Introduction to Pet Photography: Capture the Spirit of Your Furry Friend

Learn how to take a soulful portrait of your dog in a studio setting with the help of a renowned pet photographer.

with Belinda Richards
Buy $45.95
  • Intermediate
  • 5.0 (4 Reviews)
  • 2.4 hours
  • Closed Captions
Learn how to take a candid portrait of your dog in a studio setting.

Ever wish you could capture a great portrait of your favorite dog? Professional pet photographer Belinda Richards will hold your hand through the process of shooting a candid portrait of your dog using her expert techniques. Get an understanding of studio lighting and editing and then get to work photographing your canine with your DSLR or mobile phone.

  • Getting Started
  • Required Equipment
  • How to Work with Dogs Safely and Effectively
  • Resources for Understanding Dog Psychology
  • Studio Lighting I (Dark Background)
  • Studio Lighting Setup 1
  • Studio Lighting II (Light Background)
  • Studio Lighting Setup 2
  • Camera Settings
  • Exposure Cheat Sheet
  • Photoshoot I - Light Background
  • Photoshoot II - Dark Background
  • Photoshoot III - Natural Light
  • Photoshoot IV - Using a Mobile Phone
  • Editing Your Image in Photoshop
  • Editing Your Image in Snapseed
  • Smooshie Before and After
  • What's Next
Are you ready to embark on a pet photography
journey?
Buy $45.95
Meet your instructor Belinda. Pet Photographer.

Belinda Richards is a photographic artist specializing in domesticated animals and digital manipulation. You will find Belinda's work injected with humor as she uses the human elements of our pets and manipulates them into challenging characters. Belinda has created a distinct style that has won her numerous state, national and international awards. You will find her in her Melbourne studio most days chasing furry friends around and making ridiculous noises to get their attention.

I created this course to help aspiring pet photographers to capture candid portraits of dogs in a studio environment.

Working with dogs can be a bit of a juggling act between controlling your lighting, camera settings, AND a subject that doesn’t understand most of what you are saying!

This course will help students with all of these obstacles as we cover everything from safety in the studio to the final edit of the portrait.

By the end of this course, you will feel confident that they now have the basics down to capture their own studio portraits.

Learn the Basics of Pet Photography

  • Gain an understanding of animal handling and pet psychology
  • Get a crash course in studio lighting
  • Join Belinda on one of her photo shoots
  • Learn how to edit your image in Photoshop or Snapseed
Introduction to Pet Photography: Capture the Spirit of Your Furry Friend
with Belinda Richards

$45.95

Buy $45.95
Join me in my class and I will show you the tips and tricks I use to capture award-winning photographic portraits of man's best friend.
Do you sometimes feel like you communicate better with dogs than people? Me too.


Belinda Richards
Reviews
5 star rating

Great intro and insight into studio dog photography

Jo Lyons

The pantograph lighting system! Belinda was very clear and open with her instruction and it was very timely for me as we are building a studio right now.

The pantograph lighting system! Belinda was very clear and open with her instruction and it was very timely for me as we are building a studio right now.

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5 star rating

So easy to understand

Kelly Munce

I have been an outdoor photographer for nearly 20 years, and decided to delve into studio photography. Knowing nothing about studio lighting and how it works, I found Belinda so easy to understand. She explained everything in a way I wasn't having...

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I have been an outdoor photographer for nearly 20 years, and decided to delve into studio photography. Knowing nothing about studio lighting and how it works, I found Belinda so easy to understand. She explained everything in a way I wasn't having to pause and google what she was talking about. Her calm voice was music to my ears in getting the information into my head. I have loved going back over the sections I need to once I've had a play in my studio, just to make sure I was on the right path. Thank you so much Belinda, and I love your work !

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5 star rating

When the student is ready, the teacher appears!

Jo Lyons

We are building a photography studio on our farm and this course couldn't have come at a better time. I'm a specialist dog photographer who has mainly worked in natural light outdoors. This course and Belinda's experience and explanation was inval...

Read More

We are building a photography studio on our farm and this course couldn't have come at a better time. I'm a specialist dog photographer who has mainly worked in natural light outdoors. This course and Belinda's experience and explanation was invaluable and I know I'll be back to watch again as I need to. Thank you so much Belinda!

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Are you still on the fence?
Frequently Asked Questions

While experience in photographing pets isn't necessary, you will need to be familiar with the basics of photography and how to use the manual setting on your camera. If you aren't sure how to do this, you'll want to brush up on these skills prior to enrolling in the course. 

Absolutely. Belinda will take you through a photoshoot using her DSLR, as well as an iPhone. Many of today's cell phones have excellent cameras for shooting and editing photos. The only requirement for your phone camera is the ability to use manual settings. 

For the editing portion of the course, Belinda will demonstrate how you can use the free app Snapseed (available on iOS and Android) to perfect your image.

WAbsolutely. Though Belinda recommends that you use your own dog to start out, there's no reason that you can't borrow a pup—especially if it's a dog that is already comfortable with you. Just make sure that the owner is also there and can give you insight into what makes the dog comfortable.

Yes. As you will see in the course, you don't need to have a large space to take a studio-style portrait. In fact, you don't even need professional lighting. During the class, you'll see how you can set up a small space and how to use professional studio lights, as well as natural light, to take your pet portrait.

Aside from your furry model, you'll need a camera—whether that's a DSLR or phone camera—with manual settings. Personally, Belinda shoots with a Sony Alpha a7R IV mirrorless camera. You can either use professional studio lights—Belinda uses Profoto D2s—speed lights, or natural light from a large window. If you want a large, neutral background, you may also want to pick up a photo backdrop.

And, of course, you'll want plenty of treats, noisemakers, toys, and props on hand for your pup.

*This page may include affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met Academy may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

When working with live animals, it's imperative that you place safety above everything. Belinda will take you through a lesson on animal handling and animal psychology so that you can benefit from her expertise. You'll also receive a special resource guide for further learning so that you can give your canine models the best experience possible.

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