🌿 For this challenge, we’re diving into the lush, vibrant world of “Greens.” Whether you’re surrounded by the rich greens of summer or the unique grey-greens of winter (hello, Southern Hemisphere!), this challenge is all about exploring the diverse shades and tones of green in your pet photography.

A lot of people hate and avoid greens, but for me it’s one of the most important storytelling colours in my arsenal!  This isn’t just about plopping your dog in front of some bushes or grass (though that’s a start). Let’s see how creative you can get with the greens around you!

For Beginners: Starting Simple

If you’re just beginning your photography journey, focus on finding simple green backgrounds. This could be a park, a garden, or even an interesting green wall. The key here is to practice isolating your subject against a green backdrop. Look for soft, even lighting to ensure your dog stands out clearly.

Ideas:

• Capture your dog sitting or standing in front of a vibrant green hedge or lush grass and play with your angle and perspective. Are you low enough!
• Experiment with some bushes or leaves in front of your lens/in between you and your subject, to start adding some depth to your images.
• Keep an eye out for colour casts from the green reflecting on your dog’s fur when you start editing!

For Creators: Delving Deeper

If you’re in the Creating stage, start to think about how you can incorporate different types of greens and textures into your photos. Maybe it’s not just about a green background, but using green as an accent or a storytelling element.

Ideas:

• Position your dog amongst ferns, moss, or under a canopy of leaves to play with different green textures.
• Experiment with posing your dog near green elements that have different shades or tones—light green grasses vs. dark green shrubs, for example. Experiment with poses! What if the dog is sitting with its back to you, looking up? What if the dog is amongst the greens, but looking toward warmer backlit bokeh? Do YOU have a pretty green dress you could wear as a self portrait?
• Feel free to get out of the woods! Is there somewhere at home or in your neighbourhood with something interesting and green? Can you show us green rolling hills? 

For Explorers and Beyond: Pushing Boundaries

For those of you in the Exploring and Beyond stages, this is your chance to get truly creative. Think about how you can use green in abstract or less obvious ways. Maybe it’s about finding unique green tones or using green creatively in your editing.

Ideas:

• Use reflections in water to capture green landscapes or tree leaves in a more abstract form. Similarly, what about shooting from beneath the dog so the background is a canopy of green? Think about how you’ll need to get light on the dog’s face.
• Experiment with editing techniques to enhance or change the green tones, perhaps adding a surreal or ethereal feel to your photo. Try something new! Pick a green tone you haven’t used before – but choose it because it FITS! Do you need lighter, warmer greens for a happier, lighter look? Or jewel-toned greens for a red/brown dog?
• Are there any props, locations or objects you can use?

One thing I’m always considering in my photography, is not only where the ambient/sky light is, but where there is light – either bokeh spots, or shades of light and dark in the background. That is what this challenge is all about!

For me, there’s 3 kinds of “looking into light”.

1. Looking into the ambient light source. So imagine you’re in the woods, and to your left is an open field, and to the right is the forest. If you have your dog look at you, the face will be split in half by the light to the left and shadow to the right. So, your photo will work much better if the dog looks to the light – eg, to the left, and toward the open field! (Example/s below).
2. Looking into light – in the background! When I’m looking for locations, I’m paying close attention to the bokeh, and to any differing shades of light and dark in the background. Eg., if there’s a clearing somewhere further back, this often creates a lighter area there, that can have a tunnel or ray of light effect with just a little editing. Or, if you choose your location carefully, you can use the bokeh spots of light to “lead” your eye to the dog, and give him a natural spotlight/light area to look into. 
3. Edited light. Obviously I use spotlighting techniques in editing all the time. Sometimes I even completely change the direction of light if it isn’t suiting me, or I move bokeh to be in front of the dog, etc. Being able to edit light is a super important skill! However…

In this challenge, I want your editing to SUPPORT the light you’ve found in the location.

Ideally, I want you to focus most on point 2. Finding shades of light and dark tones in your backgrounds. Because even if I just focus on point 1 and my dog is looking toward the light, if the background is still a solid wall of black… well… looking toward the ambient light isn’t going to make that photo quite as magical as if we’ve chosen our backgrounds carefully. 

If you’re in the Beginning stage and noticing backgrounds feels overwhelming right now, I want you to just focus on point 1 – noticing ambient light, its direction, and getting your dog to look into that ambient light. That doesn’t have to mean sunlight, remember 😉 

Play with different compositions if you can! If you see a trail of bokeh light leading UP… see if you can get your dog to look up INTO those spots. 

If your subject absolutely won’t look away from you (ahem, Loki), then try and use the light as a tunnel behind him.

Some examples

All the photos below are unedited except for a couple being made into panoramas.

Very easy to see the path of bokeh/tunnel of light that Journey’s looking into here.

