Kasey & Tyler Rajotte: On-Location Pet Photography: Capturing Connection in Real Environments
In this hands-on workshop, Kasey and Tyler, owners of Studio Twelve:52 and Twelve:52 Pets, walk you through their complete on-location pet photography process from start to finish.
With 17+ years in the photography industry and a specialty in capturing the genuine bond between pets and their people, they bring a uniquely real-world perspective to outdoor pet sessions. This workshop covers:
- choosing and reading a location
- working with natural and challenging light without flash
- preparing your clients for on-location sessions
- setting realistic expectations around outdoor distractions
- understanding dog behavior and stress signals
- building comfort and confidence when working with reactive dogs
- directing clients and pets naturally
- go-to posing and positioning for people and pets together
- gear considerations both in and out of your camera bag
- creating images that feel effortless without ever actually stopping the work that makes them that way
Whether you shoot professionally, volunteer with rescues, or are expanding from studio to outdoor work, you will leave with practical tools, a repeatable process, and a deeper understanding of how to create genuine connection in every session, no matter the environment.
Accessibility: This workshop takes place entirely within close proximity. Travel between shooting locations involves minimal walking, with an estimated total distance of 1/4 to 1/2 mile from start to finish, with extended pauses in between. Terrain includes both paved and grassy flat surfaces. There are no stairs or particularly uneven terrain involved.
Participants are welcome to bring their own cameras to capture images during the demonstration and receive real time feedback from Kasey and Tyler. Any images captured during the workshop are welcome to be shared. Video/audio recording is permitted for personal replay purposes only, but may not be shared
online.
About Kasey & Tyler
Kasey founded Studio Twelve:52 in 2009, and Tyler joined her full time in 2015, building what has become an award-winning two-photographer team specializing in wedding and pet photography across the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and beyond. Together they have documented 600+ weddings and spent 17+ years capturing love stories in all their forms.
Nearly 90% of the Rojette's wedding couples incorporate their pets into engagement sessions and wedding days, and Kasey and Tyler have had the privilege of traveling across the country and around the world to capture those love stories and their beloved pets in all sorts of unique locations. Their love for pets runs so deep that seeing them at engagements and weddings just wasn't enough. Twelve:52 Pets exists to further capture the special bond between person and pet -- from updated family photos and epic dog mom sessions to a kiddo and their first childhood pet out on an adventure together.
Another staple of what they do is called Legacy Sessions, born from the unexpected loss of their own dog Yuna, offering priority scheduling for pets facing terminal illness or senior old age, because some stories are too important to wait. They also volunteer photographing rescue and sanctuary dogs and are known for taking on pets others have deemed "unphotographable", because every animal deserves to have their story told.
Their style lives at the intersection of artful portraiture and lifestyle photography, and their directing approach is fully hands on from head to toe, using continuous prompting and genuine interaction to draw out moments that feel completely unposed, because the best images never look like anyone was trying.
When they are not behind the camera, they are at home or roadtripping (don't worry, they take turns) with their pack of six rescue dogs and three rescue cats, all named after favorite fictional characters from various movies and video games. Beyond the workshop, they are here to connect. Photography thrives on community, and there is no better excuse to build it than a shared love for the animals that make this work so meaningful. Find them, grab a coffee, and talk about the work and the animals that brought everyone here.