This summer has been a ‘challenging summer’ – challenging in the sense that I have been involved in the Embark photography challenges course from Unleashed Education. This course is a series of 12 challenges over 6 months that have specific requirements for each challenge. In addition to getting feedback on every image submitted within the timeframe (every 2 weeks), there is also a competition element to it, with digital ‘awards’ for the Top 20 and Top 10 in each challenge. (This course is the first of three courses offered in this format. This is the only challenge that gives Top 20 awards as well as Top 10 awards. Which means next year, in the next course in the series, it will be much tougher to win an award!)
Challenges involve everything from using color, to how you position yourself to take a photograph. While the challenges sound fairly simple, the specific details (which I can’t share, per the rules of the course) can make for technically demanding ‘questions’ to answer. One of the challenges involved a basic element of composition (often referred to as ‘bullseye’ composition). Eddie (above), joined me at Wheeler Historic Farm in Salt Lake City for a few sessions while I worked out the details of this particular challenge. Thankfully Eddie was quite patient, I was able to earn a Top 20 for this challenge, while also getting some really nice photographs for his Mom.
The challenges (ones that I have done well on, and ones that I have done less well on) have been fantastic. I have been getting out of my comfort zone on many levels. For instance, I have always been a morning person, but to get that magical evening light, I have had to adjust my schedule to shoot in the evenings. Whether I’m heading up into the Uintas, photographing in Midway, or in Salt Lake City, I am now finding myself driving home in the dark with amazing photos. And yes, I have learned that it is completely worth it to photograph as the sun sets.
And this is reflected in not just photos for these challenges, but in client sessions, as well. If you’d like to book me for photographs of your pets (and their people!), we are going to be shooting closer to sunset than I have done in years past. Even as it looks like it might be too dark to take photographs, there are usually a few more photographs that can be taken, resulting in some absolute magic!
If you are interested in learning more about photography sessions for your pets and their people in Salt Lake, Park City and surrounding areas (far-reaching surrounding areas – I go up to the Uintas on a regular basis and would love to show you some of my favorite spots there!), reach out to me, and we’ll talk about the perfect adventure for you and your pets!
Stay tuned for more on my photography challenges!
Dogumentary Pet Photography
