Wildlife Photography Melbourne Zoo

📆 Wednesday, 16th September 2026

🕚 11am - 2pm

📍Melbourne Zoo, Parkville

🏷️ $297 (includes entry)

Spring at the Zoo


This is not a stroll around the zoo with a camera.

This is where you learn to think like a wildlife photographer and hopefully we will capture baby animals

How to read an animal, anticipate the moment, choose the right lens, know how and where to put the focus, what composition to use to enhance the animal in the frame.

Get the settings right before the shot disappears

At the zoo, the wildlife comes to you. Which means you can focus entirely on learning how to capture it.

Springtime at the zoo, hopefully we can capture some baby animals

What You Will Learn

You learn: Aperture Mode, Metering Mode, Fstops and Depth of Field, Focus and Shutter Drive

  • How to choose the right lens for wildlife, wide vs zoom

  • Aperture Mode - move off Auto

  • Metering Mode - so your camera reads the light correctly to give you best exposure (light in your photo)

  • Shutter Drive - when to take one photo or a series of photos

  • Depth of Field - how make your subject 'pop' by blurring out the background

  • Focus Techniques - learn how to 'lock' a focus and ' focus on a moving animal

  • Best composition for wildlife - photographing the whole animal isn't always the best composition - learn how to see compositon

What To Bring

  • Your camera

  • A zoom lens if you have one - great for bringing wildlife closer to you

  • Comfortable walking shoes - we'll be moving around the zoo grounds for the full session

  • Weather appropriate clothing - check the forecast, we'll be outside rain or shine

  • A fully charged battery and spare if you have one, three hours is a long time for a mirrorless camera to work continuously with out running low on battery. Memory card

  • Water and snack, there are cafes at the zoo and we will stop for 15mins for bite to eat or eat on the go

Is This Workshop For You?

This workshop is perfect for you if you've ever walked through a zoo with your camera and come home with photos that just don't capture what you saw.

Whether you are an absolute beginner or you have some experience, this session is designed to meet you exactly where you are..

In a small group of just 6, you'll get real hands on guidance as we work together to photograph Melbourne Zoo's wildlife, so you leave with images you're genuinely proud of and skills you'll use long after the day is done.

📆Wednesday, 16th September 2026

🕚11am - 2pm

📍Melbourne Zoo, Parkville

Only 6 spaces available

$297 AUD pp

Only 6 spaces available

About Derry

With 40 years behind the camera and 17 years teaching others how to see the world through their camera, I've helped thousands of photographers go from 'I just don't get my camera' to capturing images they're genuinely proud of

As the founder of Learn How To Photograph, I've built a community of over 1.4 million people across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook who are learning to slow down, look closer and shoot with confidence, in not only their camera, but themselves

And if you're a bit old school like me and you prefer to learn at a slower, kinder, more gentle pace, without judgement or assuming you already have a level of knowledge, this is for you

I am so looking forward to walking alongside you on your photography journey for a few hours to help you capture the shot you saw