Emerge 2025 Feedback Videos

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

02 Spaced Out Feedback

The negative space in an image can help to emphasise and balance the main subject, giving the subject room to breathe and preventing the image from feeling cluttered.

The intentional use of large areas of negative space to command attention is dynamic and can evoke an emotional response.

It brings a greater level of connection to the subject if there is little else to draw your attention in the composition.

Leaving empty space in the frame just for the sake of it being there is not what this challenge is about and doing that will rarely make a strong image - there must be a reason for the space.

We had another seriously good set of submissions for this challenge, so well done to everyone and especially those who made the top 10.

Challenge Brief

Create an image using negative space that enhances the story, mood, or visual appeal. The area of negative space should be visually pleasing, but not distract from or overpower the main subject.

Timecodes

00:44 Yvonne Jansen

02:21 Tracie Dereszynski

04:05 Tehya Hunter

06:59 Tanya Honkanen

09:49 Tania Mackie

12:03 Szekelyi Beatrix

13:31 Shonna Bartley

15:41 Shannon Moseley

18:45 Sara Waldon

21:53 Sara Nell

24:58 Samantha Brown

27:32 Rita Garcia

29:36 Rebecca Labs

30:53 Rachel McCready

34:29 Rachel Freitas

37:06 Polona Železnikar

39:39 Nicole Wesley

42:22 Nicole Maloney

44:07 Monica Radu

44:57 Melissa Mattingly

48:56 Marie Goldsworthy

50:45 Liz Dranow

52:58 Laurie Vermiere

55:01 Kerstin Mitchell

56:49 Kaori Stewart

59:00 Joan Teno

01:01:04 Jo Lyons

01:03:10 Jill Blathwayt

01:06:46 Jackie Searies

01:07:43 Gaetane Marchand

01:10:04 Erin Waggoner

01:12:37 Donna Banks

01:15:21 Cristina Nussem

01:17:42 Connie Passejna

01:20:00 Clarice Olayvar

01:23:13 Claire Penno

01:25:18 Christina Hale

01:26:55 Carol Wolfram

01:29:18 Carol Mudra

01:31:03 Barbara Thrall

01:33:22 Audrey Ricks

01:36:51 Ashley Summerville

01:38:29 Ashley Sherrow

01:39:53 Anthea Proudfoot

01:41:46 Angela Schneider

01:46:16 Amy Zounes

01:47:49 Amanda Ashley

01:50:19 Abi Bradbury

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

03 Highs and Lows Feedback

The use of high-key and low-key imagery is very common in the world of art and photography. Their popularity can probably be attributed to them being a relatively easy way to create a mood and elicit an emotional response from the viewer.

High key imagery tends to bring with it more positive emotions. Its bright, airy, clean look is a perfect way to convey joy and happiness.

On the other hand, low-key images tend to have a more serious or dramatic mood and can even go as far as feeling dark and ominous.

Once more, we were not disappointed with the results, and the submission standard was extremely high.

Here as always, in no particular order, are our top 10 images for this challenge. Very well done to the photographers who created these fantastic images.

Challenge Brief

Create a colour image using either high-key or low-key lighting, where the posing of the subject and editing choices support the emotion and mood of your chosen style.

Timecodes

01:22 Abi Bradbury

03:39 Amanda Ashley

05:25 Amy Zounes

07:31 Angela Schneider

09:55 Anthea Proudfoot

14:16 Ashley Sherrow

16:21 Ashley Summerville

18:15 Audrey Ricks

21:05 Barbara Thrall

22:21 Carol Mudra

24:40 Carol Wolfram

27:40 Christina Hale

30:00 Claire Penno

31:57 Clarice Olayvar

34:06 Connie Passejna

36:43 Cristina Nussem

39:58 Donna Banks

42:05 Gaetane Marchand

44:38 Jackie Searies

45:54 Jennifer Mckinnon

47:57 Jill Blathwayt

52:17 Jo Lyons

54:33 Joan Teno

56:38 Kaori Stewart

58:48 Katherine Gardiner

01:01:19 Laurie Vermiere

01:03:22 Liz Dranow

01:05:31 Melissa Mattingly

01:07:27 Monica Radu

01:09:54 Nicole Maloney

01:14:02 Polona Železnikar

01:16:51 Rachel Freitas

01:19:06 Rachel McCready

01:22:16 Rebecca Labs

01:24:28 Rita Garcia

01:27:47 Samantha Brown

01:31:38 Sara Nell

01:35:48 Sara Waldon

01:38:28 Shannon Moseley

01:41:22 Shonna Bartley

01:45:47 Szekelyi Beatrix

01:48:43 Tania Mackie

01:52:35 Tanya Honkanen

01:54:43 Tehya Hunter

01:56:54 Tracie Dereszynski

02:00:58 Yvonne Jansen

02:02:52 Top 10

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

04 Under Cover Feedback

They say a home is just a house without a dog (or other pet). Those of us with pets know this very well. If you're reading this, we wouldn't mind betting you can’t wait to get home for those joy-filled cuddles after a hard day at work.

