POSES, pixels, paws and profit
Three days. Five photographers. A whole lot of dogs…
and maybe one cat.
This isn’t a workshop where you sit at the back of a room taking notes while I do all the shooting.
Over three jam-packed days, we’ll get hands-on with the whole process of studio pet photography — from lighting, posing and working with dogs, through to editing, wall art, sales, the client experience and marketing.
You’ll watch me work, but more importantly, you’ll do it yourself.
With only five photographers in the room, there’s plenty of time to shoot, ask questions, make mistakes, get feedback and work through the things that have been holding you back.
April 8–10, 2027
Fox & Brazen | Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
ONLY 5 PLACES AVAILABLE
SCROLL FOR MORE INFORMATION
3 days. Only 5 photographers. Hands-on shooting. Real pet models. Editing. Business. Sales. Marketing. One-on-one follow-up.
HI, I’M BELINDA
I’m an award-winning photographic artist, educator and professional dog wrangler from Melbourne, Australia.
I’ve spent the last decade building a successful studio dedicated entirely to photographing animals, and along the way I’ve learned a LOT, what works, what doesn’t, what sells, and how to get a dog to do what you want without completely losing your mind.
My work has been recognised internationally, including being named Australian Pet Photographer of the Year five years running, International Dog Photographer of the Year and International Feline Photographer of the Year. I’ve also had the privilege of judging some of the world’s leading photography competitions.
I’ve taught pet photographers across Australia, the UK and the USA, spoken at major photography events including The Photography & Video Show and ShutterFest, and had my work featured in publications including Forbes, Business Insider, Fstoppers, PetaPixel and My Modern Met.
But this workshop isn’t about my awards.
It’s about sharing the practical stuff I’ve learned from years of photographing real dogs for real clients and running a real pet photography business.
I’m an open book. I’ll show you what I do, explain why I do it and answer your questions along the way; including the awkward business ones.
No gatekeeping. No secrets. And definitely no pretending every dog is perfectly behaved.
I’ll show you how it actually works.
6 × Australian Pet Photographer of the Year | International Dog Photographer of the Year | International Photography Judge | International Speaker & Educator
LEARN TO CREATE IMAGES THAT YOUR CLIENTS WILL LOVE!
WHAT WILL YOU WALK AWAY WITH?
A lot can happen in three days.
My goal isn’t to send you home with a notebook full of information you’ll never look at again. I want you to leave understanding not just what I do, but why I do it and how you can put it into practice in your own studio and business.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to:
Choose your lighting with purpose; including how I approach different backgrounds, coat colours and the challenges that come with photographing everything from a tiny white fluffball to a giant black dog.
Pose dogs rather than just hope for the best. You’ll learn my go-to poses, how I get dogs into them and how I build variety into a session without getting flustered to create a story that sells.
Work safely and confidently with dogs in the studio, including the simple training techniques I use to help dogs understand what I’m asking them to do.
Create images with the end product in mind. We’ll look at how I shoot for wall art, collections and storyboards rather than simply creating a gallery of nice individual images.
Edit your studio portraits more efficiently. From masking and cleaning backgrounds to colour correction, dodging and burning, textures and overlays; I’ll show you the techniques I actually use in my own workflow.
Create a client journey that makes selling easier. We’ll go through my process from the very first enquiry through to consultation, photography, sales and artwork delivery.
Market your work without throwing money at advertising. We’ll talk about what I’ve tried, what worked, what didn’t and my favourite kind of marketing — FREE publicity.
And because this is hands on, you won’t just be watching me do all of this.
You’ll be putting it into practice yourself.
WHY ONLY FIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS?
Because I want you to actually do the work, not just watch me do it.
With only five photographers, everyone gets plenty of time behind the camera, but more importantly, there’s time for me to work with you and the things you’re finding difficult.
Maybe you can’t quite get your lighting where you want it. Maybe masking fur is driving you insane. Maybe you’re struggling with posing, your sales process, pricing, marketing or turning enquiries into bookings.
Whatever your particular pain points are shooting, editing or business, a group this small gives us the time to troubleshoot them together.
During the hands-on shooting, I can watch what you're doing, help you adjust your lighting, camera position and posing, and give you feedback while the dog is actually standing in front of you.
During the editing and business sessions, we can dig into the questions and problems that are specific to you and your business — not just work through a generic presentation and send you on your way.
You’ll also photograph a variety of models across different sets, poses and lighting setups, giving you plenty of opportunity to put everything into practice and create new work for your portfolio.
Five photographers means more shooting, more questions, more individual feedback and more time to work on the things YOU actually need help with.
“The 3 day format was structured so well & covered everything needed to run a successful studio pet photography business!
Belinda is an excellent educator, she is very open & generous with her time & wants you to succeed!”
- Katie, Brisbane workshop attendee
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POSES
More than just “sit” and “stay”.
Great pet portraits don’t happen by accident.
I’ll take you through my go to studio poses and show you how I use them to create variety throughout a session, build wall art collections and make sure I have the images I need before the dog heads home.
We’ll cover:
My go to poses and how I get dogs into them
Camera angles, lens choice and perspective
Creating variety without needing dozens of completely different setups
Photographing multiple dogs together
Planning your shoot around the finished artwork
How posing, composition and direction can turn a simple portrait into something much stronger
Then it’s your turn.
You’ll work with our dog models and put the techniques into practice yourself, with me there to help troubleshoot when things inevitably don’t go quite according to plan.
Because, well... dogs.
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pixels
From RAW file to finished image.
Taking the photograph is only half the job. What happens afterwards can completely change the way an image looks and feels but it doesn’t need to mean spending hours in Photoshop trying to fix things you don’t know how to fix.
I’ll take you through my complete post production workflow and show you how I approach an image from the moment I open the RAW file through to the final polish.
