Fall seems to be the award season for photography, and pet photography is no exception. Last year I entered a few photos into the International Pet Photography Awards, and earned one ‘bronze’ certificate. This year, because I had taken so many photographs for the Embark challenges, I thought I would enter several more because while I had received feedback on several of the photos from Embark, I wanted to see what other judges would say (juding is subjective, after all!), and I had several other photos I hadn’t submitted for feedback in Embark. I ended up entering 16 photographs in the competition, and ended up receiving ‘above professional standard’ awards on all but one (which earned a ‘professional standard’ result). I am extremely pleased with my progress, and look forward to continuing to develop my craft! Everyone who entered received written feedback from two judges, and I’ve included the feedback, as well, as several of you will recognize your dogs, and may be interested to see what the judges said.
Judge 1:
This image has some of the best bokeh I’ve seen in a long time! Your dog model looking up, as if appreciating the great light in the trees makes for cohesive storytelling in your image. The rim light around your dog, and the two front feet posting on the stone are great details. The pattern on your dog model’s collar may work against the simplicity of your background, so in the future I would consider putting on a simple, solid colored collar in order to keep your image distraction free. Overall this is a really special portrait!
Judge 2:
The rim lighting is insane! The bokeh in the background, rather than being distracting as it usually is, adds to a fairytale-like cascade of lights. The collar looks like it’s somewhat floating in this image, think about either removing it or shooting the dog on a show lead that’s easily removed. Spectacular job and great colors.
Judge 1:
The moment captured here is fabulous: a single point of contact between the ground for an otherwise levitating pup adds a certain amount of hilarity to a deadly-serious expression. The big, sparkling eyes pull the viewer in to the features. The colourful balls of sparkly bokeh and the bright red of the bow create a ping-pong effect between subject and background which is a little distracting. Having the balls of light more evenly distributed left and right would help add to the balance of this image. Removing the purple tones on the far left would help to simplify the scene and encourage focus to stay on the subject.
Judge 2:
Such an adorable quirky little portrait. Your chosen depth of field is spot with the beautiful Bokeh to the left and the almost hovering determined little dog staring straight down the lens. The bokeh, while beautiful is on the verge of being a distraction, as is the vertical lighter strip directly above your subject head. Changing your angle of view so that the top of the dogs head sits in a darker area of the frame, further highlighting those adorable fluffy ears, may help with this image even further.
Judge 1:
The photograph’s exposure and lighting are well-balanced, preserving the details of the animal while creating a mood that enhances the overall atmosphere of the image. It’s a beautifully crafted shot that captures both detail and emotion. Great job!
Judge 2:
This is a strong pose and expression from a powerful breed which feels nicely balanced with the scale and solidity of the surrounding environment. The bright patch on the chest and the highlights on the rock face draw attention away from the face. Although it makes sense for the light to be hitting the far side of the dog in this composition, experiment with dodging and burning techniques and painting with light to attract the viewer’s attention to the face of the dog and away from those bright spots. Overall, the image has a slight green cast to it; introducing a hint of magenta will help to neutralise that and make the dog’s coat a more natural colour. The angle you have shot this from gives a pleasing depth to the image by creating foreground blur without totally obscuring the plane of focus. The shallow depth of field and good focus allow the dog to stand out well from the background. Well done.
Judge 1:
‘m a sucker for a good rock, and this indeed is that. A great find from the author and a wonderful prop to use. whilst the background is bright and colourful, the foreground and our subject are dark and muted, in colour and expression. Consider ways to bring each side closer together, by altering the pose or expression through attention items, or by altering the colour toning to provide more harmony through the narrative within the image. The scene does have quite a lot going on, but overall it is well handled and composed by the author to provide an interesting visual story to walk through.
Judge 2:
Good use of subject placement to isolate and focus on this little dog. The setting is beautiful and you’ve handled the lighting with consideration. The vertical tree behind the dog would benefit from being removed as it’s dragging the eye away from the dog.
Judge 1:
The low shooting angle in this image works really successfully to bring us down into the dog’s world. The lighting has been handled beautifully to give a subtle rim light around the edges of the dog to separate them from the soft and pleasing background. Capturing a little more energy in the run would take this to the next level.
Judge 2:
Lovely colour palette, and handling of the conditions. The shadows look a little muddy, and the dogs chest a bit dull. Consider how using toning this could be remedied.
Judge 1:
Great use of a low camera angle to draw the eye to the face, the green tones feel natural and the lighting is soft yet, beautiful. It would be nice to see both front paws.
Judge 2:
You captured a lovely, happy portrait of this gorgeous dog. The setting is simple but effective. But try to avoid having a patch of bare ground, like the one left to the dog, when everything else in the back- and foreground is grass and green. This spoils the composition and attracts attention.
Judge 1:
This is a view that all of us with ball-crazy dogs can relate to! The dog looks appropriately joyful and you’ve captured them at a good point in the stride. The image is a bit tight on the bottom, it’s best to leave some space in their direction of movement, which is at the bottom if they’re running directly towards you. The yellow in the background is a bit confusing, it looks like it should be sky, but there’s texture in there that doesn’t look like clouds. Because it’s a warm colour and bright, it does compete for my attention.
Judge 2:
You captured a great moment of action with the dog’s legs out in front of them and the also great connection with the dog. The high dynamic range of the background with the dark area and then the bright full sun area competes with the subject. The fur of the dog also feels very cool and slightly green. Try shooting in areas with more consistent dynamic range in the whole scene and a grey card or expo disc will help dial in the tint and white balance.
Judge 1:
I really like the expression on this dog. The ears are super funny. the highlights in the background, however, are pretty bright and are taking away from your subject. The overall color palette is very nice.
