Your Result:
Your photos are fighting the light
This one comes up constantly. And it’s almost never what people think the problem is- they’re usually convinced it’s the editing or that their black dog is just impossible to photograph, or they just can’t get those pretty soft portraits without a fancy camera.
But if the light isn’t working, the photo isn’t going to work.
The good news is you don’t need to understand everything about light to immediately start taking better photos. You just need to start paying attention to it.
Is it flattering? Is it patchy- hitting your dog in some places and not others? Is it so harsh it’s creating strong shadows across their face or extremely shiny, harsh-looking fur? Is there so little of it your dog is basically a dark blob?
One thing to try:
Become a light detective. Not just when you’re shooting. On walks, in the garden, wherever you are. Notice when the light changes. Notice the difference between open shade and dappled shade.Think about where you’d position your dog to avoid bright highlight patches. Notice when the light filters down from a clearing in the trees overhead. Notice when the light off to one side is stronger, due to an open field.
The more you train your eyes to see light, the more instinctive your shooting decisions become.
Want to go deeper?
Light direction, light quality, how to find it and use it, it’s a huge topic and we’ve barely scratched the surface here. It’s one of the things I go deepest on inside Starting Point.
BONUS! 3 Simple Steps to Better Pet Photos snippet:
Ready to fix this properly?
Most people think they need to learn “magical edits”. In reality, most people need better foundation skills.
Starting Point is the entry tier of The Learning Journey, my membership for pet photographers who want to take photos that actually feel how they imagined them.
It’s not a quick fix or a beginner’s sampler. It’s a curated library of foundation lessons covering the things that make the biggest difference to your photos… in the order that makes sense to learn them.
50 lessons. Around 30 to 40 hours of video content. All the things I wish someone had told me at the beginning.
What's Included in Starting Point?
📸 Capture the Moment
- The Beginning Stage lesson library including the 4 core courses with around 50 lessons and 30 to 40 hours of content:
- Mastering the Foundations
- Light
- Camera Settings
- Beginning Editing.
- Starting Strong: A 5-week guided beginning for new members, so you know exactly where to start and what to focus on first. Recordings included and available!
- Selected event replays: Access to replays of events where the content is relevant and useful for where you are.
💡 Learn, Grow & Connect
- The Inspawration community: The same community as Complete Access members. One space, no hierarchy, genuine peer feedback and connection.
- Monthly challenges: Structured prompts to get you shooting with intention, not just waiting for the perfect moment.
- Edit and Chill sessions: Watch me edit in real time. No performing, no perfection. Just the actual process.
- Critique video access: Watch monthly critique sessions and learn from the feedback given to other members’ work.
All for only €14 per month!
No contracts, no minimum term.
Or… find out more!
