Are you a hands-on learner?

As the wife of a teacher, I hear about all different types of learning. One line that always makes me smile is my husband saying “Are you the SAGE ON THE STAGE or the GUIDE BY THE SIDE?”  and he’s exactly right.  There are all sorts of online classes and workshops you can pay for — and yes, they are sometimes inexpensive and you can stay at home in your pajamas — but is that the learning environment you need?  An in-person workshop offers so much more!

Finn b on b

We teach you each technique using YOUR camera, in the company of a small group of other photographers that also share their experiences and love of animals. And we’ve got a massive amount of lighting equipment that you can experiment with as you decide which works best for you.

 

unleashed workshops teresa berg photography

How exciting is it to meet other pet-inspired photographers from around the country (and sometimes other countries) and hear about what they shoot and sell?  What equipment they use and how they use it?  One of the reasons we teach is to expand our learning, too!  We say good-bye to each group with a refreshed perspective on our own style and projects and through the private online facebook group, the learning and friendships continue for years to come.

We work with live models, hand-selected by Teresa and dog trainer, Robin Terrell of Good Dog Fetch so you get a variety for your portfolio – and so you get the experience of managing dogs during a photo shoot.  We talk about dog body language, temperament, how to light different types of fur, and every aspect of making them look good.

unleashed workshop teresa berg dallas

 

Afraid to pick up your camera in front of other photographers?  Don’t be! We’re a small group and NOBODY knows it all. More than anything else we want you to be successful — whether you’re just starting out, just adding pet photography to your portfolio, or just wanting to do a better job for your local shelter.  We will give you so much good information your brain will yell “stop!”

This year we’re adding a segment on WORKFLOW – so you’ll see images shot during the workshop go from RAW files to finished ready-to-print jpegs (or TIFF files).  Need help speeding up the editing process?  Removing leashes? White balance? We’ll cover it.

Our 2017 workshop is $995, which includes lunches and snacks.  Our Saturday night group dinner at a nearby restaurant is optional, but tons of fun. We have a group rate at a nearby Marriott for only $78 per night and you won’t need a rental car. You will only need transportation to the hotel from the airport but after that, we have plenty of people with cars to shuttle back and forth to the studio.

So let us be your GUIDE BY THE SIDE and join us this summer! Call the studio at 972-250-2415 or email us : TERESA@teresaberg.com

Make your summer photography plans now!

Our 2017 Studio Shooters workshop is open for registration.  And besides being one of the BEST workshops for shooting pets in the studio, we are moving to a great new space with two camera rooms and lots of room for all your creative ideas.

Join us July 14-16th at Teresa Berg Photography in Dallas for 3 days of intense, fun-filled shooting with live models and just about every lighting toy you have ever thought about trying. All you bring is the camera!  Call to register by phone with a credit card (workshop fee is $995) or email us  :  teresa@teresaberg.com and we’ll answer your questions and reserve your spot. 972-250-2415   Only 10 attendees will be accepted so everyone gets lots of hands-on shooting time.

pet photography workshop Unleashed
Meatball poses in the studio

Studio Shooters 2016 was a hit!

We just wrapped up our fourth annual Studio Shooters pet photography workshop and had a great group of photographers sharing ideas and learning.  We covered so many different techniques that I know they left with their heads spinning — but hopefully we de-mystified some of the behind the scenes work that goes in to photographing dogs in the studio.

With a variety of backgrounds (thank you, Intuition Backgrounds for donating one of their awesome designs as a door prize) and lighting systems, each attendee can now choose the system that fits their needs. Whether it’s a portable set up that travels to client’s homes or studio strobes that live in a permanent creative space — they all got experience and can now choose which system they will focus on.  And now, without fear — they are UNLEASHED to be even more creative with light.

Thanks to everyone for their willingness to look at things in a different way and share.

pit bull portraits teresa berg

What’s in your tool kit?

We all have a few tricks up our sleeves. You get in a jamb, the dog won’t cooperate, it rains, the client suddenly decides it’s a family photo session without telling you — you know, real life. I’ve said it many times. You can’t photograph pets unless you can think on the fly and think fast.

When it comes to lighting, you’re at the mercy of mother nature as well as your clients whims unless you have studio space. Let’s say for a moment you don’t have a studio. Do you know how to add supplemental light to your scene?  Do you pack back up equipment?  What if you arrive at the client’s home and they have dark red walls and dark hardwood floors and it’s a dreary day?  Can you pull it off?  A professional photographer knows what to bring (and often hopes they don’t have to use it). You can’t call yourself a pro if you only know one lighting setup!

At the very least, you need to know how to fully utilize a small portable flash. A great resource for that is The Strobist. If you’d rather learn from a book, check out The Speedlighter’s Handbook or The Hot Shoe Diaries .  And of course, there are many great free videos online on YouTube     What we hear from Unleashed attendees is “it’s so much easier to learn by DOING IT”  or “I like working in small groups so I will remember each step” but we’re just helpful by nature — so there you go.

My favorite speedlight toy, er, I mean MODIFIER, is The Mag Mod system which I saw for the first time at WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) last year.

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All of these cool silicone toys mount on to your speedlight with magnets and you can stack them — like the filters on top of the grid on top of the snoot if you want to — very quick and convenient to use.