We had such a high standard in the images submitted for this challenge. Lots of great storytelling and emotional impact.

These images are our top ten picks for this challenge. Well done to all the photographers for creating such fantastic images!

Challenge Brief

Photograph a pet in a home environment, or somewhere indoors. This can be an environmental portrait, a documentary style image or any other style, as long as the setting is clearly under cover.

Timecodes

00:46 Yvonne Jansen

04:18 Tracie Dereszynski

07:28 Tehya Hunter

09:15 Tanya Honkanen

12:00 Tania Mackie

14:05 Szekelyi Beatrix

16:08 Shannon Moseley

19:25 Sara Waldon

22:14 Sara Nell

24:36 Samantha Brown

26:36 Rita Garcia

28:55 Rebecca Labs

30:57 Rachel McCready

34:00 Rachel Freitas

36:35 Polona Železnikar

38:37 Nicole Wesley

41:04 Monica Radu

44:06 Melissa Mattingly

46:57 Liz Dranow

51:52 Laurie Vermiere

53:22 Kerstin Mitchell

56:55 Joan Teno

1:00:25 Jo Lyons

1:02:15 Jill Blathwayt

1:04:00 Jennifer Mckinnon

1:06:04 Jackie Searies

1:07:55 Gaetane Marchand

1:10:53 Donna Banks

1:13:24 Cristina Nussem

1:15:48 Connie Passejna

1:18:46 Clarice Olayvar

1:22:23 Claire Penno

1:24:11 Christina Hale

1:28:35 Carol Wolfram

1:30:46 Carol Mudra

1:34:33 Audrey Ricks

1:36:00 Ashley Summerville 

1:39:26 Ashley Sherrow

1:46:44 Anthea Proudfoot

1:50:12 Angela Schneider

1:52:54 Amy Zounes

1:57:01 Amanda Ashley

2:00:42 Abi Bradbury

2:11:05 Top 10

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

05 Pantastic Feedback

Panning is the technique of following the motion of something as it moves from side to side across the scene in front of you. Using a super fast shutter speed will freeze the motion sharply, but can mean the image lacks interest.

Using a slower shutter speed when panning gives you the unique ability to be able to combine frozen motion, with blurred motion, in one shot.

For this challenge, we wanted to see images created using this technique and, wherever possible, to introduce some motion blur to the images.

We had an incredible set of submissions again for this challenge. We know it's not an easy one, in fact, we think it's probably the most difficult of all the challenges!

Challenge Brief

Capture the subject running side to side across the frame. The subject may be completely sharp, however we encourage you to experiment with shutter speed to create motion blur. If motion blur is present, the eyes should be sharp and the image should not be completely blurry.

Timecodes

01:40 Abi Bradbury

02:57 Amanda Ashley

05:25 Angela Schneider

08:42 Ashley Sherrow

11:43 Ashley Summerville

13:21 Audrey Ricks

14:33 Barbara Thrall

16:59 Carol Mudra

19:50 Carol Wolfram

22:47 Christina Hale

24:28 Claire Penno

26:51 Clarice Olayvar

29:00 Connie Passejna

32:08 Cristina Nussem

34:05 Donna Banks

36:13 Jackie Searies

38:20 Jennifer Mckinnon

40:28 Jill Blathwayt

43:15 Jo Lyons

45:42 Joan Teno

48:57 Kaori Stewart

53:00 Kerstin Mitchell

54:59 Laurie Vermiere

56:29 Liz Dranow

58:55 Melissa Mattingly

01:01:13 Monica Radu

01:02:45 Polona Železnikar

01:05:52 Rachel McCready

01:08:04 Rebecca Labs

01:10:40 Rita Garcia

01:12:33 Samantha Brown

01:14:47 Sara Nell

01:18:03 Sara Waldon

01:20:44 Szekelyi Beatrix

01:22:50 Tania Mackie

01:26:10 Tanya Honkanen

01:29:04 Tehya Hunter

01:30:40 Tracie Dereszynski

01:33:05 Yvonne Jansen

01:35:55 Top 10

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

06 All In The Details Feedback

Since our pets are such unique looking creatures, they will always have particular features that their owners love.

You must have heard people talk about their favourite bits of their dogs before. The weird, quirky or cute parts that make them unique. Including shots that show off those details in albums and storyboards lends more depth and meaning to your work and gives clients a beautiful reminder of what makes their dogs even more special.

