The Embark Challenge Sessions
Whatever your field — I'm a firm believer that you never stop learning.
In pet photography, that belief pulls in a few different directions at once.
Three Areas of Study
When I think about continuing education as a professional pet photographer, it breaks into three distinct areas.
The animals. This is the most important one. I regularly read, attend seminars, and take behavior, training, and body language courses about dogs, horses, and cats. Understanding how animals communicate makes me a better photographer — it means I can recognize stress before it shows up in the image, adjust the session when something isn't working, and work with the animal instead of around them.
The business. I'm a member of several business organizations, participate in a mastermind with other photographers, and for years have been part of a small accountability group with businesswomen in completely different industries and parts of the world. Perspective from outside your own field is worth more than most people realize.
The art. I am always learning, pushing myself, and looking for ways to exapnd my technical skill.
Joining Unleashed Education
I've been photographing dogs and horses for more than a decade.
I feel confident with the science of photography. I understand exposure. I can deliver technically correct images in any condition, with any animal. That part is settled.
But technically correct and artistically strong are not the same thing.
Photography is a science of light. It is also an art of seeing light. Those are different skills, and the second one is harder to teach yourself.
That's why I joined Unleashed Education, founded by Charlotte Reeves and Craig Turner-Bullock — two of the most talented and widely respected pet photographers working anywhere in the world. Their Embark Challenges are designed specifically to push professional photographers to grow creatively: not just to make images that check boxes, but images that actually do something.
What the Embark Sessions Mean in Practice
To complete the 12 Embark challenge briefs, I need 12 dogs — one for each challenge theme. Each participating dog gets a session built around a specific creative brief, with real intention behind every image.
The goal isn't to make the dog a prop in my challenge entry. The goal is to make photographs I'm genuinely proud of — work that pushes me to bring more to the session than I would in a standard assignment.
Each challenge is judged by working professionals at the highest levels of the industry. Every submission comes back with feedback on what worked and what didn't.
That kind of structured pressure, applied consistently across 12 different creative problems, changes how you see.
If you've ever wanted photographs made by a photographer who is actively pushing her craft — this is that.
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