Side light is directional light falling on the subject from either the left or the right. Side light can be unflattering and many photographers avoid it because it can produce harsh shadows. But when used correctly it can create dramatic images.

The second theme for Empower in Unleashed Education’s 6 month dog photography challenge is On the Side. We are to side light an image that creates a dynamic or dramatic image.

I wouldn’t call my style dramatic. My images tend to have a softness to them. My thought process for this challenge was to create a more dramatic image than my typical style.

My first task was scheduling the shoot on a sunny day. If anyone has an accurate app they use that can predict this, please comment below and share it with me.

Here are my attempts for creating a side lit image to submit for this challenge.

Goldie the doodle: I ultimately submitted this first image because the side light was the most dramatic. The brief mentioned directional and dramatic light and this was by far the most dramatic light compared to the other photos I took.

This is my least favorite of all of them though (not because of Goldie. She was perfect.) It’s not really my style and the photo is very busy and all of the trees and the foreground detract from Goldie who posed so perfectly. But the light is the most directional and dramatic.

Harley, the golden retriever: I need a new app for predicting cloud cover because both of my apps said the skies were clear but as I was driving in the dark to this sunrise photo shoot, there were lots of clouds in the sky. Harley is facing the sun so it meets the brief but I didn’t think the light was dramatic enough. Perhaps I should’ve played with it more in editing but I immediately eliminated it because of the soft light.

Jeff, my dog: I was critical of where the light was hitting Jeff in this photo. It’s on his neck. I also didn’t think it was dramatic enough.

Mia, the westie mix: I didn’t think the light was dramatic enough in this photo either. The only shadow lines in the photo are on Mia’s left side and I didn’t think they were enough to meet the brief.

The first image below is the unedited version of Goldie’s photo. The other two are photos I considered but ultimately eliminated because I didn’t think they met the brief. The last 2 images would’ve been edited further if I’d submitted them.

My photo didn’t make the Top 10. The feedback on the image of Goldie was to crop it differently. Because of the way she is standing, they wanted to see more space on the left side of the photo. They also suggested moving the tree on the far right in closer to eliminate the green leaves. To me, the photo is just too busy even with all of my edits.

These challenges are all about learning. Seeing the other images that were created really helps me learn. Others in the group were able to create images in their own style even though they were side lit and some of them are just gorgeous. AND they’re side lit!

Because I was trying to create dramatic side light, I didn’t create an image that was really in my style. I’ll stick to my style going forward.

I do have a bunch more photos of Jeff. I’ll take that as a win!

Here’s the blog of the Top 10: Empower On the Side.

Side Light in Dog Photography