Cape Breton is a stunning island located on the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia, Canada. Known for its rugged coastline, dramatic highlands, and vibrant fall colors, it’s part of the larger province of Nova Scotia and is connected to the mainland by a causeway.

Cape Breton is famous for its natural beauty, including the world-renowned Cabot Trail, which offers breathtaking ocean views, mountains, and forests.

The island is a peaceful and scenic destination, making it perfect for outdoor adventures, photography, and exploring the rich cultural heritage of the area.

We'll be staying in Judique, which is located on the south-west coast of the island.

It really depends where you are coming from!

For international participants flying to Nova Scotia, the best route is to fly into Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ). This is the nearest major airport with direct flights from many international cities, including hubs in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of Canada.

From Halifax, if you're renting a car,  enjoy the scenic 3-hour drive to the workshop location which is in Judique, Cape Breton.

We can also pick you up from the airport and drop you back again after the workshop finishes.

We recommend searching for flights on Google Flights.

You don't need your own car for the retreat, however you may choose to hire one if you are travelling in the area before or after the workshop, 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 retreat.

Otherwise, we can pick you up from the airport in Halifax (it's a scenic sub-3 hour drive from our accommodation). We can do a couple of shuttles the day before the workshop begins (the 6th for the first workshop and the 13th for the second one).

From then on, we provide all transport during the workshop, and back to the airport ready for your journey home. Again, we'll do a couple of shuttles on the 11th (first workshop) and the 18th (second workshop) to get you back to Halifax International Airport.

Yes! This time around, we have plenty of room for guests. The additional cost will be $1,200 USD, which 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 workshop activities, your guest may relax at the cabin, 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.

The retreat is all-inclusive and the fee includes five nights of accommodation, all meals and all transport during the retreat.

Plan to arrive in Halifax (we can pick you up from the airport) or directly at the workshop location in Judique, Cape Breton, on the day before the retreat officially begins. You'll be able to check in, settle into your room and meet everyone.

If you plan to leave Nova Scotia the day after the retreat ends, you'll just need to check out before 10am that day (we can take you to the airport).

If you decide to arrive before the retreat 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 workshop.

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 workshop, 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.

Unleashed Workshop has 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 during the workshop. This makes it suitable for a wide range of pet photographers, whether you run a business or never intend to!

In mid-October, Cape Breton experiences cool autumn temperatures, with daytime highs ranging from 10°C to 15°C (50°F to 59°F) and nighttime lows dipping to around 3°C to 7°C (37°F to 45°F). While the days can feel comfortable, mornings and evenings tend to be chilly, so wearing layers is essential for staying warm throughout the day.

Rainfall is possible during this time of year, with weather conditions varying between sunny, cloudy, and occasional showers. It’s a good idea to be prepared for light rain, especially when shooting outdoors, by bringing waterproof gear and clothing to stay comfortable during any unexpected changes.

Sunrise occurs around 7:30am, and sunset is around 6:30pm, allowing us to finish shooting and head back to base ready for dinner 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 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.

We'll also get together for a group image review on Zoom, where you can reunite with your fellow workshop 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 retreat 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 retreat is cancelled by us, you will receive a full refund.

If you are unable to attend the workshop due to personal reasons and the workshop is still going ahead, we offer a full refund, minus the $100 USD application fee, only if we can fill your place and only before July 1, 2025. If we are unable to fill your place or you cancel after this date, unfortunately we cannot offer a refund.

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.

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

We sure have!

After a couple of reschedules due to covid, we ran our first Unleashed Workshop in Arrowtown in the South Island of New Zealand in 2022. It was a winter workshop and our participants loved shooting dogs in the snow!

The next two years in 2023 and 2024 we returned to Arrowtown, but this time during autumn. The region is absolutely stunning during this season and we'd quite happily run workshops there every year, however in 2025 we will instead be bringing this fantastic workshop to North America so it's more accessible for all our students there.

But still during autumn, because we can't get enough of that fall colour! 🍁

You can read the full wrap ups for all three previous workshops here!

At this point, we have no idea! If you'd like to jump on our mailing list however, we'll let everyone know as soon as we have sorted out the details for the next workshop.

Absolutely! Previous Unleashed Workshop attendees are encouraged to apply.

This workshop does not contain set classes or presentations to present the same information each time.

If you’ve attended before, we’ll begin by assessing your current skills and goals. From there, we’ll identify the specific areas to focus on and develop a personalized plan to help you reach your aspirations in pet photography.

This means that returning attendees will find fresh perspectives and opportunities to grow, with no repeated content.

Sure! Just get in touch here.