Empower 2026 Feedback Videos & Awards Replay
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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Empower is back for 2026! The third and final course in the Unleashed Challenges series. We're kicking things off with a composition-based challenge, Along the Lines.
Leading lines are a powerful compositional technique in photography. They are created by the inclusion of visual elements within a photograph that guide the viewer's eyes toward a specific point of interest, drawing attention to the main subject.
In Along the Lines we take students though the challenges of handling dogs, working with light and the location to create images with leading lines.
We had some fantastic submissions from our challengers, but here, in no particular order, are out top 10. Well done to all of the photographers.
Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨
Challenge Brief
Create an image that uses that compositional technique of leading lines to draw attention to the subject. The line or lines may be straight or curved, with special consideration given to how the eye moves around the image, otherwise known as image flow.
Timecodes
01:01 Angela Rose
03:19 Angela Schneider
07:03 Aubri Poon
10:08 Beatrix Szekelyi
12:14 Carol Mudra
14:34 Clarice Olayvar
15:47 Connie Passejna
17:05 Dawn Orr
19:25 Donna Banks
22:39 Erica Schomaker
24:17 Gabriela Ciobanu
26:14 Gee Emm
28:07 Ginger Wick
31:21 Helen Daniels
32:45 Helen Green
37:28 Helene Caraux
38:42 Jackie Searies
40:13 Jannene Meyer
41:47 Jo Lyons
43:44 Joan Teno
45:39 Julie Cork
47:30 Juliette Bercovici
49:30 Laurie Vermiere
51:58 Lisa Hanley
53:34 Liz Dranow
56:22 Marcie Fry
59:05 Marie Wulfram
1:02:44 Megan Thompson
1:05:33 Melissa Mattingly
1:07:06 Melissa Schiestel
1:08:28 Rebecca Labs
1:10:31 Samantha Alter
1:12:00 Sara Steedman
1:13:59 Tanya Honkanen
1:16:25 Tracie Dereszynski
1:18:17 Yvonne Jansen
1:20:55 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitlesmay not be 100% accurate.
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Side light can be difficult to get to grips with, but there are ways to use this direction of light to create images with huge impact.
There is impact aplenty with this weeks top 10 for the second challenge of Empower, On the Side.
Huge congratulations to the photographers who made it this week, what an incredible, emotive and inspiring set of images.
Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨
Challenge Brief
Create an image where there is directional light coming from your left or right when facing the subject. Use the light and/or position your subject in a way that is flattering or results in an image that is dynamic or dramatic.
Timecodes
00:53 Yvonne Jansen
02:46 Tracie Dereszynski
06:08 Tanya Honkanen
08:57 Sara Steedman
10:53 Rebecca Labs
12:42 Melissa Schiestel
14:12 Melissa Mattingly
15:59 Megan Thompson
18:53 Marcie Fry
21:11 Liz Dranow
23:50 Lisa Hanley
25:30 Laurie Vermiere
27:48 Juliette Bercovici
29:30 Julie Cork
32:46 Joan Teno
35:32 Jo Lyons
37:39 Jannene Meyer
41:08 Jackie Searies
42:45 Helene Caraux
46:43 Helen Green
48:34 Helen Daniels
52:44 Ginger Wick
54:54 Gee Emm
56:44 Gabriela Ciobanu
59:14 Erica Schomaker
1:02:10 Donna Banks
1:04:11 Dawn Orr
1:05:44 Connie Passejna
1:07:44 Clarice Olayvar
1:11:57 Carol Mudra
1:14:13 Beatrix Szekelyi
1:15:39 Aubri Poon
1:19:11 Angela Schneider
1:21:32 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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The bond shared between a pet and their owner is really special. It brings out strong feelings and makes memories that last a long time. When taking pictures of this special bond, it's important to capture the real emotions.
Challenge number 3 of Empower is called Connections. In this challenge we wanted to see images showcasing those relationships in a natural way.
We were blown away with the variety in the submissions, the storytelling and emotional content was wonderful.
Well done to our top 10, this set of images beautifully showcase life with our pets beside us.
