Katie Brockman is a pet photographer based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. After winning the Creative Category at the 2024 International Pet Photography Awards, Katie returned in 2025 as a finalist in the Creative Category, Feline Portrait, and overall International Pet Photographer of the Year - winning two of the three.

The Creative Category title was determined by her three highest-scoring entries in that category, while the overall title was determined by her five highest-scoring entries across all categories.

Katie is a volunteer for animal rescue and has fostered close to 70 animals over the last two and a half years. Her work spans emotive studio portraits, conceptual creative series and wildlife photography, and many of her subjects, including her own dog Caldwell, are rescue animals.

In this interview, Katie talks about the stories behind her winning images, the in-camera techniques she's been pushing herself to master, and how a health scare with her dog in 2020 started what has since become her whole world.

Katies winning Creative Category portfolio, the bunny was also in her overall finalist set of five.

About Katie's winning images

Is there a story behind any of your winning images you'd like to share?

The painted bunny is part of a series I've been working on for the last couple of years, featuring animals with unique markings. I loved the grey spots on his face, and since he was a mischievous boy, I wanted to create an image that showed off his silly side while also highlighting his beautiful colouring.

The cat with the cone is my former foster cat, who had to wear the cone of shame after having an eye removed. While she was a good sport about it, I couldn't help but have some fun with her martini glass appearance.

The tiger composite features another one of my former fosters. She was a fierce protector of her four kittens until she could trust that they were safe, and I wanted the image to portray that protective side of her. I'd just been experimenting with zoo photography, and her markings looked like tiger markings, so I thought “what if I could make her look like a tiger?” To get that protective side of the tiger into the image. Everything except that tiger side of her face was all her.

Two of the Photographer of the Year finalist images feature my own dog Caldwell, and they're probably two of my most special images because they really forced me to think about how I shoot. Both were done entirely in camera without any composites. One of them involved learning how to use a circular saw to cut a hole in a big piece of plywood, which was not something that was on my photography bingo card! The other is part of a much bigger series that has spiralled out of control in the best way. Every time I make a new one, I get more excited and have more ideas.

What was the most challenging part of creating these images?

The tiger composite was probably my toughest composite, because it's a studio picture of a cat with controlled lighting combined with a picture of a tiger shot at 200mm in outdoor lighting, which is rule number one of composites that you're not supposed to do. Mix different settings, different lighting, different focal lengths. It took a lot of Photoshop to get everything to look like it was meant to be there, but it was rewarding once it was done.

The bunny image presented a different kind of challenge; he was the first domestic bunny I'd ever photographed. I had no idea how to work with bunnies. I didn't know if he'd be okay with the flash, how to pose him, whether he'd be stressed. It definitely forced me to get better at reading animal body language across different species.

Did you know right away that these images were special?

I'd say it's about 50/50. Some images I look at on the back of the camera and I know right away they're going to be something special. Other times I'll edit an image four, five, six times and I'm still not sure whether I like it. Sometimes I'll throw it into a competition on a whim and it ends up scoring well and I'm like “okay, I didn't expect that, but I'll take it!”

About Katie's process

What's in your camera bag?

I recently upgraded to the Sony A7 IV, after shooting with the Sony A7 III for about three years. For outdoor work I use the Sigma Art 105mm f/1.4, and for studio I recently upgraded to the Sigma 24-70mm, though I'd been using a 50mm for studio work up until then. For studio lighting I use the Godox AD200, it's my go-to for everything.

Do you have a favourite lens or tool you rely on?

If I could only ever use one lens again, it would probably be the 70-200mm. You can use it for studio, outdoor, wildlife - there's so much versatility in that one lens.

How do you prepare for a shoot?

It really depends. There are images where I have a very specific idea and there's a lot of planning involved. But for the most part I'm winging it, especially with the cats and kittens. I'll start out just taking pictures to get them comfortable, and then ideas start to spark as I go. There's not really one single aha moment, it's more like I'm going to wing it every step of the way and hope for the best!

How much post-processing goes into your images?

