Tyne and Harbour Sts were closed to traffic between 8.30am and 1.30pm to give the photographers a unique experience in the historic area - uninterrupted by modern traffic.
The visit was also a bonus for the Waitaki Development Board, which spent about $2000 making sure the visit was memorable, including paying for the Oamaru Steam and Rail's historic train and for people to dress in Victorian garb.
Pennyfarthings were in operation and horses and carriages were on display.
Board general manager Mark Jurisich said it had sponsored prizes in a photographic competition for which each of the photographers could contribute two photographs from their visit.
That would give the board up to 500 photographs to choose from, and they could be used for promotion.
‘‘It's also taking Oamaru to the world,'' Mr Jurisich said.
Photographers ranged from enthusiastic amateurs through to professionals, all attending the Photographic Society of New Zealand's annual convention in Timaru last week.
The field trip to Oamaru was part of the events organised for the convention.
Oamaru photographer Gary Speer set up the field trip and said Oamaru, with its historic buildings, the Oamaru Harbour and Cape Wanbrow had been chosen because they were photogenic.
Workshops conducted by speakers at the convention were run from the historic area.
Mr Speer, an award-winning nature photographer, conducted a trip on Graves Track around Cape Wanbrow, landscape photographer John Doogan from Christchurch did a session at the Red Sheds at Oamaru Harbour and Emma Hughes, from Waiheke, who specialises in photographing weddings, portraits and children, was in the Victorian Gardens next to Oamaru Creek.
Victorian Town at Work members dressed in period costumes and penny-farthings added ‘‘a bit of character'' to the atmosphere for the photographers, Mr Speer said.
‘‘A lot of photos were taken and it was a great way to promote Oamaru,'' Mr Speer said.
Some of the people, who came from photographic clubs as far away as Northland and Southland, would never have visited Oamaru.
After lunch, the field trip went for a visit to Parkside Quarries at Weston, where Oamaru stone is quarried just south of Oamaru, before returning to Timaru about 4pm.
