245 inc. gst per seat for 1st additional team member (If booking a team)
$195 inc. gst for any additional team member after that
Whole team training options (up to 8 staff):
$1,150 – Phone foundations, 1/2 day training. $150 per additional staff, up to 12
$4,249 – Full Day Intensive, full day training. $150 per additional staff, up to 12
$3,950 – Content Engine Immersion, Multi-Week training, $150 per additional staff
Do you travel outside Queenstown for team training?
Yes, across New Zealand. Travel and accommodation are quoted separately for sessions outside the Queenstown Lakes region.
What qualifications does the trainer have?
Chris Chase is a fully registered New Zealand teacher and a working commercial photographer and filmmaker, with multiple international awards for his commercial photography and documentary filmmaking, and has been a finalist in the 2023 Auckland Business Awards for Excellence in Marketing.
How many staff are included, and what if we have more?
In the public Chamber workshops, there is a maximum of 12 participants. For private team training, the pricing reflects up to 4 staff, with additional staff priced at $150.
Do you run public workshops, or only private team training?
Yes, I offer both public workshops and private team trainings. Public workshops are run in partnership with the Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce, and private team trainings are operated by me, on location.
Photographer, filmmaker and educator. Capturing the human connection through relatable, impactful and candid imagery.
Queenstown Based, available across New Zealand and the US.
Education and Training
Company