Accommodation Options

Clifden is a small coastal town on the west coast of Ireland, in the heart of Connemara. This region is known for its rugged mountains, shimmering lakes, sweeping beaches and ancient stone walls. It sits within County Galway and is often called the capital of Connemara.

The area is famous for its wild beauty and dramatic landscapes, including the Twelve Bens mountain range, winding bog roads and some of the most stunning coastal scenery in Ireland. It’s a peaceful part of the country, perfect for outdoor adventures, photography and exploring Ireland’s rich cultural history.

For our workshop and retreat, we’ll be staying right in Clifden, giving us easy access to beaches, mountains, lakes and all the magic of Connemara.

Most participants will fly into Shannon Airport (SNN). It’s the closest major airport to Connemara and offers direct flights from several US cities (including New York, Boston and Chicago), as well as the UK (London, Edinburgh, Manchester) and major European hubs (Frankfurt, Paris, Barcelona and more).

We’ll be running one airport shuttle for all attendees. It will leave Shannon Airport mid-afternoon on the day before the workshop or retreat begins. As long as you arrive before then, we’ll meet you at the airport and bring you straight to our accommodation in Clifden. At the end of the event, we’ll return everyone to Shannon Airport in time for onward travel. If booking flights out of Shannon Airport, please make sure they depart no earlier than midday.

If you prefer to hire a car instead, Shannon Airport has all major rental companies on-site. The drive to Clifden takes around 2.5 to 3 hours and is a lovely route through the Irish countryside, ideal if you’d like extra time to explore.

We recommend searching for flights on Google Flights.

You don't need your own car for the retreat – transfers to and from Shannon Airport are included, along with all transport during the event.

However you may choose to hire your own car if you are travelling in the area before or after the event, or if you are bringing a guest, so they can head off and explore while we're off being busy little dog photographers.

There is plenty of parking if you do choose to hire a car for the duration of the event.

If self-driving, plan to arrive at the accommodation no earlier than 5pm on the day before the event officially begins. You'll be able to check in, settle into your room and meet everyone.

Yes! We have plenty of room for guests. The additional cost will be $1,200 USD for Unleashed Workshop, and $1,500 USD for Unleashed Retreat. This covers accommodation and all meals, which are expertly prepared by our in-house chef.

You and your guest must share a bed, as the beds cannot be split into singles.

During shoots and activities, your guest may relax at the house, or if they have their own transport they can head off exploring on their own. There is plenty of off-street parking for additional cars at our accommodation.

These events are all-inclusive and the fee includes accommodation, meals and transport during the event.

If you plan to leave Ireland the day after the event ends, you'll just need to check out before 10am that day (we'll organise an airport shuttle to Shannon Airport).

If you decide to arrive before the event begins, or stay for longer after it ends, any additional accommodation, transport and meals will be your responsibility.

After your final payment has been made, we'll be in touch with a list of learning resources available in Unleashed Education, that we'd like you to complete before the event.

This ensures everyone has a similar level of knowledge as a starting point, and gives you an introduction to our teaching style if you're not already familiar with us.

All resources are available in our Unleashed Education Premium Membership, which you will be granted complimentary access to in the lead-up to the event, if you're not already a member.

We've both had plenty of experience in running photo shoots at workshops and retreats over the last ten years. We've come up with the perfect formula so they run smoothly, allowing all attendees the time and space to work with the dog models and get their own shots, without feeling rushed or having to shoot over each other's shoulders.

This isn't the sort of workshop where there is only one dog that the instructor sets up, and everyone lines up "gallery style" to capture the same shot!

Each shoot begins with a location scout before the dog models arrive. We'll scout the area with you while sharing our thoughts on potential shooting spots and lighting, allowing you to truly take in the location without the pressure of needing to choose a spot to shoot immediately.

After all our dog models arrive, we begin our instructor demonstration, so you can see how we work with the dogs and use the light and the location.

Then it's over to you!

Every participant will have exclusive time with each dog model, which generally results in everyone ending up with different images that are unique to their own creative vision.

Following our initial demonstration, 100% of our focus shifts to assisting you in the specific areas we’ve identified for improvement. We’re dedicated to providing one-on-one support, ensuring you receive the guidance you need to excel in your pet photography journey.

Our pet photography events have been primarily created to help pet photographers with the art of pet photography, so there will be no business (sales, pricing, marketing) related topics taught. This makes it suitable for a wide range of pet photographers, whether you run a business or never intend to!

In April, Connemara brings cool and changeable spring weather. Daytime temperatures usually sit around 10°C to 12°C (50°F to 54°F), while nights and early mornings can drop to around 6°C (43°F). Mornings can feel crisp and fresh, so layering is important to stay comfortable throughout the day.

Although we've chosen the driest time of year possible, this is Ireland, so rain is a distinct possibility! Conditions can shift quickly between sunny spells, cloud and light showers. It’s best to be prepared with waterproof clothing and a protective cover for your gear so you can keep shooting even if the weather turns.

Sunrise is around 6:35am and sunset is around 8:45pm in mid April, giving us plenty of daylight to enjoy long shooting sessions and still return to base at a reasonable hour.

We have no control over what the weather decides to do on the day. We’ll still shoot if it’s cloudy or raining, but if it is raining heavily we will attempt to re-shuffle the shoot times.

We always highly recommend rain-proof protection for your camera gear in case we do end up shooting in light rain.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds based on weather, but we promise to make the best of any weather situations.

As thanks for their time and talent, we will be sending images of our wonderful dog models through to the owners around a month after the event ends.

We'll ask you to supply a couple of final, edited images of each dog that you photographed, to add to their collection.

We'll also get together for a group image review on Zoom, where you can reunite with your fellow attendees and we can ooh and ahh over all your final submitted images!

Please note all prices are in US Dollars.

There is a $100 application fee which will be applied to the total event fee if your application is approved, or refunded in full if your application is unsuccessful.

If your application is approved but you decide not to attend, your application fee will be not be refunded, so please only apply if you are serious about joining us!

If the event is cancelled by us, you will receive a full refund.

If you are unable to attend the event due to personal reasons and the event is still going ahead, we offer a full refund of all monies paid, only if we can fill your place and only more than 60 days before the event. If we are unable to fill your place or you cancel after this date, unfortunately we cannot offer a refund.

The $100 application fee becomes a non-refundable admin fee in all cases.

Please ensure your travel expenses are refundable or transferrable, as we cannot offer any refunds or financial assistance with money lost due to cancelled travel and accommodation bookings. We highly recommend taking out travel insurance.

Please do not book any travel or accommodation until your application has been finalised.

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