Challenge number five in Empower is Monolicious, we asked challengers to create images in black and white or other monochromatic styles, like sepia or cyanotype.

Using tone, texture and layers in an image can take a monochrome image into the realms of timelessness, a quality that black and white images are loved for. It can help you narrate some kind of story or portrait emotion in an image.

This could possibly be the strongest set of images we've seen in any challenge to date. We were truly blown away by the standard of work submitted this time, so selecting our top 10 was a tough call, but here they are in no particular order. Well done challengers, we don't know how you're going to top this challenge, but we can't wait to see you all try!

- Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨

Chantal Levesque | Chantal Levesque Photo

What an impactful image. Fantastically lit and composed, beautiful pose and expression from the dog. The full tonal range, the misty atmosphere and the light spot the dog is looking up to all add extra layers of emotion.

Christel Wellens | Fotografie Christel Wellens

The symmetry here is fantastic! The hard clean lines are a wonderfully whimsical juxtaposition against the soft and rounded edges of the Dalmatian and it's spots.

Hope Kuo 

This is a beautifully captured image with a very emotive story of a quiet moment of relaxation shared between dog and owner. 

Kim Hawkins

What a fantastic flow from the top of this image to the perfectly placed and posed dog. It is an image the works brilliantly in monochrome and the dog really stands out against the dark rocks.

Lindsay Baca | Lindsay Baca Photography

What a fantastic post, the dog is stretched to the full and the curve of the tail is gorgeous. Lots of contrast and texture throughout make this a fantastic monolicious image!

Marika Moffit | SoulDog Creative

Dramatic, dynamic and moody sum this image up. What a fantastic pose and a great use of tones. The sky darkening at is gets to the top of the image, really push the story narrative.

Megan Thompson | Megan Thompson Photography

What an absolutely precious moment between these two. There's no denying the connection here! The use of a pretty heavy grain five this images film like quality of analogue softness, which suit the moment beautifully.

Nancy Paynter

A very cinematic image with fantastic use of dramatic light and an unusual expression to convey a mood and narrate a story. 

Rebecca Williams | Rebecca Williams Photographer

A fantastic pose and an intriguing expression. What is this dog thinking or feeling? Lovely composition and use of soft layers give it a sense of place.

Stephanie Dalman | Boxers and Beer

A beautiful serene expression and gorgeous soft window light envelop the subject. Wonderful tones and textures allow you to explore the facial features and hold interest in this frame.

Are you ready to transform your pet photography in just 6 months?

The Unleashed Challenges are a series of 3 interactive challenge based courses, Embark, Emerge and Empower. Each one with 12 challenges running over 6 months. 

Much more than just a challenge, Then Unleashed challenges are an invaluable educational resource that will help you build up a go-to list of shots to help create variety in your work. Designed for anyone to be able to complete whether you just want to photograph your own dog or you are a professional pet photographer.

If you'd like to know more head over here to register your interest and we'll send you all the details.