the art
of the hunt
UPLAND + WATERFOWL EDITION | JAN 2027
Bird Dog + Hunting Dog Photography Workshop
October’s workshop sold out in hours. January is coming. A four-day workshop combining upland bird dog and waterfowl photography.
Same small group, same working estate, a whole new season.
- Guessing what the dog is doing
- Reacting after the moment breaks
- Getting in the way & disrupting the day
- Hoping for images that look good but actually feel inauthentic
- How to anticipate moments before they happen
- How to read working dog body language from a Brittany on point to a lab in the blind
- How to move safely alongside hunters, handlers, guides, and firearms in upland fields and duck blinds
- How to work in less than perfect lighting conditions
- How to recognize the stories most photographers miss
Learn to see
the Hunt.
For photographers who already know how to use their camera, and are ready to learn how to move confidently in the hunting world, read what's actually happening in the field, and photograph bird dogs in a way that honors the hunt, relationship, and the dog.
Pointers. Flushers. Retrievers.
Upland + waterfowl hunts
Six things to scan
before you press the shutter.
Most photographers are looking for action. I'm looking for something else. Over the last six years, I've developed a framework that helps me recognize the moments that matter before they happen. Whether I'm photographing in a flooded timber swamp in Virginia, a grouse hunt in Maine, or gamekeepers in Scotland, these are the six things I'm constantly evaluating. They're what turn a record shot into a story.
Attention
Relationship
Purpose
Context
Evidence
Emotion
The resource I wish
I'd had.
I've been doing this for six years. When I started, there was nothing like this.
No workshop that took the hunting world seriously. No resource that covered the safety, the etiquette, the nuance, or the reality that if you don't live this life, it's surprisingly easy to get it wrong.
And in a world built on relationships and trust, getting it wrong can mean not getting invited back.
I learned by being in it. By asking questions and making mistakes nobody warned me about. By spending countless hours around handlers, trainers, guides, and bird dogs, figuring it out, one hunt at a time.
Over the last few years, I've noticed more photographers finding their way into hunting dog photography, and I think that's a good thing. But the learning curve is real.
Understanding your camera is one thing. Understanding how to move safely with hunters, how to work around firearms, how to read a dog before the action happens, and how to photograph this world in a way that feels authentic to the people who live it. . . well, that's something else entirely.
This workshop is the resource I wish I'd had when I was starting out. My goal is simple: help you skip some of the mistakes I made, shorten the learning curve, and give you a foundation that took me years to build on my own.
Street Cred
published in: Project Upland, Hunting Dog Confidential, Quail Forever, Pheasants Forever, (Gray’s Sporting Journal, forthcoming)
2x Hair of the Dog Academy Summit instructor | 5 photography-specific podcast appearances
Co-instructor of Woofventures Retreats | Dog photography retreats in Scotland
PPA International Print Competition: Gold + Silver | VA PPA Vanguard + Court of Honor Awards
Upland + waterfowl hunter | bird dog mom
What you'll
walk away with.
- Gundog roles: pointers, flushers, and retrievers
- Hunting terminology and field/blind etiquette
- Safety around firearms, hunters, and working dogs
- How to position yourself without disrupting the hunt
- Reading bird dog body language
- Anticipating moments before they happen
- Understanding communication between dogs, hunters, and guides
- Recognizing the moments most photographers miss
- Photographing pointers, flushers, and retrievers
- Capturing action, emotion, and atmosphere
- Working in changing light and unpredictable conditions
- Building stronger compositions and complete visual narrative
- Story-driven image selection
- Editing for authentic sporting imagery
- Group critique and feedback
- Private, post-workshop portfolio review Zoom call, after your first solo hunt session.
Kind words
From past students
“Working with Kristen is unlike any photography experience I've had. She brings a rare combination of technical mastery, genuine patience, and boundless energy to everything she does. She has a gift for meeting students exactly where they are with warmth, confidence, and an infectious enthusiasm that makes the learning feel effortless. Students leave not only with meaningfully elevated skills, but with experiences they won't soon forget, and often go back for more!”
— Sue Campbell, Resolute Hound
”Kristen is a very intentional photographer who places great value on having a process that she has refined over time. This makes for a productive, fun, and relaxed experience from start to finish. She's super patient and encouraging, even when I was acting like a total newb! I highly recommend learning from her if you want to hone your photography skills.”
— Charlotte Detienne Photography
“Her teaching methods, friendly personality, and patience while educating photographers of all experience levels were truly appreciated. I clicked so well with Kristen that I decided to work with her one-on-one on my business techniques and photography. She has been an exceptional educator, life coach, and now friend. Whenever I am feeling stuck in an aspect of my photography business or need a little push to move forward, she’s there to help me. I couldn’t recommend her more.”
— Megan Purtell Photography
You'll leave with your images,
not mine.
There could be a version of this workshop where everyone walks away with the same shot. The same framing, same edit, same light. You can tell exactly whose workshop it came from because every image looks almost identical.
That's not what this is.
My job isn't to create Kristen clones. It's to help you develop your own vision. We'll spend three days in the field together, and I'll teach you to read the hunt, anticipate the moment, and build images that hold up; but how you see it, how you frame it, what you choose to include or leave out, that stays yours.
I’m going to teach you how to take great images of bird dogs doing their job in the field. You’re going to walk away with strong work, but also images that still feel true to you as an artist. My goal is for you to leave with a body of work that feels like you shot it.
Because you did.
How the experience
works.
Observation & Understanding
Learn the language of bird dogs, field etiquette, safety, and how to recognize the moments before they happen.
Upland Photography
Two guided upland hunts in the field and pine forest, working alongside pointers, flushers, and retrievers with real-time instruction throughout.
Waterfowl + Storytelling
Intro to waterfowl photography and blind culture. Then an editing and storytelling workshop to build your complete visual narrative from the weekend.
Trusting Your Eye
Step into the blind and photograph a guided waterfowl hunt with confidence, applying everything you've learned while making decisions in real time.
— LIMITED TO 4 STUDENTS —
January 2027
Cumberland Estate, New Kent, Virginia
Art of the Hunt: Upland + Waterfowl
Waitlist members get first access to dates, early bird(dog) pricing, and the application window before anyone else.
October 2026 sold out in under 12 hours, from the waitlist before it ever went public.
Small group, personalized attention. Lodging, breakfasts + lunches included. Real dogs, real hunts, real work.