We can talk about what we pack in to our camera bags for hours and no two photographers will agree, but as far as what tools to have right by your side during a photo shoot?  I stand by my little basket of fun (see below).  Paper towels are self-explanatory.

studio_0110.JPG If you’d like to spend a few days digging through my pile of toys, er, I mean, EQUIPMENT — join us for the Studio Shooters Unleashed workshop in July. We have six seats left.  We close the studio to the public and have a crazy indoor photographer’s shootfest with live models and backdrops and all sorts of lighting systems. It’s a great way to try before you invest a lot of money in a studio of your own. Call Teresa Berg Photography to ask questions or sign up. Tuition is $995 which includes lunches and snacks.  972-250-2415.

What’s happening for us in 2015

unleashed pet photography workshops

2015 looks like an exciting new year in photography and there’s always something going on in Pet Photography. Don’t forget to check our facebook group for updates.  Teresa is planning the summer STUDIO SHOOTERS UNLEASHED at her studio in Dallas tentatively schedule for July 10-12th. This is the perfect time to dive in to studio shooting with both feet and learn HANDS ON in a working studio. Stay tuned here for updates.

In early August, Teresa travels to the Minneapolis area and is possibly getting together a 1 or 2 day shooting workshop.

Keep shooting and check back with us soon for more details.

Studio Shooters Unleashed with Teresa Berg

Don’t be intimidated by studio lighting! Join Teresa in a relaxed creative two and a half day adventure in photographing pets in the studio. The second annual Studio Shooters Unleashed workshop will be held in Dallas July 18-20th –and this year’s workshop has been expanded to 2 1/2 days so that we have time to cover some post processing and workflow topics. This is ALL ABOUT THE LIGHT! We will not be talking business and marketing at the class but we’ll have lots of time to work with different types of lighting. Studio mono lights, all kinds of reflectors, continuous lighting, video lights, speedlites and all sorts of equipment you might want to try. Lots of furry four-legged models and also a few people thrown in with them for those of you who need practice with two legged models.

Teresa Berg pet photography workshop
Get Unleashed in the studio this summer
Work hands-on in a small group setting and have a ton of fun with us this summer! Tuition is $900 which includes lunches and snacks. Click on the Agenda page for more details.

Dear Santa. All I want for Christmas is… a trip to Dallas?

That’s right!  We’re planning Unleashed for January 2014 in Dallas.  If you’re on the east coast and you can wait until June, we’ll still be teaching in Virginia. But for those of you that don’t mind escaping the snow for a few days in Big D, how about late January? Average temps are in the 40s and 50s with plenty of sunshine and beautiful opportunities for some crisp outdoor photography.  Three full days with two instructors –business, marketing and shooting (both indoors and out), with live models. We’ll have more information as soon as the hotel and schedules are confirmed.

Unleashed Pet photography workshops Dallas
Outdoor pet portraits in January are fun in Dallas!

Studio Shooting with Teresa Berg | Unleashed pet photography workshops

We’ve got a couple of fresh new workshops “in the works”!  The first is an ALL STUDIO workshop taught by Teresa Berg –to be held August 24 & 25th in her Dallas studio.  Over the years we’ve had lots of comments like “I didn’t know studio shooting could be so fun! I wish I could do just two whole days of nothing but studio lighting” and “I’ve always been afraid of studio photography — it looks so complicated. But you make it easy!” and also “PLEASE let me know when you’re going to offer something for Unleashed graduates that want to go a little DEEPER.”  So here it is. We’re pulling all the tricks out of the bag and going crazy with light.

We’ll shoot with monolights, continuous lights, video lights, speedlights, reflected light — and even a flashlight… for dramatic effects and the beautiful clear crisp details that are so easy to get in the studio. Imagine what it’s like to have all the light you need right at your fingertips. We’ll even help you figure out what equipment you might need to set up your own studio –even if it’s just a One Light Portrait set up in the back bedroom!  We’ll have only shooting at this workshop — no business and marketing. Everything is hands on and in a small group setting.

We bring in a catered lunch and a variety of live models (two-legged and four-legged) so we can constantly change it up for you and you can get the maximum amount of shooting time. Additionally, we got a super rate ($59 per night) at the Courtyard Marriott down the street –which includes breakfast! So there you have it — beat the heat and let’s stay indoors and go crazy with light!

unleashed pet photography workshops

Unleashed Workshops | Virginia re-cap

All we can say is WOW!  Lots of great photographers, great models, great light and great friendships formed. It was a super workshop all the way around!  We had fabulous homes to shoot in, gorgeous studio space and last but not least, beautiful historic Leesburg, Virginia as the perfect backdrop. Stay tuned for more Unleashed fun…. _BHP9185 See more samples of what was shot on our facebook page:  HERE

Unleashed on the East Coast? you bet!

The dates aren’t quite final — but if you’ve been waiting for the Unleashed Workshops to pop up on the east coast again, you’re in luck!

It looks like we’ll be teaching June 8-10, 2013 in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area.  Please check this blog for all the details on cost/hotels/etc. and send us an email via the contact page if you’d like the registration  packet emailed to you.

Stay tuned for more information in the next few weeks!

unleashed pet photography