Here, it’s a lot more subtle, and the little bokeh spots of light don’t appear until the top right corner, but this is enough for me to build a feeling of glowing light/spotlight effect off of, since there is already a naturally lighter area of the photo.

Looking to the side also works. See how this bokeh leads to Journey, and he’s looking in that direction? Now it’ll be super easy to shape the light toward him, since the left is already naturally lighter! It would also have been great if it was a bit higher, coming in from the top left corner, but it is what it is.

This time with a visual indication of the light vs dark areas already naturally occurring in my photo (and this ends up being a panorama with more space to the top and right, don’t worry)

A tunnel, for dogs who won’t look to the side…

And another tunnel.

The difference between a more “solid” background, and getting the dog to look into light (in the background. Both have about the same amount of ambient light on them).

No sky bokeh spots in the background here, just some stronger light shining through an open space in the woods behind. This is unedited. Notice how behind him – on the right hand side of the photo, the scene is naturally darker, and in his gazing direction, it’s naturally lighter. Add to this the side-light just skimming over the top of his face, and half my editing work is done already – I’ll just enhance what’s going on in the scene already.

Here’s one with no bokeh spots, but rather an area of woods with different colours and light tones. Again, the area behind him was naturally darker due to the deep green of those fir trees, while the area in front of him was naturally lighter, with the trees being further in the background being a lighter colour and possibly even receiving more light.

Much more subtle and I know we have no snow right now, but you can see he’s still looking into an open, and lighter space, compared to the space behind him.

Your Assignment

Take a *new* photo with the dog “looking into light”.

(The photo should be new. It doesn’t have to be taken JUST for this assignment, but you aren’t learning much if you look through your files for a photo you’ve already taken) 

• If you’re just beginning, it may be enough to just work with having him look into ambient light, without worrying about the background.
• If you’re in Creating or further along your journey, I want you to use this as an opportunity to challenge yourself to really see the background and the subtle shades of light and dark. Many of my photos above used bokeh SPOTS as the light, but you can also find bushes that are lighter in colour or have more light shining on them… you could also use the sky, and play with clouds and the setting sun! You could even try indoor photos, for example, having a dog look out a window.
• If you’re feeling very confident with this, feel free to get creative. Can you use lens-flares or light haze in an interesting way? What about a prism to create rainbows? What about a streetlight? 

Ideally, you’ll have the dog looking to the side or up into light, but if that’s just not possible, find a tunnel for a looking forward photo.  

Whether you’re surrounded by the vibrant colors of fall in the northern hemisphere or enjoying the evergreen landscapes of the southern hemisphere, leaves offer a fantastic opportunity for creativity in your pet photography.

Leaves come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and they can be used in countless ways to enhance your photos. This month, let’s get imaginative and see how leaves can add a unique twist to your pet portraits!

For Beginners: Simple and Fun Leaf Ideas

If you’re just starting out, focus on incorporating leaves in simple yet fun ways. This could involve using leaves as props or backgrounds. The key is to have fun and explore how leaves can complement your pet.

Ideas:

• Capture your pet with a leaf in their mouth, showcasing their playful side.
• Found an area with a ton of leaves on the ground that make a cool texture or pattern? Why not take a photo from overhead? Just make sure the leaves don’t become nothing but a blur!
• Experiment with throwing leaves in the air and capturing your pet’s reaction to the falling leaves. (From experience this is usually a disaster, but it’s fun to try nonetheless)

For Creators: Using Leaves for Framing and Interaction

For those in the Creating stage, think about how leaves can interact with your pet or frame your composition. This is a great way to add depth and focus to your photos.

Ideas:

• Shoot through leaves to create a natural frame around your pet. This can add a sense of depth and intrigue to your images.
• Arrange leaves around your pet or have them lie in a pile of leaves, focusing on their face with leaves gently framing the shot.
• Get creative with leaf arrangements, like placing a leaf with a heart cut-out in front of the lens, framing your pet in the background.

For Explorers and Beyond: Artistic and Conceptual Uses of Leaves

If you’re at the Exploring and Beyond stages, challenge yourself to use leaves in more artistic or conceptual ways. This could involve experimenting with different leaf shapes, colors, and textures to create unique and eye-catching images.

Ideas:

• Use distinctive leaves, such as maple or eucalyptus, to add a cultural or regional touch to your photos. Highlight the shape and texture of the leaves as a feature of the composition.
• Incorporate leaves in more abstract ways, like creating “leaf antlers” on your pet or using leaves to spell out words or shapes in the background.
• Can you take photos in an urban location, but using a leafy bush to give the impression of being out in nature?
• Try adding leaf overlays in editing
• Find some interesting coloured leaves! While teaching a lesson once, I found some really cyan-green needle-type leaves, and the colour was just so pretty and a perfect contrast against Loki’s eyes.

I’ve compiled a whole collection of other ideas on pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/inspawrationphotography/leaf-ideas/