Pre Convention PPA Merited All-Day Class at Cherry Valley Hotel. Saturday, July 19th, 2025

Did you know that 68% of all U.S. households own at least one pet? This includes 86 million dogs. Compare that to the 22 million 15-19 year olds (reported from the US Census Bureau) who make up the high school senior portrait market, and you will see that pet photography is a tremendous market to tap into. This is also why it is one of the fastest growing niche areas in the photography industry today. Yet there are very few in-person educational opportunities available for those wanting to learn. Being a successful pet photographer comes with many nuances, from understanding animal behavior and safety, to posing and lighting pets, to getting expression. Lisa Asp help your members uncover the mystery of pet portraiture.

This all-day workshop will cover the ins and outs of pet photography and has been structured to meet the requirements for a PPA-merited class. This is important for a few different reasons:

1. This can be offered this as a stand-alone, full-day pre-convention workshop to your members (providing them with an additional opportunity for continuing education) or as part of a full convention.

2. No speaker merits will need to come out of your regular allotment as merited continuing education workshops are handled differently.

3. This is a great opportunity for your organization to raise money!

Program Description:

Lisa Asp of Tangerine House of Design in Minneapolis, MN, is dedicated to dog portraiture of all kinds - both in-studio and on-location. With over 20 years of experience working with our canine counterparts, she brings a full-time career of working with animals to get you up to speed on all things dog - one of the fastest growing niche markets in photography today.

Participants will learn dog behavior including body language, signs of stress, and safety practices. We will discuss the importance of a “dog wrangler” and how to quickly train your client to be your assistant if you don’t have one. You will see how to attractively pose dogs – what works and what doesn’t, as well as the best ways to get and keep their attention. Then, get ready to play! Live demos both in studio and outdoors will put this new knowledge to work.

Next, we will switch gears to talk about fundraising and how you can use it to market and grow your business, as well as other marketing strategies – topics that Lisa uses in her studio every day, and things that ANY photographer can use regardless of niche.

Lunch is provided for PPO Members. $15 for non-members.

Registration is $159 for everyone, $174 if you are not a PPO member but would like a box lunch.

This is a PPA continuing education class. All PPA members in good standing will receive a merit for attending.