In May I enrolled in an interactive Pet Photography course called Embark.
The purpose of this course is to follow 12 specific photo briefs and by doing so, improving your photography skills and developing a more defined style. I knew for this project I wanted to use dog models. Why? Because I wanted to focus 100% on getting the shot I had in mind. My usual sessions are full of me creating variety and making sure I have enough beautiful images to sell. Using dog models, I’m able to focus on the craft and experiment a little more.
We are currently 25% of the way through with 3 challenges complete. So far it has been so much fun and way more challenging than I expected. Here are the images I’ve created so far.
Challenge #1: Coloriffic
The idea behind this challenge was to incorporate large blocks of bright color.
My model Watson was a champ! At 5 months old he was posing like a pro. His light coloring worked wonderfully with the red background we found. Incredibly, this image made it to the Top 10 for this challenge! (On average 80-100 images are submitted, so being selected in the Top 10 is kind of a big deal!)
Challenge #2: Get Low
The idea behind this challenge was to get as low to the ground as possible.
My model for this challenge is Huckleberry. He was so much fun and obsessed with his ball! We did an early morning shoot and got some beautiful light.
Challenge #3: Composition
This challenge was to create an image that was perfectly centered.
This one was harder than I thought it would be. Generally, I lean towards the off-centered Rule of Thirds for my images. However, I came up with an idea and did a photo shoot for it! I also used this idea to do a photo shoot to do a personal lifestyle project and that one turned out great!
This image was also selected for the Top 10!
Stay tuned. I have several more awesome ideas in the works the next few challenges!
