But First, a Little Background

I want to talk to you about a project I’ve been working on for months now that will answer why you should learn to photograph your own pets instead of using a professional photographer.

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If you’re on your smartphone and looking for the FREE guide to photographing your pets like a PRO, and don’t care about reading this post…keep scrolling until you are almost to the end of the post and you’ll find it. Thank you for your interest.

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I have been teaching for much of my life, in one form or another. When I was in high school, l became a riding instructor after I kept getting asked to teach by many of my competitors at the horse shows. I was the ‘one to beat’ back then and people wanted to know my secrets.

In college, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Magna cum Laude, and along the way I ended up teaching much of the concepts the professors in the studio classes were trying to teach. I was able to re-word their instructions so that my classmates could understand better.

My superhero strength is simplifying difficult concepts.

At that point I decided I wanted to become an art teacher and pursued a double major to achieve a BFA and a BA in education. That was in the 1970’s.

In 2020 I retired from teaching. Four years later I missed teaching so much that I began creating what I’m working on now… an online course on pet photography. This is specifically for people who want to take photos that look professional, without the expensive equipment. Now we’re up to date.

My Catalyst for the Pet Photography Course

Years ago, when my two boys were college age, I wanted to treat myself to having a family portrait taken by another professional photographer.

Hey, even a chef will go out to dinner at a different restaurant than their own. 

We met on our local beach along the Lake Erie shoreline right before sunset and had found the perfect location with a large driftwood log to sit on.  I was excited that I was finally going to be in a family picture. When looking through my collection of thousands of pictures through the years of family events, you can notice one thing missing in most all of them…me.

Everything was going perfectly…until she spotted our little Jack Russell Terrier in my arms. The words that came out of her mouth, “I don’t do pets.” echoed in my ears to this day. I never dreamed that when I told her I wanted a family portrait that the dog would not be welcome!

I assured her that he would be a Good Boy.

She asked me how she was supposed to get his attention, and I said “Just say CHEESE”.

That got her to smile and she proceeded to set up for the shoot.

When all was ready and we were in position she said, “Say cheese!” The dog perked up, lifted his head a little higher, with his ears up and eyes on her. SNAP!!! The perfect shot. He was the perfect model, of course! Like he hadn’t had his picture taken before, being the pet of a professional photographer?…Ha!

All ended well for that photo shoot. I’m not sure if she ever changed her mind about photographing family portraits with a pet, but at least she came away with one good experience.

6 Reasons Why You Should be a Do-It-Yourselfer

1. Professionals are Expensive: You are not just paying for a beautiful photo of your pet. You are paying for their expertise, their years of trial and error, expensive equipment they have collected over the years, and their time with you. Even if you can afford the professional, do you want to go through the expense every single time you want a great photo?
2. Timing is Not Always Ideal: With a professional, you are at the mercy of their schedule…AND yours. Setting up a time that works for both of you is hard enough, but… is it ideal for your pet? What if he is not feeling well that day, or is simply not in the mood? What if the weather isn’t cooperating and you have to re-schedule? What if you wanted the picture taken when the family is visiting?
3. You know Your Pet Better Than Anyone Else: What the professional thinks is a great pose may not be in line with what you think. If you were looking for that special look, will the photographer understand what to look for or how to get him to do that? How long will the photographer spend while you are trying to get the pet to do THAT LOOK?
4. Art Talent is a Learned Process: You may feel that you cannot take photos as well as a professional photographer, but you’d be surprised. Professionals weren’t born with the knowledge, they learned it just like you can. I can teach you in less than 5 weeks to get great professional-looking photos of your pet and not have you pulling your hair out in the process.
5. The Satisfaction of Learning a New Skill: Just think of how rewarding it would be to be able to take your own professional-looking photographs of your pet. You can impress your friends and family. You can take photos anytime that is convenient. You can be known as the one that is talented!
6. Professional Looking Memories for Every Event and Every Year: Have you ever looked through past photos, and found snapshots of that special pet you had for many years? Looking through the pictures brought back wonderful memories, but some memories didn’t have a photo to be able to show to others. And some of the photos weren’t clear. And other snapshots just weren’t as magical as you remember it because it was taken a second too late after that perfect action.

