The Emerge Dog Photography Awards
Last night Renee and I settled in to watch the Emerge Dog Photography Awards live via Zoom — and I've been sitting with the results long enough now that I think I can write about them without just typing in all caps.
Emerge, run by Unleashed Education, brings together professional pet photographers from around the world for 12 themed challenges over six months. Each challenge is judged by two of the world's leading pet photographers — people with decades in the industry, international award histories, and commercial clients whose work you've definitely seen. In each round you can receive a Top 20, a Top 10, individual feedback, and suggestions for improvement.
The primary goal has always been competing with myself — pushing creatively, improving technically, staying accountable to making images I'd have never made otherwise. But competing alongside so many talented photographers from across the globe has given me something I didn't expect: genuine friendships with colleagues I now cheer for by name.
Even in competition, pet photographers are colleagues first. That's one of my favorite things about this community.
Double Trouble — First Place
The challenge was Double Trouble: two subjects, one image.
This was my first session back after surgery. I was nervous whether my body would cooperate and whether my brain would work creatively after so much time away — but I'd made a commitment to complete all 12 challenges within the timeframe, and I wasn't going to break it.
I sketched out my concept before we shot — two Pharaoh Hounds on a dock, handler positioned behind, mist rolling in. I'd like to say my sketch was artistic. It was not. But it communicated the idea well enough that Hannah, Maple, and Party showed up ready to make it happen.
My image out of camera was seriously tilted. Weak core and arm muscles from recovery made holding the heavy lens harder than I expected, and I was sore for days afterward. But the final image — after straightening, Lightroom processing, and Photoshop work to remove the leash, Hannah, and dock distractions while centering the post for symmetry — was exactly what I'd drawn on that scrap of paper.
Here's what the judges said:
"A beautiful image with a clever design. The tonality and softness of the light and mist give it an ethereal quality."
First place. I still can't quite believe it.
Behind the Scenes: From Concept to Final Image
This is the part I love sharing most — the distance between what you see and what actually happened.
The concept sketch: Not pretty, but functional. I was trying to show Hannah where to stand and how I envisioned the dogs positioned on the dock. The idea existed on paper before we ever arrived on location.
Straight out of camera (RAW): The RAW format looks flat compared to the finished image — but it contains every detail the camera captured. This is the foundation everything else builds on.
After Lightroom: Lightroom is the digital darkroom — restoring the detail our eyes saw that the camera compressed. Color, contrast, light, tone all brought back to life.
After Photoshop: The leash removed. Hannah removed. The dock cleaned up. The post centered for symmetry. The image that existed in my head on that sketch became the image in the file.
That four-step process — concept, capture, develop, finish — is the same process behind every image I make for clients. Competition just made me document it.
Highly Commended Portfolio
Beyond the individual challenge results, the judges review the full body of work submitted across all 12 rounds. At the end of the competition, I received a Highly Commended Portfolio award.
Here's what the judges had to say:
"Courtney — your warm, rich style is evident across nearly all your challenge submissions. You've cleverly interpreted the brief and responded so willingly to feedback. That Bokelicious image is full of golden beauty, the Shake image is a favourite too, and Double Trouble — what can we say — you make it look easy (but we know it wasn't). Amazing work throughout Emerge!"
My final results across all 12 challenges: 3 Top 10 images, 5 Top 20 images, an overall challenge win for Double Trouble, and a Highly Commended Portfolio.
And most of those images? Made with your dogs. The clients who trusted me enough to bring their animals into something experimental and creative — they're as much a part of this as I am.
What's Next
I'm currently running Embark challenge sessions — model calls, creative themes, real dogs doing real things in beautiful light for 2026. Emerge will return to my calendar in 2027.
If you're interested in participating in a future Embark or Emerge model call, get on the list here.
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