HAMILTON
PHOTOGRAPHY
GROUP

Upcoming Events

Portraits in Natural Lighting

Portraits in Natural Lighting

Sunday 07 June
Parana Park, Hamilton - 10am - 2 Hours
Lionel Benjamin
Join for a beginner-friendly portrait shoot in natural light at Parana Park. Learn setup, posing, and shooting techniques with a volunteer model.
closed
Basic Landscape Photography Compositions

Basic Landscape Photography Compositions

Saturday 20 June
Hamilton Lake - 10am - 2.0 Hours
Kevin Paul Zilabbo
Join us for a beginner-friendly landscape photography session at Hamilton Lake. We will cover basic composition techniques for capturing beautiful landscape shots. Bring your camera and a tripod if you have one. All skill levels welcome.
book now
$49      
Portraits in Natural Lighting

Portraits in Natural Lighting

Saturday 04 July
Parana Park, Hamilton - 10am - 2 Hours
Lionel Benjamin
Join for a beginner-friendly portrait shoot in natural light at Parana Park. Learn setup, posing, and shooting techniques with a volunteer model.
closed

ABOUT HAMILTON
PHOTOGRAPHY
GROUP
Come along to our photo sessions to dust off your camera and get snap-happy with a professional photography instructor.

Brush up on your camera skills and learn new photography techniques whilst on a photo walk class with other local keen photographers!

We run two hour photography sessions based on a photography theme/technique/style and they take place in various locations in Hamilton.

  • New to photography? We also run a popular 3 hour Beginners Guide to Photography Class once a month. And once in a while we will run special niche 3 hour classes, for example, Astrophotography - so do subscribe to our newsletter to know when the next on is!

  • Who can attend? Open to all skill levels, from beginners to keen amateurs. The photography instructor is there to help you with camera settings and provide any advice you need.

  • What to bring? We recommend bringing a camera that has full manual mode or semi-manual modes (Aperture or Shutter Priority). Compact cameras and smartphones also welcome!

    The meeting point and full details for the day are sent in the booking confirmation email to the email address you provide at time of booking.

    Join the Hamilton Photography Group on Facebook to share your photos after the session.

    Got a question? Try our FAQ.
  • REVIEWS
    Really enjoyed it, tutor very knowledgeable and I had a great time and learnt lots
    5/5
    Aimee
    2026-05-18
    It was an excellent day, the group size of six learners was perfect and allowed Roman to teach the group but concentrate on all six of us as individuals. Roman is excellent, he knows his subject and is very good at getting things across, he also goes beyond the basics and ensures that learners understand and is very encouraging
    5/5
    Paul
    2026-05-17
    Really nice to get some good ideas and then feedback from Roman while trying to take well-composed photos around the lake.
    5/5
    Finn
    2026-04-21

    Very informative as usual. Roman is very passionate about photography and he works very closely with participants to ensure everyone is on same page.
    5/5
    Saad
    2026-04-19
    This was one the best session i have taken with this group so far. The trainer was really passionate about teaching and was working along with candidates to help them learn better. Would love to have him in future sessions. Thanks
    5/5
    Saad
    2026-03-08
    Helen was kind and seemed to know her subject. For me it was a refresher following a night class 18 months ago. Finding out where we were to meet wasn't very clear to me. I had to email a few times to be sure. I would have liked to have had it suggested we bring along more than one lens if we had them I had a zoom lens at home I would have brought and used.
    4/5
    Trish
    2024-09-15

    Very informative class. I really enjoyed it.
    5/5
    Vipin
    2024-08-06
    Helen was a nice host and it was great to learn from her extensive experience.
    5/5
    Inge
    2024-06-24
    Helen was knowledgeable and helpful
    4/5
    Jethro
    2024-03-18

    Our group had a really enjoyable day with our tutor, many points were covered and so many questions answered.
    5/5
    Christine
    2024-03-18
    Thoroughly enjoyed the course. The tutor was relaxed and informative. It gave us confidence to ask questions without feeling intimidated. Appreciated that it was a small class.
    5/5
    Maria
    2023-10-23
    I really enjoyed catching up and sharing knowledge with fellow photography enthusiasts. Loved the red dragonfly that I was able to shoot! They always make for some gorgeous pictures.
    4/5
    Alta
    2023-03-19

    PHOTOGRAPHERS
    Roman Gubanov
    Throughout my life, I have combined my love of design and construction with my passion for photography. I moved to New Zealand in 2020 for studies, and I immediately fell in love with the country's beauty. It's an endless source of inspiration, along with amazing photos taken by other photographers.

    Some interesting facts about my dreams:
    - I wished to have my birthday in the summer because January (the month I was born) is the coldest month in the Northern Hemisphere. It appeared possible without changing the date.
    - While sending the postcards and calendars to my friends, I spent a lot of time looking at the Pikitia photos and dreamed of taking photos worthy of publishing.

    Now I know that almost everything is possible!

    Roman Gubanov is available for private bookings

    Available 2 Saturdays a month from 8 am to 2 pm
    Private tutoring, events, and real estate photography.

