It's Friday, so that means I'm in the last day of my week of learning at Texas School of Professional Photography which is billed as "six days of the BEST, most intense and FUN photographic education in the world" and let me tell you I am tired! Physically and mentally I am done...but also can't wait to start playing with all the lighting, photography and retouching techniques I've learned! I'm lucky to live so close by in Coppell as it's been held in Addison, Texas for the past few years. It's so easy for me to attend, this was my 5th year attending and I was so happy to return after the school was cancelled last year due to COVID.

You might have thought that I would attend a pet photography class, but I did not. I attended a class taught by a well-known high school senior and family portrait photographer because I admired his lighting techniques and creative posing and I wasn't disappointed.

Of course I can use what I learned in my family and high school senior portrait work, but I will also incorporate it into both my pet and equine portrait work to change things up and bring more variety and create unexpected pictures in those sessions as well.

I've never had a client say to me, "I don't care how I look in this picture with my pet." We all want to look good in photographs so attention to posing is important and I spend as much time how to make you look good with your dog or horse as I would do in a high school senior session. 

Here's a small sampling of some of the images captured during the nearly 50 hours of class time this week. Why so many behind the scenes photos? Because that's what I'll use for reference in the future to reproduce in my own client work. I love how classes like this recharge my creative batteries, but there is a one downside; I always leave with quite a lengthy shopping list. For example, I'm now saving up for my own set of wings, a parachute dress, some colored LED lights and...well, let's just stop there. 

(click on any image to view full screen)