• For a quick bite of free daily information while you explore Learn Pet Photography more, sign up for the free Daily Tip series (you can sign up at the bottom of this page).
• Interested in improving your editing? Editing pet photography images can require a unique skill set. Tasks like removing leashes, enhancing fur and eyes, performing head swaps and dealing with colour casts are all issues unique to pet photography! Check out the free editing tutorials to get you started.
• If you want the confidence that comes with a solid, no-missing-pieces foundation in pet photography, and enjoy reading books loaded with examples and lightbulb moments, then head over and check out the e-books Fetching Photos and Dog Shots.
• If you have already read a lot about pet photography and have tried a few things, but need to SEE how this all comes together, you need RealShoots. You’ll see the process end to end – live shoot, live editing, and final product. Plus all the X factors that can make or break a session, including handling dog behaviour, changing light, and setting owners at ease. 

I love connecting with other pet photographers in person!

If you can make it to Australia, get together for a one-on-one, in-person mentoring session. As an experienced teacher, I can answer every little question you have, demonstrate techniques, and correct things that are getting in your way.

Can't make it to Australia? That's fine - connect with me online! There's a range of online mentoring packages to choose from, including portfolio reviews and live editing sessions.

If you're more adventurous and would love to connect with a dedicated tribe of fellow pet photographers from around the world (as well as receive personalised teaching from me and other instructors) then an international pet photography retreat may be just the ticket.

No matter what your desired style, if you’re still learning to work with pets and need the basics (or to fill in holes) regarding posing, working with animals, communicating with owners, adjusting camera settings, and learning the ins and outs of software, you can benefit from the information on this site.  Even if you do want to work with external lighting, that’s only one ingredient in the shoot – a flash doesn’t magically get a pet to cooperate, set an owner at ease, or edit your photos.  (But if you ever find a flash that does all that, let me know!)  These are all things I can help you with.

If you feel there’s nothing left for you to learn in these areas, and you really want to learn about external lighting specifically, then this website won’t provide the information you need. Integrating portable or studio lighting setups is not covered - my style relies on the interaction between the pet, the sun, and the great outdoors.  Remember though, that there may come a day when your flash or studio are unavailable, and flexibility is the ultimate mark of a professional. Should you ever be asked to do charity work for a cause you believe in where you’d need to rely on available light or work with animals who can’t handle flash – these skills will be useful. I’d consider watching RealShoots episodes, or at least signing up for Daily Tips or watching some editing tutorials – the latter two are free!

I have been photographing pets since 2007, before it was a well-established field. It didn’t take long for aspiring pet photographers to find me and flood my inbox with questions. I started teaching in 2013, releasing my first e-book, Fetching Photos, and started accepting enquiries for one-on-one mentoring two months later.

As demand and the pile of questions grew, I created live video editing tutorials, live photoshoot videos, and workshops to keep up. Learn Pet Photography became its own website in 2014 as a single place where you can access it all. Every year, I listen to my audience and deliver knowledge in quick, easy-to-understand ways that fit the lifestyles of aspiring pet photographers all over the world.

Helping other photographers means they’ll produce quality work more quickly, helping our whole industry grow tall and strong and become more visible to the public.  If you fertilise and water something regularly, it will bloom into something that just can’t be ignored. That helps all of us! The more high-quality pet images people see, the more likely they are to take it seriously and want it for themselves. A day will soon arrive where pet photography is as ingrained a service as wedding or family photography, and when hiring a pet photographer is as commonplace as hiring a newborn photographer.

And no, I don't hold back any secrets. I'm genuinely addicted to lightbulb moments and come alive when I see others ‘get’ something for the first time. Integrity is central to what I do - the industry won’t grow until we’re all conversant in the same skills bringing joy to animal owners everywhere.

Besides, a lot of people come to me hoping to create images for rescue organisations and shelters. This can be actual life-saving work helping cats and dogs get new homes and I engage in this work myself. Building a generation of generous volunteers with a high standard of work that truly speaks to potential adopters will save lives. If there is any skill, any idea, any tip I can share that would give these animals a greater chance at a happy life – you’ll hear about it!

The best thing you can do to start your pet photography journey is to sign up for the free daily tips.

If you’ve been despairing that there’s no time to practice or feel slow to improve, remember:

Small daily increments will do more good than occasional binging.

Free, bite sized ways to improve your pet photography – delivered daily for free so you can read and absorb straight away (no homework required).

The Daily Tip email series includes a huge variety of tips ranging from working with light, obtaining expression, camera setting tips and tricks, composition, using the location, dog handling tips – there’s just too much to list.

You can sign up right now, below!