Judge 2:
Nice moment captured, the lighting in the background offers a really good opportunity to create mood and atmosphere. The dogs legs cut off by the foreground blur coupled with the solid green on the right make the image feel boxy and awkward. Consider how curves and circles are more pleasing to the eye.
Judge 1:
The dog’s engaging expression draws me into this image immediately. It’s a beautiful scene, rendered subtly through the shallow depth of field and subdued tones. Consider cropping just a little more down from the top right as the white sky above the mountains does not add anything to the image, however it is good to see the tops of the mountains.
Judge 2:
The connection with the subject totally makes this image. The framing foreground enveloping the subject works well to add compositional finesse. The subjects face is considerably darker than the sky in the background, which is close to being blown out in places. Additional control of this area, or alternatively shooting at a different time of day, would elevate the image considerably.
Judge 1:
This is a clean, elegant image. I love the symmetry. The dog’s expression is good. The colours in the background look very grey and could do with more punch. The dog’s white fur as well as the tongue also loo a bit unsaturated and grey. Overall, the image could do with a very tiny increase in brightness and also saturation.
Judge 2:
This is such a regal, sphinx-like pose, and seen from the front and at such a low angle, has a lot of impact! I just wish the dog wasn’t wearing a collar, as it does pull the skin and fur in and interrupt the outline. With such a bold pose, the desaturated, low contrast background feels dull by comparison. Allowing it to have some intensity would compliment the feel of the image more. There appears to be a lighter halo around the dog, particularly the left-hand ear. Great sharpness on the eyes.
Judge 1:
This is a fun concept which shows good artistic exploration. There is however a lot going on which has resulted in an image which causes the eye to move around away from the dog’s face. The dog’s expression appears intense, confident and quirky. The dog’s legs and tail draw the eye away from the dog’s face. The clock is a fun feature, but it is touching the dogs forehead.
Judge 2:
This fun Cyberpunk-themed portrait captures a natural and authentic moment through the animal’s relaxed posture. The subtle tonal variations create a rich, cohesive feel, enhancing the theme. Increasing the contrast would further elevate the image, adding depth and visual impact.
Judge 1:
You’ve created a nicely framed image here with good eye contact between the dog and viewer. Pay attention when cloning that you’re not creating “ghost leaves” which are transparent or floating in mid-air.
Judge 2:
Lovely use of subject positioning and foreground interest to create an immersive feeling, the eye contact is good, and provides a sense of connection, the collar detracts from the overall simplicity, and there’s some cloning issues. Otherwise a really lovely portrait.
Judge 1:
I’m generally a sucker for these kinds of images. But for me, this misses the mark in a few ways. The boy dog’s crotch is just in your face and turning him slightly so that the paw covers the bits would have been a better way of seeing him. Imagine him on a wall and that part is going to be eye level with you. Black and white was a good idea to simplify what could have been a mish mash of colors. I look at their eyes, love both of their expressions, but I feel like the male dog is looking slightly above the camera lens but the dog on the right is looking directly into the lens. Matching eye lines would be more effective.
Judge 2:
Well done on getting down to the dogs eye levels. Those eyes are pin sharp which helps draw you in to their beautiful gazes hand on the crotch in the background is quite distracting, asking your Human subjects to reposition is often much easier than asking your doggy subjects. The dog on the right being a dark dog, is somewhat lost in this frame and could use some selective dodging or addition of white to help highlight her form and features. removal of small distractions such as eye boogers is an easy way to help improve the overall cleanliness of this image. I lovely non-traditional family portrait well done.
Judge 1:
I like this little dog’s spunk. It misses the mark for me because I don’t feel a story here. I see the three-legged dog and I see the dog blending into some sort of natural background outside. But after that, you show me a three-legged dog and I want the story to care about this dog. I urge you to explore your creativity a little more and look for the story. And the angle, look for a different angle. This is the pose most owners know. Show something different.
Judge 2:
Much can be gleaned from an engaging expression, and I feel their expression shows this little dog’s personality beautifully. The angle has been well crafted to show off their tripod status, without taking over the photo. The super shallow depth of field accentuates the sharpness of the face, and the negative space has been well used. Great colour palette too!
Judge 1:
Simple composition that suits the allegiance of the subject. foreground structure (bricks) dominate the image. Bokeh in the background left are distracting.
Judge 2:
What a gorgeous portrait of this cutie. The red structure in the background is a bit distracting. I would crop on both sides, left and right, a bit, to get rid of the red thing as well as a little bit of the bricks to reduce the image a little further.
I find the feedback really interesting. Some of the technical stuff there is no question about (and some of these photos got re-edited after submission, but I believe it is appropriate to show the actual image awarded and not an ‘after-edit). But the aesthetic/creative feedback is quite interesting – and sometimes quite different from what I have received on the same images in difference forums. And that is what makes receiving the feedback whenever possible so valuable – I might not always agree with what a judge says, but it is always good to get different perspectives, and then decide what fits in with the story I’m trying to tell.
And kudos to you if you made all the way to the end of this post! If you are interested in having your dogs model for challenges and photos I am working on in 2025, please contact me – your dog does NOT have to be a supermodel. Most of the time, I am looking for dogs being dogs (and trust me, you don’t see the behind-the-scenes photos for most of these!)
BTW, if your dogs are in these photos and you don’t like the judges’ feedback, don’t worry! As I have mentioned before, judging is subjective – what some judges in some competitions love, other judges in other competitions don’t like as much. But the goal for me is to get different feedback to improve my photography. If you love the photos of your dogs, it doesn’t matter what other judges say – you are the only judge that matters!
Dogumentary Pet Photography
