Are you planning a wildlife safari or eager to photograph animals in exotic destinations, or even at your local zoo?
Join our Wildlife Photography course to refine your skills and learn how to capture stunning, respectful animal portraits in various environments. Led by multi-award-winning photographer Nic van Oudtshoorn ARPS, this one-day course includes a theory session at our Rozelle campus followed by a practical session at Taronga Zoo.
In the morning, participants will explore key aspects of wildlife photography including equipment, camera settings, lighting, and composition techniques. In the afternoon, you'll practice these concepts hands-on at Taronga Zoo, focusing on capturing animal portraits in both colour and black-and-white.
Learn to select focus points, understand depth of field, utilize fill-in flash, and apply advanced composition principles. Discover the importance of animal ethics — photographing with minimal disturbance while capturing personality and essence through your lens.
Course Content
- Explore required photography equipment and accessories
- Learn camera settings and lighting techniques for animal portraits
- Practice advanced composition, focus, and editing skills
Schedule & Pricing
- Morning session: Rozelle Campus, 2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW
- Afternoon session: Taronga Zoo via carpool (admission not included)
- Course date: 28 February 2026, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
- Course fee: $299 (Zoo admission: $49.50 online or $55 at gate, payable separately by student)
You will learn
- Apply advanced camera settings and use different lenses for wildlife portraits
- Use composition techniques like Rule of Thirds and understand depth of field
- Adjust white balance, color temperatures, and use flash and tripods effectively
You will get
- Expert instruction from award-winning wildlife photographer
- Hands-on practical session at Taronga Zoo
- Guidance on editing wildlife images using Photoshop or Lightroom
Appropriate for
Photographers with a working knowledge of camera functions and basic photography principles, or those who have completed a beginner's photography course.
What to bring
- Laptop with Photoshop or Lightroom (recommended trial version if needed)
- DSLR or mirrorless camera with lenses, tripod and flash (optional)
- Charged batteries, camera manual, writing materials, and your own lunch
What to wear
Casual and comfortable for walking outdoors
Nic van Oudtshoorn is a multi-award-winning photographer, including the 2024 Abstract Photographer of the Year in the professional category of the prestigious international ReFocus World Photo Annual competition. Photographers from over 60 countries took part. He also won a “Highly Commended” award in the professional wildlife section of the same competition.
Nic has been a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker for more than 40 years, with a particular interest in black-and-white, as well as macro and wildlife photography.
Nic's photos have appeared in books, calendars, newspapers and magazines (including Time and Reader's Digest) around the world.
His photographic excellence has earned him the distinction of Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, the oldest and one of the most prestigious such organisations in the world.
His footage has been seen on TV around the world, including National Geographic and Discovery channels. He has won numerous international awards for his photographs, both colour and black-and-white.
Nic is a qualified instructor with a Master’s degree from Sydney University and enjoys training photographers at local colleges and online. He is the author of 14 books, including The Photographer's Guide to Close-up, Macro and Focus Stacking, available from Amazon as a paperback, as well as a Kindle edition.
Organized by
Sydney Community College
38 reviewsSydney Community College is a registered charity with a voluntary Board of Directors.
The College has a mission to offer innovative continuing adult education and training programmes that support individual efforts and facilitate sustainable social change.
We do this by:
- Providing quality continuing adult education opportunities for people to build practical and theoretical skills and develop knowledge;
- Leveraging from and developing community capacity and inclusivity;
- Developing innovative affordable and accessible skills training programmes;
- Partnering with like organisations to deliver learning opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities;
- Partnering with all levels of government to deliver education policy objectives.
Cancellations & Refunds
If the organiser cancels the class:
You are entitled to a full refund.
If you can't attend the class:
You’re welcome to send someone in your place.
OR
- A refund can be requested 10 days before class starts. An admin fee of AU$45.00 applies.
Terms & Conditions
At Sydney Community College, we know that plans can change unexpectedly. Whether it’s a shift in your schedule, a family emergency, or just a change of heart, we want to support you in the fairest way possible.
At the same time, we’re a not-for-profit organisation that commits resources to running each class—so last-minute cancellations can significantly impact our ability to offer quality, affordable programs.
That’s why we’ve created a simple, transparent policy that balances your need for flexibility with our need to plan and deliver courses sustainably. Our cancellation policy offers two clear options, depending on when you notify us:
Cancel More Than 10 Days Before the Course Starts – You can choose to receive a full refund, minus a $45 administration fee OR a non-refundable credit note valid for 12 months for the full value you paid for the course. This credit can be used towards any future course at the College.
Option 2: Cancel Within 10 Days of the Course Starting - You’ll receive a credit note valid for 12 months for 50% of the course fee you paid for the course. This credit can be used towards any future course at the College.
Please note that both refund and credit options are only available before the course begins. Once the course has started—or if you decide to withdraw after it has commenced—no refunds or credits can be issued. If you need to cancel your enrolment, just email us and we’ll take care of it based on the timelines above.
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Tags:
Wildlife Photography
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