Challenge Brief
The key word in this challenge is connection. Capture an image that showcases the connection between a pet and their owner, with special attention paid to expression and natural body language. Images may be posed or candid and may be a self portrait.
Timecodes
01:00 Angela Rose
02:07 Angela Schneider
03:17 Aubri Poon
05:05 Beatrix Szekelyi
06:25 Carol Mudra
07:40 Clarice Olayvar
10:18 Connie Passejna
11:48 Dawn Orr
13:13 Donna Banks
15:31 Erica Schomaker
17:01 Gabriela Ciobanu
18:57 Ginger Wick
20:24 Helen Daniels
24:06 Helen Green
26:53 Helene Caraux
28:27 Jackie Searies
29:39 Jannene Meyer
31:48 Jo Lyons
33:34 Joan Teno
35:13 Julie Cork
37:31 Juliette Bercovici
38:54 Lisa Hanley
40:04 Liz Dranow
41:24 Marcie Fry
43:13 Megan Thompson
45:19 Melissa Mattingly
46:31 Melissa Schiestel
48:42 Rebecca Labs
50:08 Samantha Alter
52:04 Sara Steedman
53:22 Tanya Honkanen
55:09 Tracie Dereszynski
57:05 Yvonne Jansen
59:14 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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The popularity of dog sports has exploded over the last decade! And where there are dog sports, there are photographers eager to capture those competitive moments forever. For challenge number 4 of Empower, we were joined by specialist dog sports photographer and educator Amy Godfrey Johnson.
We've stripped it back for the Sports Star challenge, Asking our students to capture the peak moment of action and only allowing for global editing adjustments, no removal of elements or distractions. Images must have been captured at an official sprint event or event practice session.
As always, we were blown away with the submissions. Our top 10 images all display animals at peak moments during the depicted sprint events. Congratulations to the photographers and a huge thank to Amy for creating this fantastic Empower challenge.
Challenge Brief
For this challenge, your image must depict a pet performing a common official sporting activity. The image may be captured at an official event, or crafted during a practice session. As this is an action challenge, the image must be caught at the peak of the action with excellent expression.
Timecodes
00:58 Angela Rose
02:19 Angela Schneider
04:12 Aubri Poon
06:33 Beatrix Szekelyi
08:29 Carol Mudra
10:25 Clarice Olayvar
11:54 Connie Passejna
13:33 Dawn Orr
16:06 Donna Banks
18:27 Erica Schomaker
22:52 Gabriela Ciobanu
26:17 Ginger Wick
27:49 Helen Daniels
29:53 Helen Green
35:36 Helene Caraux
38:47 Jackie Searies
41:52 Jannene Meyer
46:02 Jo Lyons
49:47 Joan Teno
55:29 Julie Cork
58:37 Juliette Bercovici
1:01:13 Lisa Hanley
1:04:20 Liz Dranow
1:07:11 Marcie Fry
1:08:34 Megan Thompson
1:11:37 Melissa Mattingly
1:15:34 Melissa Schiestel
1:18:39 Rebecca Labs
1:21:32 Samantha Alter
1:24:00 Sara Steedman
1:26:07 Tanya Honkanen
1:27:58 Tracie Dereszynski
1:30:59 Yvonne Jansen
1:32:47 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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With the ability to convey emotion and story and be timeless, we love a good monochrome image. For the monolicious challenge, we wanted our Empower challengers to shoot an image with a mono conversion in mind.
The set of submissions was one of the strongest we've ever seen in any of the Unleashed Challenges. We were blown away and even moved to tears at one point during the feedback recording.
Here are our top 10 images for the Monolicious challenge. Well done, folks. Now, we challenge you to top this set in the next challenge!!!
Challenge Brief
Create a monochrome image, which may be tones of black or another single colour such as sepia or cyanotype. The original capture should be suitable for a monochrome conversion, with attention paid to how the tones are managed to help the subject stand out and how the composition supports the editing treatment.