We absolutely love this challenge and getting to see these unique traits of every animal. It was another seriously impressive set of submissions and narrowing down our top 10 was tough.

Challenge Brief

Photograph details up close. Tails, paws, ears, noses and eyes, patterns, textures and colour, any part of a pet that you or the owners love. Make a clear decision on what you’re capturing, focus precisely on that part and make it the star of the show.

Timecodes

00:46  Yvonne Jansen

02:21 Tracie Dereszynski

03:49 Tehya Hunter

05:10 Tanya Honkanen

06:43 Tania Mackie

09:01 Szekelyi Beatrix

10:25 Shonna Bartley

12:28 Shannon Moseley

14:21 Sara Waldon

17:00 Sara Nell

20:02 Samantha Brown

21:56 Rita Garcia

24:50 Rebecca Labs

26:50 Rachel McCready

29:48 Rachel Freitas

31:59 Polona Železnikar

33:38 Monica Radu

34:56 Melissa Mattingly 

36:50 Liz Dranow

38:50 Laurie Vermiere

42:55 Kerstin Mitchell

44:28 Kaori Stewart

46:46 Joan Teno

50:35 Jo Lyons

51:51 Jill Blathwayt

54:42 Jennifer McKinnon

56:49 Jackie Searies

59:44 Donna Banks

01:02:26 Cristina Nussem

01:04:20 Connie Passejna

01:06:13 Clarice Olayvar

01:08:23 Claire Penno

01:09:52 Christina Hale

01:12:07 Carol Wolfram

01:13:36 Carol Mudra

01:15:13 Barbara Thrall

01:18:06 Audrey Ricks

01:20:48 Ashley Summerville

01:22:43 Ashley Sherrow

01:24:52 Anthea Proudfoot

01:27:20 Angela Schneider

01:30:06 Amy Zounes

01:33:46 Amanda Ashley

01:39:30 Abi Bradbury

1:42:21 Top 10

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

07 Silhouetto Feedback

We're up to challenge number seven of Emerge, Silhouetto. It's another of our personal favourites and it seems we're not alone! You created some incredible silhouettes for this challenge and we loved going through them all.

Silhouettes eliminate textural detail and black out facial expressions, relying instead on the pose and body language of the dog to tell the story.

The simplicity of a silhouette helps the subject stand out as the feature of the image, but the lack of detail in the shadows also creates a sense of mystery, leaving the finer details to the viewer's imagination and allowing them to create their own story.

Challenge Brief

Create a silhouette, using posing to depict story or emotion. Ensure your subject is well-defined against a brighter background. The subject should be completely black, but if details in the location are present, they should be minimal and intentional in semi-silhouette style.

Timecodes

01:00 Abi Bradbury

 02:06 Angela Schneider

03:37 Ashley Sherrow

05:22 Ashley Summerville

07:13 Audrey Ricks

09:31 Barbara Thrall

11:31 Carol Mudra

13:31 Carol Wolfram

15:04 Christina Hale

18:13 Claire Penno

19:41 Clarice Olayvar

21:33 Connie Passejna

23:03 Cristina Nussem

25:20 Donna Banks

26:48 Jackie Searies

28:13 Jennifer Mckinnon

29:55 Jill Blathwayt

31:28 Jo Lyons

32:43 Joan Teno

34:06 Kaori Stewart

35:27 Kerstin Mitchell

37:40 Laurie Vermiere

38:56 Liz Dranow

40:41 Melissa Mattingly

42:31 Monica Radu

44:33 Polona Železnikar

45:57 Rachel Freitas

48:08 Rachel McCready

50:06 Rebecca Labs

52:01 Samantha Brown

53:16 Sara Nell

55:34 Sara Waldon

58:33 Szekelyi Beatrix

59:59 Tania Mackie

01:00:53 Tanya Honkanen

01:02:20 Tehya Hunter

01:03:47 Tracie Dereszynski

01:05:12 Yvonne Jansen

01:06:40 Top 10

Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate. 

08 Slow Motion Feedback

Photos of dogs can usually be classified into one of two main categories - portrait, where the dog is still, or action, where the dog is doing something, moving around, often with lots of energy, and at great speed!

But what about the middle ground, the grey area?

What if an image mostly fits into the category of a portrait, but there’s also a suggestion of movement? A step, a paw raise?

Or what if the image can be defined technically as action, but the action is very slow and deliberate, rather than a crazy moment, frozen in time?

We like to call these images “slow action”.

Challenge Brief

Create an image that captures the slow movement of your subject. Walking or a static body position with some movement within the pose is what we’re looking for. Any movement should be captured sharply and the image should feel more like a portrait than an action shot.

