What a year! We kicked things off by filming content for Empower, the third course in our Unleashed Challenges series, finishing just before I took a dramatic tumble off my horse in March, spraining my ankle and breaking my tailbone. By April, I was hobbling around just in time for our final Unleashed Workshop (check out the recap here), held in stunning Arrowtown, New Zealand, right before the Autumn Festival. I’ll miss running workshops there, but in 2025 we’ll be off to somewhere new!

In June, I co-hosted Barkjavik, the next evolution of our “barka” international pet photography retreats. Unlike our workshops since 2016, this was a ten-day photography tour along Iceland’s south coast, with daily shoots and stays in multiple locations.

Afterwards, I headed to Scotland and England for a couple of weeks and spent a very enjoyable birthday touring Welsh castles, with my fellow history-loving pet photographer friend Sarah. 

I had a few weeks back home before heading off for 10 days of snowboarding in Queenstown, New Zealand with friends in August – which I managed to get through without further injury. In September I had long-planned shoulder surgery, which has resulted in a pretty slow but steady recovery. 

The second half of our year in Unleashed was taken up with running the International Pet Photography Awards for the second time, and wrapping up three Unleashed Challenges courses. 

This year, personal shoots were few and far between, and since I no longer take on private clients, my Top 10 images all came from workshops and retreats – though we did sneak in a few personal shoots organised around the workshops themselves.

I entered the IPPA again, as the feedback from our expert judging panel is invaluable. I was thrilled to earn a couple of Silver Distinctions, but what pleased me most was the consistency of my scores. All 22 images I entered scored between 76 and 86, which I’m quite happy with, especially given many were captured while teaching!

2025 is already shaping up to be another hectic year, but I’m determined to carve out more time for personal projects this time, so I have more images to choose from for my own dog’s annual calendar project, and also for entering in competition. Wish me luck!

Let's take a look at my favourite ten images from 2024!

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 135mm ƒ/1.8L, ISO 1000, 1/800 sec, ƒ/1.8 

Kyro

We always have the best models when we run our workshops in Arrowtown, New Zealand. There’s just something about the dog culture in that part of the world that produces well-adjusted dogs and owners with a sense of adventure, always so happy to work as a team and do whatever we need to get the shot! At workshops, we generally do a 15 minute demo at the start of each shoot. Unfortunately it was raining when we started, but that did make for some quite atmospheric shots of beautiful Kyro, a white German Shepherd.

My original edit on this image played on the autumn tones, adding warmth. But I felt the weather conditions (there are visible raindrops) might suit a darker, moodier edit, so I converted the image to black and white, and played around with it further. I actually posted both versions in our Premium Members Facebook group, and the input given there helped me to refine it even more, ending up with this final version.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 135mm ƒ/1.8L, ISO 640, 1/1000 sec, ƒ/1.8

Benson

After Unleashed Workshop, the Unleashed team spent an extra week in Arrowtown photographing dogs, indulging in amazing food (both home-cooked and at local restaurants) and attending the Autumn Festival. I also managed to get in quite a few walks along the river and gentle hikes, taking care of my recently-sprained ankle!

One of our shoots took us to the stunning Shotover River, with its icy blue waters framed by the vibrant autumn foliage of the canyon. No Top 10 post is complete without a photo of Arrowtown’s star model, Benson, who never fails to steal the show. As our go-to model whenever we visit, he makes it nearly impossible to pick a favourite shot – he’s effortlessly photogenic, instinctively striking the perfect pose and nailing his angles every time.

This time, I went with an action shot that perfectly captures his joy as he trots back toward us across the river pebbles and shallow water.

This image scored an 83 in the IPPA, resulting in a Silver award.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 24mm ƒ/1.8 Macro, ISO 250, 1/800 sec, ƒ/2

Kash

Another post-workshop fun shoot took place at St Bathans, an incredible and other-worldly location that features a dramatic landscape shaped by 19th-century gold mining. Hydraulic sluicing carved out what is now the stunning Blue Lake, its vivid blue waters surrounded by stark white clay cliffs – a reminder of the area’s mining past. Not that you can see much of the location from this image, but Kash here is perched high up on a clay cliff, against the beautiful sunset that we were lucky enough to witness that day!

He had plenty to say, and I love how his tail stands tall like a waving flag, perfectly balancing his head as he sings toward the fiery skies. His dad was initially in the shot to keep him safe and in place, but removing him added a beautiful sense of solitude to the scene.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 135mm ƒ/1.8L, ISO 1250, 1/320 sec, ƒ/2.2 (multi image panorama)

Icelandic Sheepdog

I first visited Iceland in October 2023 to run Style Lab Retreat, spending two weeks immersed in its stunning landscapes – check out the recap here. This year, we headed back! 

This time, it was to run a different kind of pet photography retreat, Barkjavik, alongside Craig Turner-Bullock, Nicole Begley, Kaylee Greer, and Sam Haddix. Returning in June was a whole new experience – summer in Iceland is an interesting experience but also somewhat magical, with the sun barely dipping below the horizon and a seemingly never ending twilight.

We organised several location-scouting shoots for just us instructors before the photo tour began. This shot, taken at Jökulsárlón (glacier lagoon), perfectly captures the surreal beauty of Iceland's endless summer nights. The Icelandic Sheepdog was an ideal subject for this location, matching the otherworldly scenery while standing out thanks to the complementary tones of his coat. Huge thanks to Sam for stepping in to handle the dog and helping bring my vision to life!

