Using off camera flash has become very popular in the pet photography space, thanks largely to the popularity of Dog Breath Photography’s vibrant wide angle style.

But there are so many other ways to use lighting to create a unique looking image without replicating this well-known look.

Using artificial lighting can open up a whole new world of possibilities, allowing you to work throughout the day when the light isn’t flattering when only using natural light, and further into the night.

For the 7th challenge of Empower, Light It Up, we tasked our challengers to use artificial light to illuminate their subjects or the scene.

This challenge really pushed everyone out of their comfort zones and thinking of some fantastic outside the box solutions too. It was a lot of fun providing feedback to each person who submitted an image for this challenge.

These are our top 10 images for the Light it Up challenge. Congratulations to the photographers!

- Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨

Chantal Levesque | Chantal Levesque Photo

The graphic quality and bold composition of this image made it an instant stand-out submission! There's sense of mystery created by the movement in the background, and the subject is perfectly side-lit.

Heidi Adler | Heidi Adler Photography

Bold use of negative space here has created an interesting composition, with the pose of the cat (especially the tail position) creating movement and flow that supports the negative space. Beautifully lit from an angle, it highlights the cat's engaging expression.

Hope Kuo 

Great work in balancing the ambient and artificial light in this gorgeous rainbow sunset image. The low angle makes the dog the hero of the shot, with tonnes of texture and detail that draw the viewer's attention to that happy expression.

Kelly Pettitt | Kelly Pettitt Photography | Speed Noodle Studio

This lighting style is difficult to master, but has been executed perfectly in this gorgeous studio shot. The dark fur of the dog has been rim lit to perfection, creating separation from the background. A high quality, engaging image, well done!

Kim Hollis | BARKography

The ambient light has been beautifully balanced with the sunset backlight in this image, which has been shot in a gorgeous location. The subject is sharp and has tonnes of texture in the whites from the usage of artificial light. 

Magda Szklarska | Your Best Furiend Photography

The combination of artificial light and time of day lend a cool, moody feel to this fantastic shot. The white dog is the perfect choice of subject to support the simplified colour scheme and there's strong leading lines and compositional choices.

Megan Purtell | Megan Purtell Photography

The street lights have been cleverly used here to create a strikingly unconventional but effective silhouette. The effective use of lightness, darkness and warm tones really draw attention to the subject, giving a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Nancy Paynter

We really enjoyed the quirkiness and sense of fun in this studio shot! The complimentary colours and square crop keep it simple and effective, while the quality is fantastic with tonnes of texture in the fur.

Sarah Jones | Mucky Pup Photography

Clean, crisp and beautifully lit, this playful kitty stands out perfectly against the neutral grey of the background. The shadows are well handled and the pose of the cat is engaging and almost human-like!

Stephanie Dalman | Boxers and Beer

Beautiful subtle metallic tones of bronze pervade this lovely studio shot, with lashings of connection created though the direct eye contact and intense expression. Well lit and great use of texture to support the feel of the shot.

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.