Customise your experience

Brisbane is a vibrant city on the east coast of Australia, located in sunny Queensland. It sits between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast and is known for its warm weather, outdoor lifestyle and easy access to beaches, forests and national parks.

North Brisbane offers a relaxed, peaceful vibe while still being close to the heart of the city. The area is surrounded by lakes, bushland reserves and coastal pockets, making it perfect for outdoor photography. It’s also close to the beautiful Moreton Bay region and only a short drive from Bribie Island, where we run our beach shoots.

For this workshop we’ll be based at North Lakes Hotel, a calm lakeside location that gives us quick access to all our shooting spots and a comfortable hub to learn, connect and recharge.

The event will be held at North Lakes Hotel in north Brisbane. Getting there is easy, whether you are local, staying at the hotel or travelling from interstate or overseas.

If you are flying in, Brisbane Airport is the closest domestic and international airport. It is about 25 to 30 minutes drive from there to North Lakes. You can hire a car at the airport, take a taxi or Uber, or catch the train from the airport to Mango Hill Station, then take a short taxi ride to the hotel.

If you are staying at North Lakes Hotel, the conference room is just a short walk from your room each morning. If you are staying elsewhere in the area, North Lakes is close to major roads and has plenty of parking, making it simple to arrive by car each day.

Local participants can drive straight to the venue, with easy access from the Bruce Highway and ample parking on-site.

Getting to each shooting location is straightforward, and we will make sure everyone has a way to get there.

If you have your own car, you are welcome to drive yourself. All locations are easy to reach from North Lakes:

• Session 1 – Canine Portrait
  Pine forest (Donnybrook): around 35 to 40 minutes by car

• Session 2 – Pets and People
  Old Petrie Town: around 15 minutes by car

• Session 3 – Dogs in Action
  Red Beach, Bribie Island: around 35 to 40 minutes by car

If you don't have your own transport, we will organise car-pooling with other attendees. This usually works very well, as many participants are local or hiring cars for the week. If needed, we can arrange a people mover so everyone can travel together. No matter how many people join us, we will work to ensure you have reliable transport to and from every shoot.

The classroom sessions and shooting experiences are for paying participants only, so partners or friends can’t attend the workshop sessions. They are very welcome to enjoy the local area while you learn, and you can meet up with them before or after each day.

To allow for different budgets, travel plans and local participants, accommodation is not included. You are welcome to stay at North Lakes Hotel, where workshop attendees receive a 10% discount. You can also organise your own accommodation nearby, or drive in each day if you are local. North Lakes is easy to reach and has plenty of options to suit your needs.

After your final payment has been made, you'll be granted complimentary access to our Unleashed Education Premium Membership. Participants who book 1-4 sessions will receive 1 month complimentary access, and those who book all 5 sessions will receive 3 months free.

We'll provide a list of learning resources to check out beforehand. 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.

We've both had plenty of experience in running photo shoots at workshops and retreats over the last ten years.

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 (multiple) 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! We'll split into shooting groups, and every participant will have some time with the dog models, giving you plenty of opportunity to capture some great images.

We'll be on hand to provide as much (or as little) guidance as you need to help you get the shot.

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!

June is a magical time of year in Brisbane, even though it's the middle of winter! It is one of the city’s driest months, with clear, calm days and very comfortable temperatures. Daytime temperatures usually sit around 20°C to 22°C (68°F to 72°F), while early mornings and evenings can drop to around 10°C to 12°C (50°F to 54°F). Crisp, but not uncomfortably cold. Layers are helpful so you can stay comfortable throughout the day.

Rainfall is low, but light showers are still possible. Conditions are often clear and sunny, but there's always a chance of cloud. It is best to bring a light jacket and a simple cover for your gear so you can keep shooting if the weather changes.

Sunrise is around 6:45am and sunset is around 5:05pm in mid June, giving us beautiful afternoon light for our outdoor shoots. It is genuinely one of the best times of year to visit Brisbane.

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 workshop ends.

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

Please note all prices are in Australian Dollars.

A $500 deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your event attendance.

If you are unable to attend the workshop sessions 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 if it's more than 30 days before the event. If we are unable to fill your place or you cancel after this date, unfortunately we cannot offer a refund.

If the event is cancelled by us, you will receive a full refund, minus a $50 administration fee.

Please ensure any 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 place has been confirmed.

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