Frequently asked questions

Here’s a few answers to commonly asked questions from photographers and enthusiasts.

Q. How did you learn photography?

I developed an interest in photography at high school and completed a short course in black and white film photography in 1998. I loved it so much, I abandoned my dream of becoming a vet and instead went on to complete a Diploma of Photography, a two year TAFE college course in Toowoomba, Queensland. I then studied web (multimedia) and graphic design, and eventually ended up pursuing a career as a designer which I worked as for the next 5 years.

I continued taking photos with early digital cameras and film SLRs for my own enjoyment, then purchased my first digital SLR (a Canon EOS 350D) in 2006. In 2007, to help me get back into the swing of photography and improve my skills, I completed a 365 photo-a-day project which was the best thing I could have done. Picking up the camera on a daily basis and striving to see the world in a new way each day was just what I needed.

Q. How did you start your pet photography business?

In early 2007 I met, fell head-over-heels in love with, and brought home a fawn Great Dane named Kaya. To document the first year of Kaya’s life I decided to start a blog and post images and stories about her life, told from her perspective.

The blog proved to be quite popular and I really enjoyed taking photos of Kaya and her doggy friends, so researched the idea of getting back into photography as a profession and specialising in dogs. I started out doing shoots for my friends’ dogs to build up a portfolio of work. I created a website to display my work, had some business cards printed up and attended events to get my name out there. It’s been a long journey but well worth the effort!

Q. How would you describe your ‘style’?

I like to try and keep images looking natural and timeless, so steer clear of applying effects and trendy editing. I go for vibrant (but not oversaturated) colour, beautiful lighting and make sure the subject is crisp, clear and separate from the background. I place emphasis on three main components – light, location and expression – striving to include all three in every image I take. Over the last few years I’ve started focusing more on getting richness in my images – darker and more saturated tones while still preserving that obsession with sunshine and light.

Q. What kind of camera and lenses do you use?

I shoot with a Canon EOS R5 and I absolutely love it! The lenses I use are all Canon RF lenses, and include the 50mm f1.2L, 135mm f1.8L and 70-200 f2.8L. The 70-200 is my go-to lens for action, but also for portraits when I need to hang back a little or shoot in a cluttered environment. For portraits where the dog holds position well, I love the 135mm. The 50mm at f1.2 is an absolutely glorious lens, perfect for shallow depth of field portraits.

Q. Which exposure and autofocus modes do you shoot on?

I like to get exposure perfect in camera so shoot in full manual exposure mode (M) about 99.9% of the time. In highly variable lighting conditions I sometimes shoot in Manual with Auto ISO.

I use full time continuous autofocus (AI Servo on Canon) and on the new Canon EOS R5 - animal eye autofocus - which has been life-changing!

Q. Do you use artificial light or flash in any of your on-location shoots?

I use no artificial lighting or reflectors.

Q. How do you edit your photos?

I use Adobe Lightroom to download, sort and finalise selected images from a session, and also apply basic adjustments such as cropping, white balance, highlight and shadow recovery, exposure, clarity, contrast and vibrance.

I then export the final images as PSD files to Adobe Photoshop and edit each shot individually, often using some time-saving custom actions I’ve created for enhancing colour and contrast. I’ll also do any pixel level editing such as the removal of leashes, background objects etc.

The final edited PSD files are then imported back into Lightroom where they sit ready for batch processing, depending on their eventual usage.

For a full rundown of the workflow I use and recommend, check out my Workflow and Editing Guide e-book.