We’ll cover:
My RAW processing workflow
Cleaning and extending studio backgrounds
Masking fur without losing your mind
Colour correction, including fixing unwanted colour casts in fur
Dodging and burning to add shape, depth and dimension
Working with selections, masks and adjustment layers
Removing leads, handlers, drool and all the other glamorous realities of photographing dogs
Adding and working with textures and overlays
Cropping, composition and final image preparation
How I decide what an image actually needs and when to stop editing
I’ll edit images from our workshop shoots so you can see the complete process from what we captured in camera to the finished result.
Then we’ll work on your editing too.
If there’s a particular technique you struggle with, a part of your workflow that takes forever, or an image you simply can’t work out how to finish, bring it with you.
With only five photographers, we have the time to troubleshoot your individual editing pain points rather than me simply demonstrating my own workflow.
No secrets. No magic Photoshop button. Just the techniques I actually use every day.
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PAWS
Because our subjects have four legs and their own opinions.
Knowing photography is only half the job.
The other half is knowing how to work with the animal standing in front of your camera.
We’ll talk about dog behaviour, body language, safety and how I use simple positive reinforcement techniques to help dogs understand what I want from them.
You’ll learn how I approach dogs with different personalities and levels of confidence, how I introduce them to the studio environment and how I work alongside an experienced animal handler to keep sessions moving safely and calmly.
We’ll cover:
Reading canine body language
Studio safety for dogs and humans
Working with nervous, excitable and easily distracted dogs
Positive reinforcement and simple training techniques
Acclimatising dogs to studio equipment and flash
Working effectively with an animal handler
Knowing when to push for another shot and when to stop
Setting realistic expectations with owners before the session
Because you can have beautiful lighting, perfect camera settings and an incredible set...
but if the dog isn’t comfortable, none of it matters.
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PROFIT
Because taking great photographs is only part of running a photography business.
This is where we talk about the stuff photographers sometimes don't like talking about.
Money. Pricing. Sales. Clients. Marketing.
I’ll take you through how I run my own pet photography business from the first enquiry right through to delivering the finished artwork including what has worked for me, what hasn’t and what I’ve changed along the way.
We’ll cover:
My client journey from enquiry to artwork delivery
Consultations and setting expectations before the shoot
Pricing and packaging your work
Designing sessions with wall art in mind
Creating collections and artwork your clients want to put on their walls
My Design & Ordering appointment and how I approach sales
Handling some of the common objections that come up
Marketing your pet photography
Generating publicity and finding opportunities that don't involve paid advertising
Building a business that works for you, rather than simply copying mine
And because everyone’s business is different, this isn't just me standing at the front telling you how I do things.
Bring your questions. Bring the parts of your business that aren't working. Bring the things you've been avoiding because you don't know what to do with them.
We’ll have five different photographers and five different businesses in the room — so let’s use that.
REGISTRATION
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$2495 USD
There are 3 payment options:
*Payment in full at time of registration
*50% at time of registration with the remaining 50% due on 5th March 2027.
*Payment plan with $500 deposit due at time of registration and final payment due 5th March 2027 - If you choose this option I will be in touch to organise a regular payment plan with you.
ONLY 5 PLACES available
WOULD YOU LIKE TO FOLLOW UP ON ANYTHING?
Add a one-on-one session held via Zoom with Belinda to discuss whatever you feel you need help with. As long as it relates to pet photography of course!
Perhaps you want to go over what you learned? Or want to learn a more advanced technique not demonstrated in the workshop? Or perhaps you feel you need some specialised advice going forward? Normally $280 AUD for an hour, Belinda is offering this at 30% off if you book this at the same time as registering for the course. Purchase multiple hours and split them into different sessions if that’s what you need!
You can add this when registering if you would like to take up this offer.
Got questions?
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Fox & Brazen, 177 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, PA 19426
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While some familiarity with photography is helpful, this workshop is designed for photographers of all skill levels. We do ask that you know how to operate your camera on manual mode and if you are not confident please make sure to bring the manual so Belinda can help you if you get stuck. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your techniques, there’s plenty to learn and practice.
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You will need to bring a camera you’re comfortable with (DSLR or mirrorless), at least one lens (I like a 35mm but bring what you have from 24mm up to 85mm), extra batteries, and memory cards. If you have a laptop with Adobe Photoshop, bring it along for the editing sessions.
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Yes! We’ll have well-trained pooches on site for live demonstrations and practice sessions, giving you the chance to apply what you’ve learned in real-time. We may have a cat model. This will be dependant on if I can find a suitable candidate.
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Absolutely. You’ll walk away with several polished images to enhance your portfolio, plus you’ll gain insights into creating marketable, high-end pet portraits.
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No problem! We’ll teach you how to work safely and effectively with pets in a studio setting, including tips for reading animal behavior and keeping them comfortable throughout the session.
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To ensure a personalised learning experience, we can only accept a maximum of 5 participants—so you’ll receive one-on-one guidance and feedback throughout the three days.
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Yes, we’ll have regular breaks throughout the day, including a lunch break which is included. You’ll also have time to network with other participants and chat one-on-one with me.
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Light refreshments will be provided during breaks and a meal for lunch. Please bring a refillable water bottle with you.
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Flights and accommodations are not included.
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There is 2 hour street parking or there are paid parking lots within a 2 minute walk from the studio.
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We get it—life happens! If you need to cancel, you’ll receive a full refund minus a $150 USD admin fee if you do so by Jan 30th 2027. After this date, cancellations won’t be accepted, but we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible if you can’t make it. If we can fill your spot with someone from the waitlist, you’ll be able to transfer your registration for a $150 USD admin fee.
TESTIMONIALS
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
Contact me using the form below and I will do my best to help you out!