For the second challenge of Emerge, Spaced Out, we were looking for images that use negative space to really feature the subject, add an emotive quality to the image or help tell a story.

As always, the submissions were absolutely fantastic, making our job of selecting a top 10 very difficult.

We got there in the end of course so here, in no particular order are the top 10 Spaced Out images from this challenge.

- Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨

Toni Greatorex

This is a really simple example of using negative space to great effect. What takes this to the next level is the pointed face of this dog breaching that space and the movement from the breeze animating it's fur.

Nicole Hrustyk | Pawtraits by Nicole

A stunning image with Negative space in all the right places, a hint of the location with some landscape along the bottom. The windswept fur really adds to the emotive and story telling aspects.

Megan Thompson | Megan Thompson Photography

We love the shape that the curve of the dog is creating in this and the high key style of the shot really adds to the snowy landscape. With negative space in all the right places. 

Marika Moffitt | Soul Dog Creative

Gorgeous tonality and use of texture, excellent expression and brilliant use of negative space.

Louise Kennedy | Powerful Pawtraits

Another image with gorgeous tonality. We love the subtle shadows on the wall which accentuates the direction the cat is looking and the negative space beautifully.

Kim Hollis | Barkography

Absolutely adorable, this is the ultimate puppy play pose and this little cuties straight tail is too much for words! Of course, as specified in the challenge brief, the negative space is also very well used too!

Kim Hawkins

This Spaced Out shot feels like the dog is on top of the world, beautifully posed with the front paws slightly elevated and a great amount of space to look into the image.

Joanne Merner | Your Dog's Photographer

You can really feel this image and this dog plodding it's way through the frozen landscape. The hint of warm tones in the sky really pick up the amber coloured eyes and the composition has just the right amount of space.

Jeff Rooney | Hightail It Photography

What a fantastic location with the dog in semi silhouette placed perfectly in the landscape. This is an excellent example of using more extreme amounts of negative space, while all the time making sure the dog is still the focus of the image.

Andrea Fleury | Dogtography

This shot feels so otherworldly. The cool tones give way to a hint of warmth and the dog is placed perfectly in the composition with the use of negative space in the direction it is facing.

Emerge is the second series in our Unleashed Challenge courses and is made up of 12 challenges over 6 months. It’s open to anyone who has completed our first course in the series, Embark.

So much more than just a challenge, the 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 and we'll send you all the details when enrolment for Embark next opens in 2022.