Taking it to the Next Level with the Paw Print Divas

Last week I spent 3 days in Houston, Texas attending a Pet Photography Workshop given by Paw Print Divas.

The ladies behind Paw Print Divas are Barbara Breitsameter from Poppy Blue Photography, Kim Hartz from Kim Hartz Photography and Jenny Froh from Jenny Froh Photography.

Before I get into telling you about the workshop I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to both Barbara and Kim (unfortunately Jenny was ill last week) for their openness; knowledge; willingness to share their experiences both from a technical stand point and business savviness. I came away with new learnings, a new-found confidence in my abilities and a clear vision of what I need to do for continuous improvement.

The workshop covered many different shooting scenarios including outdoor using natural light and artificial lighting, indoors using natural light and in studio. We had wonderful and loveable models throughout the 3 days along with their owners who were kind enough to let us photograph their fur babies. My like-minded co-workshop attendees were a great group of ladies and I think we all walked aways with new friendships formed. Topics covered included shooting techniques; understanding and working with dogs; understanding light and composition; business and marketing; branding and post-processing techniques. This is by no means an exhaustive list only a sampling of what was covered.

My husband asked me when I returned home which part of the workshop I enjoyed most. That was a tough question to answer since I found value in the entire curriculum. If I had to narrow it down it would be 2 things – first, shooting side by side with Barbara and Kim, observing their techniques and getting immediate feedback on what I was doing. The second is the networking and exchange of ideas and information with the other workshop participants. We each brought different experiences, knowledge levels and technical savvy to the table and the openness and willingness to help each other was great.

Would I recommend the Paw Print Divas workshop to others…Absolutely! We can’t grow as individuals and professionals without continuously learning. To quote my husband…”You have to invest in yourself.”

Now here are some of our adorable models.