This image scored an 83 in the IPPA, resulting in a Silver award.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 24mm ƒ/1.8 Macro, ISO 250, 1/1000 sec, ƒ/1.8

Rökkvi

This next location-scouting shoot for Barkjavik was a dream come true for me. We originally intended to begin the shoot at Stokksnes, a stunning coastal headland known for its dramatic black sand beaches, windswept dunes, and the striking Vestrahorn mountain backdrop. However, the notorious Iceland wind had manifested, making it impossible to shoot in the dunes unless we want to get completely sandblasted!

Luckily, nearby is Vestrahorn's Viking Village! This replica Viking settlement, originally built as a movie set (you can see it in The Witcher: Blood Origin), features rustic wooden longhouses, turf-roofed buildings, and village pathways. There’s even a replica Viking longboat, which is where I captured some of my favorite shots of our model, Rökkvi, a Border Collie mix. With the wind adding the perfect touch of windswept fur and a raised ear, he truly looked like a little adventurer!

I entered this image in the IPPA, and scored 84 which resulted in a Silver award.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 135mm ƒ/1.8L, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec, ƒ/4

Orka and Kraftur

We’d shot at Reynisfjara during Style Lab Retreat, but it’s the kind of place you can always come back to and the mood will be different, as the weather and conditions are so changeable. Reynisfjara is better known as Iceland’s famous black sand beach, and features dramatic basalt columns, thundering Atlantic waves, and towering sea stacks. This time, I turned away from the usual views and shot in a westwards direction towards a rocky outcrop called Dyrhólaey, with these two stunning (and super well trained) German Shepherds, Orka and Kraftur, taking centre stage.

I love how they stand out amongst the monotone landscape and sky. I put a lot of work into their fur appearance and texture in this image, and I think it pays off!

This image scored 80 in the IPPA, and earned a Silver award.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 50mm ƒ/1.2L, ISO 100, 1/2500 sec, ƒ/1.2 (multi image stitch)

Móri

After all the location scouting shoots, Barkjavik began in its namesake, Reykjavik, and of course we had to shoot at Hallgrímskirkja, an iconic landmark church known for its unique design inspired by Iceland’s basalt lava flows. It’s one of the country’s tallest buildings and stands as a powerful symbol of Icelandic heritage and creativity.

Móri, with his snowy white fur and regal presence, was the ideal model for this location, perfectly suited for a high-key image. The overcast sky was a bonus! The site was bustling with people during the shoot, so I spent quite a bit of time in post-processing, merging images to extend the church’s view and meticulously removing all those pesky humans from the background.

Worth it? I think so, and the judges agreed when I entered this in the IPPA and received a final score of 84 – a Silver award.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 50mm ƒ/1.2L, ISO 125, 1/1250 sec, ƒ/1.8 (multi image stitch)

Icelandic Horse

One of the highlights of Barkjavik was photographing Icelandic Horses amidst the stunning countryside – and it very nearly didn’t happen! Gale force winds started up the day before, so for a while there it looked like we weren’t going to be going ahead with the shoot. But these kinds of conditions are fairly normal for the resilient Icelandic folk, and the horses live outdoors year-round so it was just another day for them!

We moved the shoot to a more sheltered valley, a hidden sanctuary of moss-covered rocks and a cascading waterfall. The handlers brought a small herd of horses on horseback from the farm where we stayed. They ran the herd back and forth across the stream in front of the waterfall, creating a scene straight out of a dream. Among all the images I captured, this one stands out – an intimate moment with just one horse from the herd, given their chance to steal the spotlight and embody the spirit of this very special breed of horse.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 50mm ƒ/1.2L, ISO 1250, 1/640 sec, ƒ/1.8

Shelter Love

This year, we launched our third Unleashed Challenges course Empower, featuring a challenge called Dogumentary. Craig and I like to jump into these challenges when we can, so for this one, I headed to my local pet shelter, Peninsula Animal Aid. I’ve been working with them for over a decade now, and while I no longer photograph adoptables, I still capture rehomed dogs for their annual calendar and shoot their Santa Paws event each year.

I visited on a Saturday, their busiest day of the week, and hung out for a couple of hours taking candid shots of the shelter workers and the dogs and cats waiting for homes. Bryony is a dedicated volunteer shelter worker, giving up her Saturdays to tend the dogs in the shelter. She has a lovely way with the dogs and I felt privileged to be able to capture her at work, forging connections with these lost souls.

This dog was especially timid, being very wary of me hanging around outside the pen, but slinking up slowly to Bryony while she was cleaning the water bowl, for a sneaky pat.

As well as making a behind the scenes video for the Empower course of my time photographing at PAA, I also entered this in the Documentary category of the IPPA and it was actually my highest scoring entry with 86 points, awarded a Silver Distinction. Earlier in the year I entered a montage including this image and 8 others in the Australian Photographic Prize, and scored 81 and a Silver.

Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 135mm ƒ/1.8L, ISO 640, 1/1000 sec, ƒ/1.8

Fletcher, Opal and Enzo

What would a Top 10 post be without my own furry terrors – Fletcher, Opal and Enzo the Australian Shepherds.

I put a lot of work into Unleashed this year, and with various injuries, didn’t have much time left over for photographing my own dogs like I usually do, so my options for their annual wall calendar were limited! I did manage to scrape together enough images though and you can check them out here. I plan on addressing that next year – I have some behind the scenes videos to create for our challenge courses!

This was an image I quickly grabbed one afternoon on my front patio as my dogs were engaging in one of their favourite games – teamwork makes the dream work! These guys are super close, they really do love each other and best of all, they love to hang out and play together too, each with their special role in whatever game they are playing.

You can check out all the images from their 2024 calendar on Facebook here.

And there you have it – a glimpse into what I’ve been up to this year and a few of my personal favourites from 2024. What about you? We’d love to see your favourites – share them with us in our Facebook community!

If you'd like to find out more about Charlotte Reeves, you can check out her About page here, or find out more about Unleashed Education here.