Taking close-up photos of lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!), following your fearless guide past posing flamingos and angry-looking rhinoceroses, and learning about the art of wildlife photography. No, this is not a safari. It is the much cheaper (and safer) version: a trip with one of the fantastic and accomplished Digital Photo Academy instructors to the Phoenix Zoo!

Wildlife photography is one of the most exciting fields within photography. Although the animals you will be shooting (with your camera, PETA. We meant with cameras!) will be enclosed, you will still quickly realize the difficulties of a model who rarely stays stationary and cannot know you are taking pictures!

This photo shoot offers plenty of opportunity to learn, principles, tips and techniques for the composition of powerful images. For instance, one of the most difficult parts of photography in the zoo is creating the illusion that your subjects are not fenced in. This illusion can be successful if the photographer frames the image creatively or blurs the background. Your instructor will help you to do both.

This is also the perfect place to use leading lines, which relate to positioning of the content of an image to move the viewers’ eyes across the photograph. You can compose your photograph so that viewers are guided by a giraffe’s neck, a zebra’s stripes, even some birds’ long beaks!

This is a great class to take if you would like to learn to how to place your camera and wait out your subject. You can never know exactly when the opportunity will arise to capture a decisive moment of interaction between two animals or the singular expression of an isolated creature going about its day-to-day existence. But your instructor will provide tips on maximizing your ability to capture an animal engaged in its most dynamic pose or action.

Please Note – if a class must be cancelled due to weather or other circumstances beyond our control we will be happy to work with you to reschedule or provide a refund. However, if you should need to cancel or require a new class date, contact us. A $25 transfer fee will be imposed without a 3 day notice before the scheduled class.

Call Digital Photo Academy at 1 877 372 2231 or a filed agent at 917 597 7053. Lots of people seem to hang up if our welcome recording comes on instead of a live voice, but we promise to return your message within a day or two if you leave one with your name and number. It would be even better if you included your email address as well as the date and city of the class you are considering. If leaving a voice mail message is not your thing, please email us at DPAbooking@digitalphotoacademy.com and include the date and city of the class you are considering, as well as your phone number .