Big Cat Photograpy - Colchester Zoological Society
Join us on one of our
Big Cat Photography
workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society
Amur Tiger - Tatana
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Big Cat Photography
workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society
Amur Tiger - Tatana
View more images
The Big Cat Photography workshop at Colchester Zoological Society is a great opportunity to take photos of the Amur leopards and tigers, African lion, cheetahs and other animals along the way while learning about camera settings and other technical photographic aspects plus how knowing more about the animals and their behaviour can help you to get great images.
Wildlife photographer, Barbara Meyer will be available throughout the event to offer advice and to help participants with the settings on their camera. Our customers will also benefit from learning more about the different big cat species and their situation in their natural habitat.
African Lion - Bailey
Our Big Cat Photography workshop will start at 9:30 and finish at 16:30 (16:00 from November to February). The maximum number of participants per photography workshop is limited to four (4). We believe that smaller groups are more beneficial to our customers in view of getting good positions and having support available when needed.
In addition to having support available throughout the event, participants have the option to have a 30-minutes online photography session before the photography workshop. Through this, participants will get one-to-one tuition on the level, they require. The session could cover anything from an introduction to the exposure and focus settings, to refreshing previously gained knowledge or learning more about how to approach wildlife photography. The combination of individual tuition and then taking photos of big cats at the zoo while having support available, makes this photography workshop an ideal preparation for people, who are planning to go on a tiger safari or on any other wildlife tour.
Amur Leopard - Esra
The price for the Big Cat Photography workshop is £141.50 per participant. The fee for the Big Cat Photography workshop will cover
- Guidance around the zoo and support on camera settings plus any photographic questions,
- A 30-minutes online photography session,
- The entrance fee to the zoo plus a snack voucher (a contribution towards your lunch),
- A donation of 45% to the Colchester Zoological Society (this goes fully to wildlife conservation projects)
Covered by the photography workshop fee is also that participants will become members of Big Cat & Nature Photography for one year (our workshops are meant to start and/or reignite an interest into wildlife photography or photography in general).
The membership scheme with Big Cat & Nature Photography provides participants on our Big Cat Photography workshop with a range of benefits from discounts when booking future events to access to Hints & Tips in our Members’ Zone and Members meeting. For more details please visit our Membership page (by clicking on the highlighted term).
As mentioned, we limit the number of participants to 4 photography customers on our Big Cat Photography workshops (minimum of two per photo day). Additionally we do allow up to 1 non-photographer guest per photography workshop (we recommend to buy the guest ticket online prior to the workshop day). However, please do check with us before bringing anyone (including a carer) along to ensure the guest space is still available (saying this, the Colchester Zoological Society is of course open to everyone, and if you bring partners, family and friends, they are welcome to spend the time around the zoo while the photography workshop participants will focus on the cats and other wildlife - entrance tickets can be bought online directly via the Colchester Zoological Society website).
Cheetah - Azizi
The following Big Cat Photography workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society have been scheduled for 2025:
26 September 2025 (Friday) - only 2 spaces left
17 October 2025 (Friday) - only 2 spaces left
..7 November 2025 (Friday) - only 2 spaces left
..5 December 2025 (Friday) - spaces available
(as in previous years, we will add further dates, depending on demand)
Amur Tiger - Tatana
Below is a provisional itinerary for our Big Cat Photography workshop:
9:30 Meeting in the zoo’s entrance building
9:40 Amur Leopards
Bailey the lion
Animals along the way
11:30 Lunch Break
12:15 Amur leopards
13:00 Amur Tigers
Animals along the way
15:00 Cheetahs
16:30 Finish - (16:00 from November – February)
9:40 Amur Leopards
Bailey the lion
Animals along the way
11:30 Lunch Break
12:15 Amur leopards
13:00 Amur Tigers
Animals along the way
15:00 Cheetahs
16:30 Finish - (16:00 from November – February)
This itinerary is only an example as changes may occur, based on requirements by participants and/or circumstances around the animals at the zoo or any other conditions.
Feedback from participants on previous Big Cat Photography workshops:
By Andy Wales:
"fun day out at Colchester photographing the big cats. Made a lot easier by Barbara's knowledge and tips and came away with some very usable images, even shooting through glass."[/1]
By Chris Moore:
"A lovely day at the zoo. Barbara knew just where to go for the best shots of the animals. Also when to go when the animals were at their most active - usually at feeding time. Knowing the keepers and other staff, she was able to anticipate when things were about to happen. Very knowledgeable on photography and always willing to share valuable suggestions. Thank you, Barbara, you made it a worthwhile journey from Somerset."
By Phil Hale:
"Thank you Barbara. A really helpful tutorial before hand and a great day at Colchester Zoo - learned a lot and have some amazing big cat (and other animal !) photos"
By Steve Brown:
"Great day just before the lockdown. Excellent itinerary, plenty of time at the enclosures, with great advice and tips shame the day flew by...👍👍👍 would highly recommend this course and great value for money."
By KAREN WHITE:
"Thanks for a great Valentines Day at Colchester Zoo, Barbara. Got some super photos of the big cats especially the Amur leopard cubs and their Mum which my friends all love! I will definitely be recommending your photography days to other friends. Thank you - Karen"
By Tony Pay:
""Thank you for a great day taking photos of Big Cats. It was nice talking to you and passing on some of your skills. I now have about 200 photos to wade through!"
By Bev Osbourne:
"I just wanted to say a huge thanks again for all the photography hints and tips you gave me. We had an amazing time in Namibia (subsequently) – and I was able to take some shots that I wouldn’t have bothered with before."
You can book your space/s by completing the form at the end of this page. Provided it is not indicated above that there are no spaces or only 1 or 2 spaces available for the photography workshop of your choice, you can proceed to our online shop via the 'Payment Link' (in the green message box that comes up after you have submitted the booking form) to pay either the deposit or the full fee from there (the full fee is required when buying a gift voucher or when booking 4 weeks or less prior to the photography workshop date). For more details about the booking process, please check our Terms and Conditions.
Please read also the Entry Terms & Conditions of Colchester Zoological Society.
If you are not sure about what date would suit you best, or you would like to get a space on the Big Cat Photography workshop for a friend or family member, you can also buy a gift voucher and agree the date at a later stage.
Please contact us via info@bigcatphotography.co.uk, if you have any questions.