Napier
Wildlife Photography Course in Napier
Wildlife Photography is a course in patience, long lenses and ethics, and Hawke's Bay has one of the most accessible mainland seabird colonies in the world twenty minutes from the city, plus an estuary full of wading birds on the edge of town.
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What You'll Learn
- Module 1: Getting Set Up
- Module 2: Mastering Exposure
- Module 3: Understanding Animal Behaviour
- Module 4: Colour, Exposure & Control In Natural Light
- Module 5: Fieldcraft & Ethics
- Module 6: Editing Wildlife Images
- Module 7: In The Wild
- Module 8: In The City
- Module 9: Building A Wildlife Portfolio
Your Tutors

Deb
Head Tutor — Landscape & Travel Photography
Seasoned photographer and educator with a passion for landscape, travel, macro, and food photography. As Head Tutor, Deb reviews assignments across nearly every course on offer, and her feedback consistently comes back to the same principle: strong technical fundamentals are what let a photographer's own style come through, rather than getting in the way of it.

John
Tutor — Nature, Travel & Sports Photography
Experienced photographer with a passion for nature, travel, and sports photography, bringing a fresh perspective. John's own work is shaped by chasing fast-moving subjects and unpredictable outdoor light, which comes through directly in the feedback he gives students working through the same challenges in their own assignments.
Meet the tutors who'll be giving you feedback
Real working photographers review every assignment you submit and tell you what to change.
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Answers to the questions students ask most before enrolling.
Wildlife Photography Course in Palmerston North
Studying from Palmerston North instead? See this course's own local page.
Wildlife Photography Course in Hamilton
Studying from Hamilton instead? See this course's own local page.
24/7 Access to Course Materials
Passionate and Experienced Tutors
Self-Paced Study
Flexible Payment Options Available

Practising in Napier
Wildlife photography around Napier
The Art Deco precinct around Tennyson and Emerson Streets is the obvious draw — pastel façades, geometric detailing and period signage give you a genuinely unique architectural and street photography subject you won't find replicated elsewhere in New Zealand. Marine Parade runs along the waterfront with Norfolk pines and Art Deco streetlamps for a classic Napier composition, and Cape Kidnappers (a working farm and one of the world's most accessible mainland gannet colonies) is a must for wildlife students willing to make the drive or walk. Te Mata Peak, just out of Havelock North, gives you an elevated view over Hawke's Bay's vineyards and plains, particularly striking at sunset.
On pay: New Zealand doesn't have reliable city-by-city salary data for photographers — most job sites (SEEK included) show the same national figure copy-pasted across every region. SEEK's most recent figure puts the average New Zealand photographer salary at around $75,420 a year, though this varies widely by specialisation and whether you're employed or self-employed — wedding, commercial and corporate photographers with an established client base typically earn well above that figure, while it takes most freelancers a few years to get there. A Business Photography Course is built specifically around that gap — the pricing, marketing and client-management skills that turn technical ability into consistent income.
Napier Questions About Wildlife Photography Course
Success in Focus
What Our Students Say
“I found the course very informative and really enjoyed how I could do each module at my own pace. Deb was very responsive and provided valuable and encouraging feedback. I especially liked how detailed the Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom modules were and the video resources. The course has definitely given me a solid foundation to build upon and I realise I am heading in the right direction with photography.”
Kylie
“I've just completed a photography course through learning online, the help I got was amazing and the course was extremely good. I learnt so much from this course and I would highly recommend going through them if your looking for a course to study from home.”
Samantha D'Silva
“I have just completed my Professional Photography course. Deb was my tutor and she was very helpful and quick to respond. The course information was very easy to understand and 'the work at your own pace' curriculum was super helpful being a Mum of 2.”
Gabby

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Compare all seven courses available from Napier and find the one that matches where you want to go.