Timecodes

00:41  Yvonne Jansen

01:56 Tracie Dereszynski

03:22 Tehya Hunter

05:01 Tanya Honkanen

07:31 Tania Mackie

09:32 Szekelyi Beatrix

11:33 Sara Waldon

13:50 Sara Nell

15:39 Samantha Brown

18:13 Rita Garcia

20:21 Rebecca Labs

22:26 Rachel McCready

24:20 Rachel Freitas

26:32 Polona Železnikar

28:08 Monica Radu

29:36 Melissa Mattingly 

31:34 Liz Dranow

33:31 Laurie Vermiere

34:50 Kerstin Mitchell

36:54 Kaori Stewart

38:59 Joan Teno

41:05 Jo Lyons

43:19 Jill Blathwayt

45:32 Jackie Searies

47:51 Donna Banks

50:44 Cristina Nussem

52:29 Connie Passejna

54:36 Clarice Olayvar

55:59 Claire Penno

58:09 Christina Hale

59:21 Carol Wolfram

01:01:20 Carol Mudra

01:03:01 Audrey Ricks

01:05:12  Ashley Summerville

01:07:03 Ashley Sherrow

01:08:22 Anthea Proudfoot

01:10:47 Angela Schneider

01:12:57 Abi Bradbury

1:16:02 Top 10

09 Mirror Image Feedback

Emerge challenge number nine is called Mirror Image. Capturing an image with a full reflection is so much fun to do. You can use a mirror image in so many ways that enhance an image and add a little touch of magic to them. They can add symmetry and balance to a composition and they can even be used to trick our eyes. Whether reflections are a sharp mirror image of their real life counterpart or a softer, ethereal representation that loosely resembles the shape and colour, reflections rock!

There were many excellent and creative submissions for this challenge, and we loved providing feedback on all the images to our challengers.

Challenge Brief

For this challenge, your goal is to create an image that includes a reflection of your subject. It doesn't have to be as clear and sharply defined as your subject, but it should have all the important parts, so no reflections with just the legs or feet. We want to see their full bodies, heads and faces.

Timecodes

0:44 Brittani White

3:07 Kelly McNamara

4:43 Lisa Olson

6:53 Debora Stacker

9:17 Amy Hodson

12:17 Marcie Fry

14:36 Helene Longuet

16:39 Karen Dillabough

18:32 Julie Cork

19:55 Teran Buckner

23:02 Dawn Orr

25:03 Melissa Schiestel

28:21 Ginger Wick

30:34 Desiree Nickerson

32:03 Gloria Anderson

34:30 Shandess Griffin

36:32 Kendra Stautz

38:23 Angela Rose

41:34 Lisa Hanley

44:41 Juliette Bercovici

46:56 Erica Schomaker

48:14 Nancy Kieffer

50:57 Aubri Poon

52:55 Christine OBrien

55:48 Gabriela Ciobanu

57:43 Helen Daniels

1:01:14 Lauren McDonough

1:03:09 Shannon Finch

1:04:54 Sabine Born

1:07:48 Selecting the Top 10

10 Double Trouble Feedback

What’s better than one dog? Two, of course! For the tenth challenge of Emerge, we're looking for perfect portraits of two dogs.

​​Dogs are social creatures and many dog owners have more than one, so it is beneficial to have the skills needed to capture a portrait of two dogs in the same image, which is what we help our challengers learn in the instructional video for the Double Trouble challenge.

Challenge Brief

In this challenge, we’re looking for portraits of pairs. Two pooches perfectly captured in one shot. You’ll need to make sure both are perfectly sharp. Our preference for this challenge is for you to capture the shot in-camera, though we will allow head swaps and friend-making if your subjects don’t co-operate.

Timecodes

1:10 Valerie Howes

7:02 Joan Wood

8:50 Kelly McNamara

11:52 Amy Hodson

13:22 Lisa Olson

19:32 Julie Cork

23:22 Marcie Fry

26:43 Gloria Anderson

28:19 Dawn Orr

29:45 Sabine Born

32:13 Karen Dillabough

35:50 Kendra Stautz

38:10 Helen Daniels

40:08 Lisa Hanley

42:23 Katherine Gardiner

44:12 Desiree Nickerson

47:17 Suzanne Duncan

50:04 Melissa Schiestel

53:13 Gabriela Ciobanu

55:41 Ginger Wick

57:59 Lauren McDonough

1:01:19 Shandess Griffin

1:04:36 Juliette Bercovici

1:06:36 Christine O’Brien

1:08:35 Helene Longuet

1:12:01 Brittani White

1:13:28 Selecting the Top 10