Photography Workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society
Big Cat & Nature Photography has had the privilege to work with the Colchester Zoological Society (previously Colchestr Zoo) for more than 15 years. With more than 150 different wildlife species in naturally set enclosures, there are always great photo opportunities.
We are pleased that the management of the Colchester Zoological Society has agreed to continue our co-operation, meaning we will continue to offer our customers all five types of photography workshops, we have provided in previous years:
Big Cat Photography workshop – participants will be able to photograph the Amur leopards and tigers, African lion, cheetahs, and any animals we will pass on route
Amur Tiger - Tatana
African Photography Safari workshop – covering Bailey, the lion, fennec foxes, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, and much more
Giraffe - Lili
Primates Photography workshop – participants will be able to photograph a wide variety of primates at the Colchester Zoological Society, including different ape, monkey, and lemur species.
Orangutan - Mali
Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - our teenaged customers (aged 10 to 15 years) may use the photography workshop to photograph any wildlife species for a GCSE- or A-level Photography project or to enhance their portfolio while having support available. Favourite animals include often the carnivore species like tigers, wolves and sea lions or continent specific wildlife species like the red panda, elephants, orangutans and others.
Red Panda - Liwei
Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop – our youngest customers (aged 6 to 9 years)have the opportunity to learn how to approach photographing animals by moving towards them without being noticed, by observing the animals and assessing possible photo opportunities plus by looking from what angle a better view of the animals and composition of the images can be achieved.
Slender-tailed Meerkats
Our photography workshops during the week, the Big Cat Photography, African Photography Safari and the Primates Photography workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society will remain in the same format and have the same benefits as before (for more details please click on the highlighted photography workshop names above). The price for a space on one of these photography workshops is £141.50 per participant. In order to ensure our customers will get full benefit out of the photography experiences, we continue to limit the maximum number of participants to 4 photographers per event (minimum of 2 participants).
All three photography workshop types will start at 9:30 and finish at 16:30 (16:00 from November to February). As before participants will benefit from
Chimpanzee - Napoleon
We will continue to provide two separate children’s photography workshops, aimed at two different age groups; a Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop (children aged 10-15 years) and a Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop (children aged 6-9 years).
Our Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop is aimed at children aged 10 – 15 years, who have a keen interest in photography, may have taken up GCSE- or A-level Photography and/or considering photography as a professional option. This type of photography workshop for children has a duration of 5 hours (9:30 – 14:30) and costs £167.50 per child.
Our Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop is a photography experience for younger children (aged 6-9 years), who would like to learn about focusing on the animals and their surroundings to get interesting portraits and/or action photos of these. This photography workshop type has a duration of 3 hours (9:30 – 12:30) and will have only up to a maximum of 2 children (plus one guardian each). The price for this photography workshop type is £110.00 per child.
Amur Leopard - Esra
The prices for both children photography workshops include
Furthermore, participants on all of our photography workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society become members of Big Cat & Nature Photography for one year (having access to member discounts and online photography articles)
For more information on the photography workshop types please click on the highlighted names above or in the list below.
Hyena
We have scheduled the following photography workshop dates at the Colchester Zoological Society for 2025/26. This includes for the first time a date (20/02/2026) within a school holiday period. This is meant for teachers and university staff in particular; (people, who can’t take time off during school terms):
..7 November 2025 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - only 1 space left
22 November 2025 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
..5 December 2025 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - only 3 spaces letf
16 January 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..7 February 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
20 February 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..7 March 2026 (Saturday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - only 1 space left
20 March 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
17 April 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
19 April 2026 (Sunday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
24 April 2026 (Friday) African Photography Safari workshop - spaces available
..8 May 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
10 May 2026 (Sunday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
15 May 2026 (Friday) Primates Photography workshop - spaces available
16 May 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
..5 June 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
13 June 2026 (Saturday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
26 June 2026 (Friday) African Photography Safari workshop - only 3 spaces left
..3 July 2026 (Friday) Primates Photography workshop - spaces available
..5 July 2026 (Sunday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - only 2 spaces left
10 July 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
12 July 2026 (Sunday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
..4 September 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
11 September 2026 (Friday) African Photography Safari workshop - spaces available
18 September 2026 (Friday) Primates Photography workshop - spaces available
19 September 2026 (Saturday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
25 September 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..2 October 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..4 October 2026 (Sunday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
17 October 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
13 November 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
14 November 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
..4 December 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
For more information on the photography workshop types and to book your space/s please click on the highlighted names above or ...
Alternatively, 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 a limited number of spaces available for the photography workshop date of your choice, you can proceed directly to the online shop via the 'Payment Link' (in the Green message box that comes up after you submitted the booking form) to pay either the deposit or the full fee from there (the full fee is required when asking for/buying a gift voucher or when booking 4 weeks or less prior to the workshop date). For more details about the booking process, please check our Terms and Conditions.
Please read also the Entry Terms & Conditions of the Colchester Zoological Society as they apply as well on all of our photography experiences at this zoo.
If you are not sure about which date would suit you best, or you would like to get a space on one of the photography workshops for a friend or family member, you can also buy a gift voucher and agree the workshop date at a later stage.
Please contact us via info@bigcatphotography.co.uk, if you have any questions.