Timecodes
01:04 Yvonne Jansen
03:13 Tracie Dereszynski
05:48 Tanya Honkanen
08:42 Sara Steedman
12:34 Samantha Alter
17:12 Rebecca Labs
19:00 Melissa Schiestel
21:37 Melissa Mattingly
23:43 Megan Thompson
25:46 Marcie Fry
28:13 Liz Dranow
29:44 Lisa Hanley
32:28 Juliette Bercovici
34:06 Julie Cork
37:12 Joan Teno
39:47 Jo Lyons
42:25 Jannene Meyer
45:18 Jackie Searies
48:38 Helene Caraux
51:44 Helen Green
54:11 Helen Daniels
56:33 Ginger Wick
58:31 Gabriela Ciobanu
1:01:16 Donna Banks
1:03:25 Dawn Orr
1:05:41 Connie Passejna
1:08:01 Clarice Olayvar
1:10:36 Carol Mudra
1:12:23 Beatrix Szekelyi
1:15:08 Aubri Poon
1:16:54 Angela Rose
1:19:46 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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We're halfway through the Empower challenges and it's time to go In Depth!
For the In Depth challenge, we wanted to see images that made great use of foreground, middle ground and background in an image and we had the most fantastic set of submissions.
Well done challengers, here are our top 10.
Challenge Brief
Create an image that uses depth as a compositional technique to lead the eye through the image to the subject. Images for this challenge must have multiple layers, preferably including elements in the foreground, middleground and background.
Timecodes
01:05 Yvonne Jansen
02:48 Tracie Dereszynski
04:58 Tanya Honkanen
07:08 Sara Steedman
09:43 Samantha Alter
12:14 Rebecca Labs
13:38 Melissa Mattingly
15:37 Megan Thompson
17:45 Marcie Fry
19:20 Liz Dranow
21:04 Lisa Hanley
22:52 Juliette Bercovici
24:51 Julie Cork
26:43 Joan Teno
29:10 Jo Lyons
31:20 Jannene Meyer
33:47 Jackie Searies
35:19 Helene Caraux
38:07 Helen Green
39:50 Helen Daniels
41:33 Ginger Wick
43:14 Gabriela Ciobanu
42:20 Donna Banks
47:31 Dawn Orr
49:52 Connie Passejna
52:27 Clarice Olayvar
54:58 Carol Mudra
57:35 Beatrix Szekelyi
59:32 Aubri Poon
1:00:45 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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You certainly found some creative ways to use light for this challenge and we thought the standard of submissions was very high, well done to everyone who submitted.
Congratulations to the photographers who made the top 10 of a challenge we know pushed many of you outside your comfort zone!
Challenge Brief
The image must show intentional use of an artificial light source to illuminate the subject and/or the scene. You can use the light more traditionally, or get creative.
Timecodes
00:55 Angela Rose
02:20 Aubri Poon
05:02 Beatrix Szekelyi
07:33 Carol Mudra
09:26 Clarice Olayvar
11:45 Connie Passejna
14:17 Dawn Orr
17:1 Donna Banks
19:50 Gabriela Ciobanu
21:17 Ginger Wick
23:20 Helen Daniels
25:10 Helen Green
27:23 Helene Caraux
29:42 Jackie Searies
31:10 Jannene Meyer
33:41 Jo Lyons
35:23 Joan Teno
38:18 Julie Cork
40:31 Juliette Bercovici
42:48 Lisa Hanley
45:16 Liz Dranow
47:28 Marcie Fry
49:33 Megan Thompson
52:39 Melissa Mattingly
54:36 Melissa Schiestel
56:16 Rebecca Labs
58:25 Samantha Alter
1:00:13 Sara Steedman
1:01:48 Tanya Honkanen
1:04:07 Tracie Dereszynski
1:06:03 Yvonne Jansen
1:08:07 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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When we were setting the Empower briefs, we immediately had a multi dog challenge in mind, building on the skills we taught for the Double Trouble challenge in Emerge. After all, who doesn't love groups of dogs (or other pets)?
This is a portrait challenge so intentional posing and composition are a must and we wanted to see all dogs nicely in focus.
We were completely blown away (do we sound like broken records at this point?), but truly, one of the most incredible sets of submissions we've EVER seen. 🤯
We reckon a shoot gets about 10x more challenging for every extra animal added into the mix and you all rose to the challenge as always!
