The MasteringPortraitPhotography.com team asked four-year-old Benji to bring some things to the studio to be photographed with. He chose some toy cars, a camera and… our studio dog.

First though, I show you one of the most common lighting set-ups I see from new photographers – flat lighting. This happens when the light hitting the subject is equally powerful from both sides, such as when you have two equidistant studio lights at the same power settings. I explain why I hate how this looks and the very easy way to fix it.

Then it’s on to our first prop, a toy car. I'll be looking to create a dynamic, high key portrait, with the car zooming towards the camera, headlights aglow.

The second prop is a toy camera. I'll start off with another high key set-up (using two subtractor boards to add shadow and character into the shot), then I'll try a low key version with a family heirloom camera for a completely different look.

Lastly, we head outside for a portrait with Rufus, the studio dog. I'll explain why he picks the location under the tree and shares some of his tips for working with dogs.