So Strange, an End to the Challenges...
For the past three years, I've participated in three different challenges: Embark, Emerge, and Empower, part of the courses from Unleashed Education by Charlotte Reeves Photography and Craig Turner Bullock Furtography.
In August 2024, we wrapped up the final series of challenges called Empower.
Check out my earlier blog posts about Embark and Emerge, the first two series of challenges.
Each series lasted six months, during which I had to submit a new photo every two weeks. I embarked on 37 different assignments—sometimes even more for the same one. It was a fantastic goal for me to work towards, creating new pieces and trying out fresh ideas and techniques. This project served as a lovely complement to my client sessions. Throughout this journey, I received invaluable feedback on my work from top dog photographers and teachers, Charlotte and Craig, as well as from the other participants: an incredibly talented group of fellow animal photographers from around the globe.
Some assignments went according to plan, while others required a lot of patience as weather and other circumstances posed challenges. Life continued alongside the assignments, which meant that not all the photos I submitted met my expectations. Some of my entries didn’t make it past the first round; some did, and a few even reached the Top 20 and Top 10. As cliché as it sounds, participating in and tackling these assignments taught me—especially through the feedback on my photos, particularly the ones with mistakes. I also learned the importance of being vulnerable and sharing my less-than-perfect work with others for constructive feedback. Completing the challenges, even when things weren’t going my way, and learning from the process and the feedback were incredibly valuable lessons for me.
𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔!
Many pet owners and their dogs helped me throughout these challenges, and it was a joy to explore together. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported me over the past years for your time, patience, and enthusiasm!
Now it’s over; this chapter of challenges has come to an end.
But I’m not done yet! I will continue to practice and develop new ideas—my own challenges...
It’s clear to me that alongside my client work, I want to keep venturing out, learning new techniques, and exploring fresh concepts. I’m setting my sights on creating a new series of photos, with hopes of submitting my favorites for accreditation. ---If you’d like to be a part of this project, you can still fill out my form.--- This registration form will remain open, allowing me to compile a list of dogs and owners I can reach out to when I have an idea I want to pursue. Depending on my concept, I can then determine which dog is best suited for it. These types of sessions are great for me to experiment, practice, and learn without pressure or obligations, although they do come with a bit more risk for the models, as there’s no guarantee of a usable or beautiful result.
https://www.irisvanvelzen.com/empower
