Today marks the official end of the Embark Challenge with the celebration of the Embark Awards, and I definitely have mixed feelings of both happiness and sadness.

I’m happy and relieved that I completed all the challenges before the deadline, but I’m also a little sad that it’s all over. For the past six months, my world has revolved around shooting for each challenge, so not having one to prepare for feels a little strange.

I’m incredibly proud to share that I was one of only 56 photographers worldwide to complete all twelve challenges, a milestone that makes this ending even more meaningful.

I’m not going to lie, these past six months were tough. The challenges pushed me further than I thought I could go and showed me that creativity truly has no limits. Seeing the incredible work of my fellow Embarkers has been inspiring, and today’s portfolio montage shown during the awards was simply unbelievable. We’ve all grown so much since the start.

Charlotte and Craig are incredible instructors, and their feedback throughout these challenges has been invaluable. For any pet photographers wanting to take their skills to the next level and learn from the best, I can’t recommend the Unleashed Education challenges enough. You won’t be disappointed.

Here is my portfolio montage showcasing my pet photography work over the last six months:

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through this journey is that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. I’ll be honest, it’s always been hard for me to do that. It’s not because I think I know everything; it’s because I never want to burden or inconvenience anyone.

A day after getting my stitches removed from my hand, I literally fell flat on my face and reopened the wound on my palm. Of course, this happened at 10:30 at night, and I didn’t have anyone to drive me. I wrestled with my thoughts for five long minutes, not wanting to bother anyone, before finally calling my neighbor. He kindly drove me to the ER and stayed until the doctor finished patching me up. We didn’t get home until 2:30 a.m., and I felt terrible for disturbing him.

In the past, I probably would have tried to handle it on my own, but after six months of leaning on my Embark colleagues for support and feedback, I finally had the courage to reach out. Asking for help is still hard, but each time I do, it gets a little easier.

For those who struggle to ask for help, I understand and encourage you to try. You learn so much by hearing others’ thoughts and perspectives. Everyone sees things differently, and by listening, you gain new ideas that can shape your work and your life for the better.

It’s never easy to hear constructive criticism, but getting feedback on what’s working and what can be improved is how we grow as artists. Through this process of learning and asking for help, I achieved a personal milestone: receiving my first award in the International Pet Photography of the Year Competition and earning my International Associate of Pet Photography Accreditation.

If you’d like to read more about my experiences and challenges throughout Embark, you can find all twelve blog posts linked below in order of completion. Each one includes my reflections, lessons learned, and tips for pet photographers.

To everyone who has followed along on this journey, thank you. I’m so grateful for your support and hope you’ve taken away something valuable from my experiences.

I’ve decided not to participate in the next challenge series, Emerge, until 2027. For now, I plan to take everything I’ve learned and put it into practice, especially those tricky action shots!