Manawatū
Photography Courses in Palmerston North
Every New Zealand Photography School course is studied online, so a Palmerston North student shoots the assignments in the Manawatū, uploads them, and gets written feedback from a working photographer. There is no campus and no fixed class night. That matters in a city where a large share of the population are students, shift workers at the hospital and the military bases, or people commuting from Feilding, Ashhurst and Levin.
Palmerston North does not have Napier's Art Deco or Dunedin's albatross, and it is honest to say so. What it has is a flat, walkable city built around a square, a river with the best-lit pedestrian bridge in the country, and, twenty minutes east, one of the most dramatic landscapes in the lower North Island where the Manawatū River cuts clean through the ranges under a ridgeline of wind turbines. This guide covers where Manawatū students practise, the calendar, the local market, the other ways to learn photography here including UCOL's well-regarded certificates, and what to expect from us.
Manawatū students receive the optional optional Digital Camera by courier anywhere in the region; there is no campus visit at any point in the course.
Also studying with us from Feilding, Ashhurst, Levin, Foxton, Whanganui, Dannevirke, Marton and nearby.
Great Places to Shoot in Palmerston North
The Square / Te Marae o Hine
Urban and event photography, the Hopwood Clock Tower, people, the city's civic centre
Best time: Late afternoon; market and event days
Access: Central, flat, free. Ask before close portraits of strangers.
He Ara Kotahi bridge and the Manawatū River pathway
Long exposures of the lit bridge, reflections, cyclists and runners for panning
Best time: Blue hour and after dark
Access: The bridge is lit at night and is the most photographed structure in the city. Flat shared paths on both banks.
Victoria Esplanade and the Dugald Mackenzie Rose Garden
Macro, colour, portraits in open shade; the miniature railway and aviary
Best time: Roses from November to March; overcast days for even light
Access: Free. The Esplanade is the city's main family park.
Te Āpiti Wind Farm viewing platform, Saddle Road
Turbines at scale, sunset, big skies, wind as a subject
Best time: Sunset
Access: Drive-up on Saddle Road above Ashhurst. Exposed and often very windy; brace the tripod.
Turitea Reserve and Arapuke Forest Park
Native bush, waterfalls, macro, low-light forest exposure
Best time: Overcast days; midday for bush interiors
Access: 15 to 20 minutes south-east. Arapuke's mountain-bike trails add action subjects.
Ashhurst Domain
Native bush, the Pohangina River, families for portrait practice
Best time: Morning
Access: Free. Camping ground; 15 minutes east.
Foxton Beach and Himatangi Beach
West-coast sunsets, dunes, driftwood, environmental portraits
Best time: Sunset
Access: 35 to 45 minutes west. The nearest coast; the Manawatū River mouth estuary at Foxton has good birdlife.
Tōtara Reserve, Pohangina Valley
Old-growth tōtara, river, bush interiors
Best time: Overcast days
Access: 40 minutes north-east.
The Palmerston North Photography Calendar
March
Festival of Cultures, The Square
Costume, food, performance: the best people-photography day of the year here
March
Central Districts Field Days, Manfeild, Feilding
Machinery, livestock, agricultural commercial subjects
June to July
Matariki
Night sky from the Saddle Road; dawn ceremonies
November to March
Roses in the Dugald Mackenzie Rose Garden
Macro and colour
Year round
Manfeild motorsport meetings, Feilding
Panning and high-shutter action
The Palmerston North Photography Community
Galleries
Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and History; Square Edge Arts Centre; Palmerston North City Library exhibitions.
Education
UCOL Manawatū's photography certificates (see the table below) and Massey University.
Ways to Learn Photography in Palmerston North
Manawatū Camera Club
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; specialisms in portrait, wildlife, business and video
From $35 per week
You cannot make fixed class nights, want to start now, or want a specialism UCOL's certificates do not cover
Courses Available From Palmerston North
FAQs for Palmerston North Students
Ready to start from Palmerston North?
[Compare the seven courses](/locations/palmerston-north/compare) or [talk to us](/contact).