We are pleased that the management of the Colchester Zoological Society has agreed to continue our co-operation, meaning we will continue to offer our customers all five types of photography workshops, we have provided in previous years:
Big Cat Photography workshop – participants will be able to photograph the Amur leopards and tigers, African lion, cheetahs, and any animals we will pass on route
Amur Tiger - Tatana
African Photography Safari workshop – covering Bailey, the lion, fennec foxes, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, and much more
Giraffe - Lili
Primates Photography workshop – participants will be able to photograph a wide variety of primates at the Colchester Zoological Society, including different ape, monkey, and lemur species.
Orangutan - Mali
Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - our teenaged customers (aged 10 to 15 years) may use the photography workshop to photograph any wildlife species for a GCSE- or A-level Photography project or to enhance their portfolio while having support available. Favourite animals include often the carnivore species like tigers, wolves and sea lions or continent specific wildlife species like the red panda, elephants, orangutans and others.
Red Panda - Liwei
Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop – our youngest customers (aged 6 to 9 years)have the opportunity to learn how to approach photographing animals by moving towards them without being noticed, by observing the animals and assessing possible photo opportunities plus by looking from what angle a better view of the animals and composition of the images can be achieved.
Slender-tailed Meerkats
Our photography workshops during the week, the Big Cat Photography, African Photography Safari and the Primates Photography workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society will remain in the same format and have the same benefits as before (for more details please click on the highlighted photography workshop names above). The price for a space on one of these photography workshops is £141.50 per participant. In order to ensure our customers will get full benefit out of the photography experiences, we continue to limit the maximum number of participants to 4 photographers per event (minimum of 2 participants).
All three photography workshop types will start at 9:30 and finish at 16:30 (16:00 from November to February). As before participants will benefit from
- A guided tour with support and advice on camera settings and other photographic aspects,
- Information on the animal species and their behaviour, which does help to get better photos of the wildlife,
- The option to have a 30-minutes online photography session prior to the photography workshops, providing tuition tailored to the individual needs of participants
Chimpanzee - Napoleon
We will continue to provide two separate children’s photography workshops, aimed at two different age groups; a Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop (children aged 10-15 years) and a Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop (children aged 6-9 years).
Our Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop is aimed at children aged 10 – 15 years, who have a keen interest in photography, may have taken up GCSE- or A-level Photography and/or considering photography as a professional option. This type of photography workshop for children has a duration of 5 hours (9:30 – 14:30) and costs £167.50 per child.
Our Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop is a photography experience for younger children (aged 6-9 years), who would like to learn about focusing on the animals and their surroundings to get interesting portraits and/or action photos of these. This photography workshop type has a duration of 3 hours (9:30 – 12:30) and will have only up to a maximum of 2 children (plus one guardian each). The price for this photography workshop type is £110.00 per child.
Amur Leopard - Esra
The prices for both children photography workshops include
- The entrance fee for one child and one guardian,
- The option to have a 30-minutes online photography session prior to the actual photography workshop,
- Having support and advice available on camera settings, how to approach taking photos of wildlife and any other photography aspects.
Furthermore, participants on all of our photography workshops at the Colchester Zoological Society become members of Big Cat & Nature Photography for one year (having access to member discounts and online photography articles)
For more information on the photography workshop types please click on the highlighted names above or in the list below.
Hyena
We have scheduled the following photography workshop dates at the Colchester Zoological Society for 2025/26. This includes for the first time a date (20/02/2026) within a school holiday period. This is meant for teachers and university staff in particular; (people, who can’t take time off during school terms):
..7 November 2025 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - only 1 space left
22 November 2025 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
..5 December 2025 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - only 3 spaces letf
16 January 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..7 February 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
20 February 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..7 March 2026 (Saturday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - only 1 space left
20 March 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
17 April 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
19 April 2026 (Sunday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
24 April 2026 (Friday) African Photography Safari workshop - spaces available
..8 May 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
10 May 2026 (Sunday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
15 May 2026 (Friday) Primates Photography workshop - spaces available
16 May 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
..5 June 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
13 June 2026 (Saturday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
26 June 2026 (Friday) African Photography Safari workshop - only 3 spaces left
..3 July 2026 (Friday) Primates Photography workshop - spaces available
..5 July 2026 (Sunday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - only 2 spaces left
10 July 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
12 July 2026 (Sunday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
..4 September 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
11 September 2026 (Friday) African Photography Safari workshop - spaces available
18 September 2026 (Friday) Primates Photography workshop - spaces available
19 September 2026 (Saturday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
25 September 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..2 October 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
..4 October 2026 (Sunday) Zoo Photography for Junior Explorers workshop - spaces available
17 October 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
13 November 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
14 November 2026 (Saturday) Wildlife Photography for Teenagers workshop - spaces available
..4 December 2026 (Friday) Big Cat Photography workshop - spaces available
For more information on the photography workshop types and to book your space/s please click on the highlighted names above or ...
Alternatively, 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 a limited number of spaces available for the photography workshop date of your choice, you can proceed directly to the online shop via the 'Payment Link' (in the Green message box that comes up after you submitted the booking form) to pay either the deposit or the full fee from there (the full fee is required when asking for/buying a gift voucher or when booking 4 weeks or less prior to the workshop date). For more details about the booking process, please check our Terms and Conditions.
Please read also the Entry Terms & Conditions of the Colchester Zoological Society as they apply as well on all of our photography experiences at this zoo.
If you are not sure about which date would suit you best, or you would like to get a space on one of the photography workshops for a friend or family member, you can also buy a gift voucher and agree the workshop date at a later stage.
Please contact us via info@bigcatphotography.co.uk, if you have any questions.