It really depends on the image. Some are involved composites with 10, 15, 20 images combined. Some are done in a single shot entirely in camera. Some need a hundred layers of Photoshop. I use Lightroom Classic and Photoshop for everything, I hardly use Lightroom for much at all, Photoshop is where I do almost everything. There's no single editing method or strategy I use across all my images.

How do you connect with the pets you photograph to bring out their personalities?

I really try to work with the animal in front of me rather than having strict ideas of what I want. Especially with cats, sometimes I'll have a very specific idea and the cat is just, absolutely not. So I work with whatever they're comfortable with, and a lot of times it ends up better than I could have planned. I also spend time building positive associations with the camera and flash before I even try to get the shot - lots of treats, lots of positive reinforcement, so that seeing the camera come out feels like the best moment of their day.

About Katie's journey 

How did you get started in pet photography?

My dog Caldwell had a pretty sudden health scare in 2020. He can be quite reactive to new people and strangers, so I thought the best way to get good pictures of him would be to just buy a camera and take pictures myself. I originally intended it to be a short-term thing - I'll get a few professional-looking pictures of him and then I'll be done. And now here I am, a few years later, and it's basically consumed my entire world.

Aside from your previous success with IPPA, have you entered awards or competitions before?

The first awards I entered I really had no expectations, I just saw other pet photographers on Instagram entering and I didn't want to be left out! None of my initial images scored particularly well, and at that point I thought, okay, now I'm going to keep going just to prove to myself that I can do this. It's always been more of a game with myself than anything else - not so much about winning, but about how can I get better? How can I push myself into categories and styles I don't usually try? I can see real progress over the years in how my work has changed because of competition.

What does winning these awards mean to you?

Being the winner of one of the most prestigious pet photography competitions in the world is such an honour, and it's pushed me to improve my skills and think creatively. All of the finalist images are stunning, and I'm thrilled to even be listed alongside them.

Who or what has influenced your photographic journey the most?

I get a lot of inspiration from photographers outside of my genre - people doing really conceptual creative portraits that aren't remotely related to pets, but make me think, what if we could do something like that with animals? In terms of specific photographers, Hanna Neret is probably my biggest inspiration. Her storytelling is just next level. And Kris Anderson is another, the variety of work he produces, from creative storytelling to in-camera work, is just incredible.

What's one piece of advice you'd give to other pet photographers?

Work with the animal in front of you rather than having strict ideas of what you want. Take it at their own pace, let them show you what they want to do, and work with that. You'll make better images, and sometimes you'll get unexpected shots that you couldn't have planned anyway.

About Katie

Do you have any animals of your own? Tell us a bit about them!

My dog Caldwell has been my best model since I started photography, and every time I ask him if he wants to take pictures he does the little tippy taps and runs around in circles. He runs down to the basement and poses himself wherever he wants to pose. It just makes me so happy to know I'm making his life better through photography. I also have a revolving door of foster pets. I've been fostering for about two and a half years and in that time I've fostered close to 70 animals - mostly kittens, but also adult cats, bunnies, and the occasional puppy. As soon as I adopt one out I go two or three days and then the house feels too empty and I need to bring another one home!

If you could photograph any animal in the world, who (or what!) would it be?

Polar bears in the wild. I love polar bears, and to photograph them in their natural habitat would be a dream come true.

What's your favourite part about working with animals?

Just making their lives a little bit better, whether that's through photography or just spending time with them. Seeing a scared cat come out of their shell and learn to enjoy photography, or seeing Caldwell get so excited when the camera comes out. That's everything to me.

What's next for you and your photography?

Who knows - it's going to be whatever strikes me next! I've been leaning more into street photography and documentary style work. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm working on it. Mostly just experimenting with different genres and having fun with dogs and cats.

The responses in this interview are drawn from excerpts of a live Q&A with Katie Brockman, recorded during the Unleashed Education Premium Membership Lounge call in November 2025. Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity. 

You can see more of Katie's incredible work on her Website and Instagram.