If you learn how to take photos like a professional, then every memory could have a beautiful picture to go with it! The action will be spot on… the details will be sharp, the lighting correct, the background perfect, the expression precious!

If you were capable of taking professional-looking photos yourself without purchasing an expensive camera and camera equipment, wouldn’t that be so much more convenient? Wouldn’t you take pictures for every occasion? 

YOU CAN!

Let’s get you started with a fun new skill.  You can start with this FREE 11 page step-by-step guide.

Check out the form on this page

If you are on a computer, it’s to the right …

If you are on a smartphone, it’s near the bottom of this page…

This guide will take you through:

   *Creating your own props

   *Setting up a birthday shoot with just about every kind of pet

   *Helpful hints to get the best shot of your pet

   *AND using only the smartphone you already own

There’s a Course

If you enjoy this guide and want to take your new skill further… then join me and other pet loving, DIYers in my five-week course, “Capturing the Heart: Creating stunning pet portraits with only your smartphone“.

This course is for Pet Owners, who are Do-It Yourselfers and don’t want to spend mega-bucks on a professional photographer when YOU can learn how to create professional-looking pet portrait photos yourself.

The class will start Wednesday, September 18^th, 2024. To check out the course, go to:

Courses | NCM Studio Academy

Capturing the Heart: Creating stunning pet portraits with only your smartphone | NCM Studio Academy

“It only takes a single step in the right direction to change what you know.”

Are You a Good Fit?

Is this you?…

• I am someone who would love to learn pet photography for myself, rather than scheduling and paying a professional.
• I am someone who wants beautiful photos to post online, to hang on my walls, for gifts, or for Christmas cards.
• I am looking for more creativity and tangible artistic growth, whether it’s a hobby or searching for a new direction in my life.
• I’m looking for a fun art class I can do with my child, that won’t cost an arm and a leg in supplies.

Is this your learning style?…

• This course takes a mixed learning approach using multiple strategies to reach the comfort level of as many students as possible. That said, it has its strength in the following learning styles…
• For the visual learner, photographic examples and videos to “show” what you need to learn are in the forefront. If this is you, you’re in luck! This is most definitely a visual course.
• For the physical/kinesthetic learner, this course is physically engaging and action-oriented. You will be moving around, building and organizing materials.
• Social/interpersonal learners are in luck. The course is set up with group collaboration and sharing in both the Q&A sessions and the weekly critiques.
• The step-by-step processes and written directions created to reinforce the videos should please both logical and verbal learning styles and if you are a solitary learner, you can participate quietly at your own comfort level.

If you can identify with any of the above, you’re in the right place, whether you are 12 or 92.

I created this course for you, the loving pet owner of a dog, cat, bunny, bird, reptile or other critter.  This online digital course is exclusive. There’s a lot of personal time with me and fellow students. You may even make some life-long friends or get inspired to launch a new career. Spend some time with me, practice your new knowledge and be thrilled with the excellent skills that you acquired taking this course. Make your pet look like a super model!

For Your Success

I am offering you a complete course that includes step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand and set up for success. You will be introduced to new skills via video, written instructions, and photo examples of the good, the bad and the ugly. Live Q&A sessions will be available to you each week along with participating in weekly critiques designed for you to acquire a deep understanding of what to look for in a great photo and the why’s and how’s to improve your photos.

By the end of this course, you will have learned how to…

• Critique so you can recognize what to strive for and pitfalls to avoid in photography
• Capture that perfect shot of your pet in indoor, outdoor and action scenarios
• Build DIY props and equipment you may want and need for your shots
• Set up a composition with a single pet or in a group, including people
• Scout out or create the perfect environment
• Recognize great lighting and create it, if the lighting isn’t right

Plus… Bonus lessons on editing your photos in Lightroom for that professional touch

Plain and Simple:

“Capturing the Heart” is your best option for learning to create professional-looking pet portraits and it’s officially OPEN for enrollment in July.