So this week we want to extend our congratulations to everyone who submitted for Multi Mania, and of course a special mention to our top 10. Well done everyone.
Challenge Brief
Create a posed portrait of three or more pets (no humans), ensuring all subjects are perfectly sharp. Our preference for this challenge is for you to capture the shot in-camera, though composites are allowed, with special attention paid to a consistent plane of focus.
Timecodes
0:53 Yvonne Jansen
3:29 Tracie Dereszynski
6:26 Tanya Honkanen
8:46 Sara Steedman
11:02 Samantha Alter
12:41 Rebecca Labs
13:51 Melissa Schiestel
15:01 Melissa Mattingly
17:00 Megan Thompson
19:35 Marcie Fry
21:38 Liz Dranow
23:47 Lisa Hanley
27:18 Juliette Bercovici
30:05 Julie Cork
32:37 Joan Teno
35:48 Jo Lyons
37:55 Jannene Meyer
39:30 Jackie Searies
41:41 Helene Caraux
44:38 Helen Green
47:40 Helen Daniels
50:11 Ginger Wick
51:18 Gabriela Ciobanu
53:45 Donna Banks
55:20 Dawn Orr
57:11 Connie Passejna
1:00:07 Clarice Olayvar
1:01:38 Carol Mudra
1:06:38 Beatrix Szekelyi
1:08:13 Aubri Poon
1:10:00 Angela Rose
1:12:42 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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For our 9th challenge of Empower, we were joined by special guest instructor An Di Prima. The challenge: Dogumentary.
Highlighting story-telling images that have been created using traditional photographic processes with no heavy editing.
We were completely blown away by this challenge. It's a style of photography not often seen in the pet photography space and our challengers really embraced this theme.
Here are our top 10 images for this challenge. We invite you to sit with them for a while and read the beautifully told stories contained within these frames.
Challenge Brief
Images must portray a genuine event or situation. They can showcase everyday life, highlight special causes or show dogs at work. Images may contain people. Staged or contrived situations are not permitted and the final image should be faithful to what was captured in camera.
Timecodes
0:57 Angela Rose
3:08 Aubri Poon
6:06 Beatrix Szekelyi
8:11 Carol Mudra
1:25 Clarice Olayvar
12:32 Connie Passejna
15:17 Dawn Orr
19:09 Donna Banks
22:27 Gabriela Ciobanu
25:56 Ginger Wick
29:09 Helen Daniels
34:17 Helen Green
38:12 Helene Caraux
40:43 Jackie Searies
43:23 Jannene Meyer
46:29 Jo Lyons
50:04 Joan Teno
54:38 Julie Cork
57:35 Juliette Bercovici
1:02:54 Lisa Hanley
1:05:44 Liz Dranow
1:09:42 Marcie Fry
1:14:41 Megan Thompson
1:17:08 Melissa Mattingly
1:21:40 Melissa Schiestel
1:26:14 Rebecca Labs
1:28:14 Samantha Alter
1:31:16 Sara Steedman
1:34:15 Tanya Honkanen
1:38:36 Tracie Dereszynski
1:41:02 Yvonne Jansen
1:44:50 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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The product placement challenge is all about showcasing pets in a more commercial kind of situation, where products are the focus.
Joined by masters of commercial pet photography, Nat and Bill from The Labs & Co as guest instructors, we asked our Empower challengers to create images that had a commercial appeal. The products showcased needed to be used organically in a way that suits everyday life, and not too staged, posed or contrived.
We had a great variety of images submitted and I think it's fair to say our challengers enjoyed conjuring a client brief to shoot for during this one!
Here are our top 10 images, well done to the photographers.
Challenge Brief
Images for this challenge must be taken before sunrise or after sunset, outdoors. The subject should be lit by natural or artificial light and not in silhouette. Images taken during blue hour, twilight or in full darkness are acceptable.
