Paul Nicklen, National Geographic, award-winning wildlife photographer is now offering a 50 episode Masterclass on wildlife photography.
As Paul states in his Introduction to the course, “I’m only going to teach photography once in my life and this is it. This is my tell all.”
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Best Wildlife Photography Course
The best wildlife photography courses will challenge you to think differently. The course provides you with drills, tips and tricks that you can apply and execute in the field straight away. Paul Nicklen’s wildlife photography course checks all of those boxes for me.
My best learning has always come from those that I have enrolled as mentors over the years, they’ve helped me to grow as a photographer. I’ve followed and extensively studied the work of dozens of wildlife photographers that create powerful images. Those are the people who challenge me to be a better photographer.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have the opportunity to learn from one of the masters in the field of wildlife photography through a formal course. Albeit virtually, learning what it takes to produce powerful images from a National Geographic photographer is as good as it gets for me.
Here’s a link to Paul Nicklen’s Wildlife Photography Course should you decide this course is right for you after reading this review.
Meet Paul Nicklen

Paul’s resume speaks for itself. He’s a true master of wildlife photography. Paul has been a professional wildlife photographer for 30 years with 20 of those years shooting for National Geographic. If you’re looking to learn wildlife photography from one of the best photographers on the planet, this is your chance.
Who Is This Course For?
I’ve completed the first 15 episodes of Paul’s Masterclass and I can safely say that there is something for all levels of photographer. If you’re just beginning your journey into wildlife photography you’re going to find yourself pausing, rewinding and playing again and again as you take copious notes on things you want to implement in the field.
For those of you like me that have been shooting for years, I found the episodes on artistic and creative process, composition, patterns and refining images very insightful. Those lessons provided me with a perspective that I may not lean towards naturally, but would definitely allow me to create more powerful images.
Early Bird Access
People were very excited to get their hands on this course when it was first announced. As such, Masters of Photography elected to drop the first 15 completed modules early so people could get started on their learning journey.
The course has since been completed in its entirety and I have listed the curriculum for all 50 episodes below for your review.

I subscribed to Paul’s Masterclass the day they announced the early bird access to the first 15 episodes. I’m glad they did not wait to drop all of the episodes. I finished those first 15 episodes and found them to be very insightful. As much as I may think I know, there’s always something to be learned or reminded of from the Masters to push yourself to a higher level. I’ve since watched the additional 35 episodes and I have to say Masters of Photography did a masterful job collaborating with Paul on this course.
Every episode in Paul’s Wildlife Photography Masterclass is filmed in HD on location all over the world as they follow Paul on his adventures. Paul is known not only for his work as a wildlife and art photographer but also for his work in conservation.
Thus I was not surprised that Paul says he is offering this tell-all Masterclass for selfish reasons. He believes the more people like you and I that are out there producing powerful images, the greater the call will be for conservation. That’s the reason Paul is willingly sharing all of his techniques, tips & tricks.
We all benefit from Paul’s years as an assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine and Sony Artisan of Imagery. Paul wants to teach us the art of creating evocative and powerful images that can help change the world for the better. Techniques like Paul’s cornerstone 20-60-20 rule, photo sketching, composition, goal setting and essential checklists to apply to your own work all help to increase your confidence in the field.
Here’s a look at the first 15 episodes:
The first 8 lessons Paul talks about what it took to get started as a wildlife photographer. How he approaches his photography, prepares for a shoot, drills for learning his gear inside out. You’ll be thrust on location with Paul as he shares wildlife encounters with black bears and coastal wolves.

Paul dives into what it takes to get published, compositional thought process, refining images and tips and tricks for improving your photography. You’ll get up close and personal with Paul as he films a leopard seal, this is an amazing bit of footage.

Paul Nicklen Masterclass Lessons 1-50
Below is the complete course curriculum so you can get an idea what content Paul covers throughout the course.
1 Introduction: Paul explains the outline of the course and the different learning steps he’ll guide you through
3 The 20-60-20 Philosophy
5 Goal Setting – A Roadmap to Solutions
6 Toolkit: Your Essential Mental Checklist
7 Encounter: Coastal Wolves
8 Toolkit: Memorise Functionality
9 Get Noticed – Be One Step Ahead
10 Left Brain/Right Brain
11 Composition: Refining your Images
12 Toolkit: Some Quickfire Tips
13 Encounter: The Leopard Seal Story
16 Getting My First Camera
18 Key Creative Influences
19 Encounter: Coastal Wolves Live
20 Keeping the Camera Stable
21 Brainstorming: Jumpstart your Brain
22 Creating the Image: Ice Waterfall
23 Start with Local Projects
25 What’s in the Bag: Lenses & Speciality Lenses
26 Mental Health – Little Voices
27 Building Towards an Iconic Image
28 Developing your Photography Project
31 Encounter with a 2nd Black Bear
33 What’s in the Bag: my Underwater Set up
34 Creating the Image: Orca Ballet
35 Nature Bathing: Switching off
36 Learning the Craft of Photography
37 1st Assignment for National Geographic
39 How Do I Get a Job at Nat Geo
40 Creative Use of Depth of Field
42 Black & White or Colour?
43 Developing Your Photographic Style
44 Creative Use of Shutterspeed
45 Encounter: Logging Devastation
46 Creative Use of Rear Synch Flash
47 Encounter: A Raft of Otters
48 Paul’s Editing Process
49 The Business of Photography
Watch the Video’s
To get a feel for the course, check out Paul’s course introduction video and the behind the scene’s video with filmmaker Chris Ryan at Paul’s Wildlife Photography Masterclass.