    Lionel Benjamin
    Been teaching photography for 30 years and photographing for 45 years. Love imparting my knowledge to others. Feel free to contact me if you having problems taking photos .

    Lionel Benjamin is available for private bookings

    Kevin Paul Zilabbo
    Hi, I'm Kevin Zilabbo, a self-taught photographer from Isabela, Philippines, now based in Hamilton, New Zealand. My photography journey began in 2016 through my love of travel and landscape photography, which eventually grew into capturing life's special moments through weddings, birthdays, family celebrations, and other meaningful events.

    Alongside my career as a software tester, I'm passionate about preserving genuine, heartfelt memories that people can cherish for years to come.

    When I'm not behind the camera, I'm spending time with my wife, Essy, and our two daughters, Elisha and Isla. Photography is both a creative outlet and a way for me to tell stories, connect with others, and give glory to God. I also enjoy organizing photo tours and sharing my knowledge of landscape photography, believing that teaching helps both the student and the teacher grow.

    Kevin Paul Zilabbo is available for private bookings

    Available mostly weekends but weekdays can be negotiated and must be scheduled ahead of time. Also available for more than 1 day of booking especially if it's a landscape tutorial which must be held outdoors.

    PHOTOS
    Hamilton Photography Group
    2026-06-04
    Title or Location: Hamilton North, just off the expressway.
    After watching some of the birds hunting for 30 or so minutes I decided to walk back to the car and looked into a scrubby area. The Harrier was sitting on a post and It took off straight away. Somehow I managed to focus on it just as it lifted off the post and tracked for a few seconds. This was one of a series of images that were in focus.Harriers are very difficult to get close to and so I was a bit lucky.
    Credit: Tony Mills-photographer
    Instagram: tjm_jm35

    Hamilton Photography Group
    2026-06-03
    Title or Location: Bowentown Boat Club, Western Bay of Plenty
    Taking a break from the music, I went outside to watch the stunning sunset.
    Credit: Eileen Whitwell
    Hamilton Photography Group
    2025-09-17
    Title or Location: Monarch butterfly, Hamilton NZ
    Monarch butterfly in my garden enjoying the nectar from the dahlias. Shot on a beautiful day with a Nikon D5200 with a 18-300mm lens.
    Credit: Alan Thomsen
    Instagram: tommo3955

    Hamilton Photography Group
    2025-06-08
    Title or Location: Shelly Beach, Coromandel, NZ
    Taken from unit no.1 in the Shelly Beach camp ground with a Nikon D5200 on dusk. Hand held with 30th sec exposure. The nights we spent there were full of great sunsets from bush fires raging in Australia
    Credit: Alan Thomsen

    Hamilton Photography Group
    2024-09-01
    Title or Location: Taupo-New Zealand
    Taupo sunrise Made on my new camera canon r6 2 am very pleased with it.I get down to the lake about an hour before sunrise the colour in the cloud was great for about 10 minutes but had to wait to see the mountains come through.Made at f8 about 30th sec iso of 200 i often under expose to make the colours more rich i do use a denoise program to get rid of the extra noise.
    Credit: Stephen Jane
    Hamilton Photography Group
    2024-02-16
    Title or Location: Sunset beach, Port Waikato
    My wife and I have been wanting to visit Port Waikato to take photos for a while, so we booked a couple of nights at an off the grid stone hut in Onewhero. I'd also been wanting to upgrade my drone so I sold my Mavic Pro and ordered a DJI Mini 4 pro in time for the trip. We headed up there after work on Friday night and arrived at Sunset beach in time for sunset, The sun was still above the horizon when I took this photo which created shadows on the waves and the texture on the sand which added
    Credit: David Chell
    Facebook: david.chell
    Instagram: davidchell

    Miami Photography Group
    2026-06-03
    Title or Location: Taken from 1000 Venetian Causeway.
    Fourth of July over The Magic City!
    Credit: Rick Bravo
    Instagram: rick_bravo1

    Central Coast Photography Group
    2026-06-03
    Title or Location: Avoca Beach
    A dramatic sunrise over Avoca Beach's rocky shoreline on 24 May 2026, with powerful surf breaking beneath stormy golden skies.
    Credit: Kylee Wilton
    Facebook: Kylee Wilton Photography
    Instagram: kyleewiltonphotography
    Bellevue Photography Group
    2026-06-03
    Title or Location: In Lynnwood by the parking lot of my apartment
    I was soaking in the sun on a beautiful day with my camera and zoom lens when i spotted the dragon fly on the antenna of a car parked car close to my apartment. The vivid colors and the beauty of the moment was no lost on me and i immediately zoomed in with my Tamron 70-300mm lens. I was glad the dragonfly was in no hurry to fly away. I was all smiles when i looked at the end result. The bokeh effect and beauty of the dragonfly. My camera settings were SON
    Credit: Jimmy Washiko

    Brighton Photography Group
    2026-06-03
    Title or Location: Pencils
    This picture was taken by a large window, three pencils (RGB coloured) were laid on white card which was curved up in the distance, but the curve cannot be discerned due to the very shallow depth of field and even light, giving the impression of infinity into the distance ...
    Credit: Arthur Li
    Facebook: Arthur Li
    Instagram: art_k_li

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