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!

It is quite bittersweet announcing our top 10 images this time, it is not only the final challenge of Empower, it is the very final challenge of the whole Unleashed Challenges series. It really has been quite special watching the photographers who've stuck it out for all the challenges evolve and grow over the last 3 years.

We'll be celebrating all those who've completed the Empower challenge, each individual challenge winner and the overall Empower winners at the live award ceremony. You can catch it in the Pet Photography Unleashed Facebook group at the following time:

Thursday 29th August 2024
4pm Central USA
10pm UK
Friday 30th August 2024
7am Brisbane AU
9am NZ

For now, we will leave you with the incredible images that have made the top 10 of the Jump! challenge.

- Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨

Chantal Levesque | Chantal Levesque Photo

What a fantastic moment, the little tongue out is brilliant and the technique is unique and well executed. The in-camera motion being coloured to match the sky is the icing on the cake of this Jump! shot.

Iris Van Velzen | Iris van Velzen Fotografie

The excellent and expressive pose has been beautifully isolated against a simple background to really highlight the energy and athleticism of the subject. Well done!

Jana Davis | J's Photography

Such a fantastic concept to explore and this movement with the frisbee is the perfect candidate to capture in this way. Really well executed idea and great moments captured in the Jump!

Jennifer Patterson | Blue Moose Photography

What a great moment! The dog fully outstretched, all feet off the ground. The sidelight has been used well to emphasise the action and the mirroring of the dog's head and the mountains behind is a nice touch.

Keri Nakahashi | Keri Nakahashi Photography

What a clever take on the Jump! challenge brief. The framing and colour harmony are excellent and the humour is great. Now, who wants some chicken?!

Kim Hollis | BARKography

This funky shot has very "barkour" vibes, with the feeling that the dog has just bounced off the graffiti wall. The strong shape of the dog and detailed whites and blacks mean the pose is full of expression, despite being turned away from the camera. Great work!

Magda Szklarska | Your Best Furiend Photography

This has been captured at the perfect point of the jump and the direct eye contact drives connection with the subject and justifies the centred composition. We loved the natural colours bright background, giving the image a summery feel.

Megan Purtell | Megan Purtell Photography

This is a great little story and the elements are all arranged to give a lovely graphic quality to the image. The dog is perfectly placed and is at the height of the Jump!

Nancy Paynter 

This is absolutely beautiful, a perfectly timed moment of the jump, so sharp with lots of texture running through the wet fur and a lovely soft colour palette.

Rebecca Williams | Rebecca Williams Photographer

We love seeing novel ideas and this certainly is one! As well as being aesthetically pleasing and technically perfect, this successfully tells the story of an everyday moment on the farm.

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.