Wildlife Photography for 15 – 17 Year Olds
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£525
- Start Date(s): 28 July 2025
- Duration: Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Course dates:
28 July - 1 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Love animals and photography? Explore the wild through your camera lens.
This course is your chance to develop your skills in capturing wildlife, from tiny insects to soaring birds and everything in between.
You’ll explore nature through the eyes of a photographer, learning how to take stunning images of animals in their natural habitats. Whether you're dreaming of a creative career or just love photography, this course will help you build confidence behind the camera while connecting with the natural world.
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You’ll be part of a design community in our creative studio culture; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas. -
With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your designs at home or work. -
Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in varied practices. -
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance from a well respected University
Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award?
This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential Award and is an amazing opportunity to make new friends and memories. It will be fun and gently challenging, allowing you to follow your passion and discover talents you never knew you had.
DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.
You must also attend the social events that are planned on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and you must plan and attend your own social activities with other participants on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
What you’ll study
Head outdoors to photograph wildlife in real settings, developing your confidence with the camera as you master key settings like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
You'll learn how to frame the perfect shot using composition techniques that make your images stand out.
Back in the studio, you'll enhance your photos with editing software and experiment with different styles, from action shots to close-ups, to create unique and eye-catching images.
During this you will:
- become a responsible wildlife photographer
- engage with live subjects in their natural habitat, including birds, mammals and insects
- earn how to build a hide and the basics of fieldcraft
- be involved in practical workshops in the green spaces close to our studios
- go on day trips further afield to explore habitats and see larger animals
- undertake group critiques and learn how to understand your camera
- learn how to enhance and edit your images in our editing suites.
So, grab your camera and join us on a journey into the vibrant world of visual storytelling that's all about exploring the exciting possibilities that photography holds.
By the end of your course, you will have created some amazing new images, made some great new friends, explored a beautiful part of the country and got a bit muddy on the way.
You'll have a unique understanding of wildlife photography and its demands as well as rewards.
You'll also have the knowledge and experience of how to plan and capture wildlife shots and how to edit your images effectively.
Social events
We appoint NTU Student Ambassadors who host social events on Monday and Wednesday evening to help you make friends across the whole of our summer school programme for 15-17 year olds, which are free to attend.
How you’re taught
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University.
Contact hours
You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
Careers and employability
The course is designed to give you a real experience of university life, make new friends who share similar interests and develop your portfolio so that ultimately, you can make an informed decision about your future.
Discover the potential career paths within the wildlife photography industry. From freelance gigs to professional photographers, you will explore how your passion for photography and wildlife can shape your future. Get insights from professionals, learn about educational paths, and gain valuable tips for building your portfolio.
On successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.
Campus and facilities
You will be based in the Nottingham School of Art and Design on the City Campus.
You’ll find full-size photography studios and comprehensive Mac editing suites with software for photography editing, including Adobe Creative Cloud.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
You will receive an email one week before the course starts with joining instructions on where to go for the first day.
Entry requirements
Level: Open to all
Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for wildlife, photography and the arts, and an interest in developing your creative and technical skills. An understanding of Photoshop or editing skills is useful but not essential.
You must be 15, 16 or 17 years old at the time of the course in order to attend
Fees and funding
The fee for this course is £525.
Payment is due at the time of booking.
Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.
All your materials and equipment will be provided, but you may also want to bring with you:
- a digital camera (that has manual settings) or a Digital SLR camera, with its cables (if you don’t have a camera try to borrow one to begin with rather than buying expensive kit that’s not quite right. There will be plenty of advice during the course about what to buy and where to buy it).
- a long lens or macro lens if you have them
- a notepad and pen
- a 5 GB memory stick
- Please wear suitable footwear as you will be walking around in the outdoors.
Read our booking terms and conditions.
Need accommodation?
Accommodation can be booked separately to the course; the rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms, and cost £259 per week, which is ideal if you're looking to be based in Nottingham's lively city centre and want an economical place to stay.
These are single rooms with a private bathroom in shared apartments in Nottingham Trent University’s city campus accommodation.
If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian (to support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence and there is a dedicated Warden available).
If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian (you must book two separate rooms and let us know so we can place you in rooms next to each other).
This option is particularly popular with students completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award.
Find out more and book your accommodation here.
Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?
If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees (email the short course team with your order number to claim the refund).
How to apply
You can book this course for the following dates via the NTU online store:
28 July - 1 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Browse all our summer courses for 15 – 17 year olds.
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813