Attempting to represent our three-dimensional world through a two-dimensional medium such as a photograph is no easy task, but that’s the challenge we take on every time we shoot.

Depth is defined as the perceived distance between the closest and farthest objects in a scene.

By including a visible foreground, middle ground (which is often the subject itself) and background, you build up a three-dimensional feel to your images, making them more dynamic and immersive.

For this Empower course challenge, we wanted to see our challengers create images with depth. As you will all have come to expect, we had an incredible set of submissions. Here, in no particular order, are our top 10.

Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨

We provide video feedback on all images submitted for the challenge, and from there, we select our Top 20 and Top 10. Without further ado, here are the Top 10 images for this challenge!

Aubri Poon | Aubri Poon Photography

A limited colour palette works well here to focus our attention on the subject, which has engaging stance and expression. Depth is well utilised through the subject's placement amongst the trees.

Beatrix Szekelyi | @pawtion.dogphotography

We were instantly wowed by the strong visual impact of this image. Depth has been used to highlight the subject, with the matching dog in the background giving almost ominous, submarine vibes! A very cool shot that utilises depth wonderfully.

Gabriela Ciobanu | LightStories

While depth is used to present the story in this image, it was the story that had us talking at length - which is a clear sign of a successful concept! A thought-provoking and unique take on the brief, this storytelling at its best.

Helen Daniels | Not Just A Dog Photography

The stunning pose and expression of the dog in this image immediately draws the eye to the middle ground, but the soft layers in the fore and background work to build depth and frame this brindle beauty.

Helen Green | Helen Green Photography

What a moment! although this is an action shot, it's the depth in the foreground and soft layers in the background that support and lead the eye to the very expressive and engaging subject. Well done!

Jackie Searies | Photos By Jackie.S

In this sweet portrait, the dog is enveloped in soft layers both foreground and background, giving the image a nostalgic or pensive feel. The dog is edited beautifully and the image feels premium and high end.

Juliette Bercovici | Juliette Bercovici

This innovative take on the brief made us laugh out loud! Who knew that Corgis could channel Godzilla quite so well? The scene has been creatively crafted with lots of little details to enjoy and oodles of depth, fantastic work!

Liz Dranow | TimePunk Pet Photography

Depth is really the name of the game here, with multiple soft layers of delicious greens giving this a painterly quality. The dog is posed well in the scene and the composition works beautifully.

Tracie Dereszynski | Tracie Dereszynski Photography

Depth ranks high on the list of the multiple elements of composition used here, along with centering and framing. The colour palette is minimal but rich, and the catchlights in the dog's eyes give it expression and connection.

Yvonne Jansen | BlissfulTails

The warmth of the landscape envelops the subject in this stunning capture. Multiple layers of depth lead the eye through the image, always coming to rest on the dog which is beautifully edited with an engaging expression.

Empower is the advanced 6-month interactive challenge-based dog photography course in our Unleashed Challenges series, investing you with the power to refine your creativity and explore new horizons in dog photography.

Empower is open to students who have previously completed the first and second courses in the series, Embark and Emerge.

Want to be the first to hear when Embark opens for enrolment each year? Register your interest here.