Timecodes
2:01 Yvonne Jansen
5:11 Tracie Dereszynski
8:07 Tanya Honkanen
11:59 Sara Steedman
16:57 Rebecca Labs
19:41 Melissa Mattingly
23:05 Megan Thompson
27:26 Marcie Fry
32:01 Liz Dranow
37:14 Lisa Hanley
40:39 Juliette Bercovici
43:57 Julie Cork
47:30 Joan Teno
50:59 Jo Lyons
54:20 Jannene Meyer
58:33 Jackie Searies
1:02:56 Helene Caraux
1:05:22 Helen Green
1:09:19 Helen Daniels
1:12:16 Ginger Wick
1:15:18 Gabriela Ciobanu
1:19:31 Donna Banks
1:23:20 Dawn Orr
1:25:29 Connie Passejna
1:29:29 Clarice Olayvar
1:32:42 Carol Mudra
1:35:27 Beatrix Szekelyi
1:37:34 Aubri Poon
1:42:04 Angela Rose
1:45:15 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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Wow, your Embrace the Night challenge submissions were fantastic! So much emotion and storytelling can be captured during these times of day (or night even!)
Well done to those who submitted, and congratulations to the top 10.
Challenge Brief
Images for this challenge must be taken before sunrise or after sunset, outdoors. The subject should be lit by natural or artificial light and not in silhouette. Images taken during blue hour, twilight or in full darkness are acceptable.
Timecodes
1:08 Angela Rose
3:33 Aubri Poon
6:27 Beatrix Szekelyi
8:13 Carol Mudra
10:01 Clarice Olayvar
12:34 Connie Passejna
14:25 Dawn Orr
16:17 Donna Banks
18:45 Gabriela Ciobanu
21:05 Ginger Wick
23:00 Helen Daniels
24:35 Helen Green
26:19 Helene Caraux
28:49 Jackie Searies
30:23 Jannene Meyer
32:31 Jo Lyons
35:06 Joan Teno
37:33 Julie Cork
41:14 Juliette Bercovici
42:59 Lisa Hanley
44:50 Liz Dranow
46:13 Marcie Fry
47:10 Megan Thompson
49:05 Melissa Mattingly
50:20 Melissa Schiestel
51:52 Rebecca Labs
53:24 Sara Steedman
55:55 Tanya Honkanen
58:28 Yvonne Jansen
1:00:19 Top 10
Disclaimer: This video has been transcribed using AI. Click [CC] to access subtitle options. Subtitles may not be 100% accurate.
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It's time for the final challenge of Empower and as always, we finish off with a fun action challenge, Jump!
For the Jump! challenge, we were looking for images that capture the athleticism of pets. Strong poses with lots of expression, composition that supports the energy, and mastery of the technical aspects are all important. But most importantly off all, we want to see the subject fully airborne!
With a dog that loves to fly, there are plenty of opportunities to capture that perfect Jump!
Challenge Brief
Capture a sharp, in-focus image of a dog jumping. The dog must be truly airborne in this image with all legs off the ground. There must be upwards energy in the jump, not just a stride over an object as part of a run. The image should not be taken at an event.
Timecodes
1:31 Yvonne Jansen
3:26 Tracie Dereszynski
5:06 Tanya Honkanen
7:13 Sara Steedman
9:03 Samantha Alter
10:44 Rebecca Labs
14:49 Melissa Schiestel
17:27 Melissa Mattingly
19:46 Megan Thompson
23:11 Marcie Fry
25:46 Liz Dranow
27:47 Lisa Hanley
30:05 Juliette Bercovici
34:01 Julie Cork
36:28 Joan Teno
38:34 Jo Lyons
40:14 Jannene Meyer
42:03 Jackie Searies
44:29 Helene Caraux
51:33 Helen Green
54:18 Helen Daniels
57:54 Ginger Wick
1:00:58 Gabriela Ciobanu
1:04:21 Donna Banks
1:06:37 Dawn Orr
1:10:28 Connie Passejna
1:14:21 Clarice Olayvar
1:17:06 Carol Mudra
1:20:21 Beatrix Szekelyi
1:22:31 Aubri Poon
1:24:45 Angela Rose
1:28:26 Top 10
