I recently joined the Embark Pet Photography Challenge, a 6-month journey hosted by Unleashed Education, where we have two weeks to complete each challenge. With a total of 12 challenges, it’s designed to stretch photographers outside their comfort zones and grow their technical and storytelling skills. I signed up to sharpen my craft because no matter how much you know, there’s always something new to learn.

The first challenge was all about using bold, vibrant colors in your image. Many photographers showcase bold colors by placing dogs in front of vibrant murals or painted doors—a classic and effective approach. For my take, I decided to experiment and create my own bold color using red gels with two flashes.

Ever since moving to Clarkesville, GA, I’ve been eyeing the striking red door at The Attic restaurant downtown. I knew it would make the perfect backdrop, and this challenge finally gave me the motivation to make it happen. I gathered my courage and approached Eli, the restaurant manager, to ask if I could shoot in front of the door after closing. He kindly gave me the thumbs-up—and two days later, I was setting up my lights for what I hoped would be an epic portrait.

📸 Here’s the final image I created for the Colourific challenge:

To make the image pop with vibrant red tones, I used a multi-light setup:

Two flashes with red gels – one aimed at the red door to enhance its color, and the other positioned behind Pogo (my dog and model) to add atmosphere and disguise the light source.

A strobe on the floor next to me, angled up toward Pogo, to properly light her from the front.

I took a series of photos until I captured just the right pose, then removed Pogo from the scene and photographed several clean backplates (without the front light). Later in editing, I combined the best shot of Pogo with the clean background for a polished final image.

Check out a few behind-the-scenes shots of of my goofy pup:

My original plan was to capture Pogo standing, but as you can see she had other ideas. 😄 In the end, we landed on a gorgeous laying-down pose that felt calm and confident—and I loved how it turned out.

In true on-location fashion, it started raining halfway through the shoot. Thankfully, we were protected by the restaurant’s awning. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the wind had picked up, and the rain was blowing sideways. When I got home and reviewed the shots on a larger screen, I noticed beautiful specks of rain caught in the red gel light—creating a magical, cinematic effect I never could’ve planned for. It was one of those unexpected gifts you only get when you're out in the real world, camera in hand.

When the feedback video was released by Craig and Charlotte of Unleashed Education, I was nervous but excited. They spent three hours reviewing everyone’s submissions. While I didn’t make the Top 20, I did land in the Top 25, which felt incredible for my first challenge entry!

What held me back? Pet eye. After staring at the image for so long during editing, I didn’t notice that Pogo’s pupils were fully dilated from the low light and glowing due to the flash. Dogs have a reflective layer in their eyes called the tapetum lucidum, which causes a glowing effect when hit by sudden light—especially in dark conditions.

To avoid pet eye in the future, the solution is simple: use a continuous light source— before firing the flash. Whether it’s a modeling light from your strobe or your phone’s flashlight, it helps the dog's pupils constrict, avoiding the all-black, glowing "pet eye" effect.

Of course, once they pointed it out, I couldn’t unsee it. 😅

Thankfully, Unleashed Education allows participants to fix issues and resubmit their image for final judging. I’ve since corrected the eye issue—and the version of the photo shown above includes that correction.

For those curious, here’s a before-and-after comparison showing the original image with pet eye and the corrected final version. It’s a great reminder of how small details can make a big difference!

This first challenge reminded me how much I love storytelling through photography—and how much room there still is to grow. I’m excited for the next challenge, and even more excited to meet new dog models to help bring future concepts to life.

📣 Calling all Clarkesville dog owners! If you’d like your pup to be part of my next challenge image, I’d love to collaborate. You’ll receive a free digital copy of the final artwork featuring your dog. DM me on Instagram or Facebook! Thanks for following along—and stay tuned for Challenge #2 in the Embark Pet Photography Challenge Series!