Otago
Photography Courses in Dunedin
Every New Zealand Photography School course is studied online, so a Dunedin student learns exactly the same way as one in Auckland: shoot the assignments where you live, upload them, and a working photographer writes back with feedback on your photographs. The difference is what "where you live" contains. No other New Zealand city has a mainland albatross colony, sea lions on suburban beaches and penguins coming ashore at dusk within half an hour of the Octagon.
Dunedin is also a Victorian and Edwardian city with a university at its centre, the country's oldest botanic garden, and, on the right night, the aurora australis over the harbour. This guide covers where Dunedin students practise, the seasonal calendar that matters more here than anywhere else in the set, the local market, the other ways to learn photography in Otago, and what to expect from us.
Dunedin students receive the optional optional Digital Camera by courier anywhere in Otago; there is no campus visit at any point in the course.
Also studying with us from Mosgiel, Port Chalmers, Waitati, Oamaru, Balclutha, Invercargill, Queenstown and nearby.
Great Places to Shoot in Dunedin
Hoopers Inlet and Papanui Inlet
Reflections, wading birds, still-water long exposures; aurora on clear nights to the south
Best time: Dawn for glass-flat water; dark clear nights for aurora
Access: Roadside on the low road. Light pollution is low; face south.
Baldwin Street
The steep-street novelty, perspective and lens exercises
Best time: Morning
Access: Residential. Stay on the footpath and be considerate of residents.
St Clair and St Kilda
Sunrise over the Pacific, the salt-water pool, surfers, the esplanade
Best time: Sunrise
Access: East-facing; the easiest good sunrise in the city.
Signal Hill lookout and Mount Cargill
Panoramas of the city and harbour; the Organ Pipes basalt columns near Cargill
Best time: Blue hour for Signal Hill; clear days for Cargill
Access: Both drive-up; Cargill's summit is a short walk.
Dunedin Botanic Garden
New Zealand's first botanic garden (1863): the rhododendron dell, the aviary, macro and portrait backdrops
Best time: October for rhododendrons; autumn for colour
Access: Free. Upper garden for the dell and the views.
Aramoana Mole
Long exposures on the breakwater, sea lions, ships entering the harbour
Best time: Sunset
Access: 40 minutes; drive to the end of the peninsula road on the north side.
Day trips: Moeraki Boulders; Nugget Point / Tokatā
Boulders at sunrise with an incoming tide; the lighthouse at first light
Best time: Sunrise for both
Access: Moeraki about an hour north; Nugget Point about 90 minutes south in the Catlins.
The Dunedin Photography Calendar
February
Chinese New Year and Dunedin Fringe (into March)
Night colour; performance
Winter (May to August)
Best aurora australis season: long dark nights
Face south from Hoopers Inlet or Sandymount on clear nights with a strong forecast
Year round
Cruise ships at Port Chalmers (season October to April)
Scale, harbour, port photography
The Dunedin Photography Community
Galleries and collections
Dunedin Public Art Gallery; Blue Oyster Art Project Space; the Dunedin School of Art gallery at Otago Polytechnic; the Hocken Collections, a major New Zealand photographic archive; Tūhura Otago Museum.
Wildlife
Royal Albatross Centre; Orokonui Ecosanctuary; the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (for ethics guidance and volunteering).
Industry
NZIPP Otago/Southland region; PSNZ.
Ways to Learn Photography in Dunedin
Otago Polytechnic: New Zealand Diploma in Photography (Level 5) and Bachelor of Visual Arts
Full-time or part-time NZQA study
Tertiary fees
You want a qualification and studio access
OurSight
Free scheduled drop-in workshops
Free
You want a friendly, no-cost start
Dunedin Photographic Society
Club nights, competitions, outings
Annual membership
You want community and critique
New Zealand Photography School
This courseOnline, structured assignments, tutor feedback on your photos, start any week, up to 12 months' access
From $35 per week
You want a certificate and months of feedback around work, with a wildlife specialism on your doorstep
Courses Available From Dunedin
FAQs for Dunedin Students
Ready to start from Dunedin?
[Compare the seven courses](/locations/dunedin/compare) or [talk to us](/contact).