It's gotta say something

Sometimes even a "bored" shot is great.

As a dog photographer I am constantly on the look out for something being said.  That something I'm looking for is emotion; I don't care what emotion it just has to have feeling.  As long as a photo says something to me then I'm happy.  I hate empty photos, those posed shots that hold no emotion, nothing said.  I'm a candid shooter specializing in action photography; freezing a moment so that we can enjoy it.

Simultaneous interest

 

Never ending interactions.

Lots being said here, dominance, aggression and ball guarding all rolled into one.

I have been very lucky to have my own pack to shoot on a daily basis.  It has recently changed from a pack of four to a tiny pack of two but these two have more "saying somethings" in a few moments of a day than many have in a month.  Both Luke and Elsa have very expressive faces which I love to capture.  When I am out at the park or beach I love to catch posturing, communication and athletic action.  When I'm out with my own guys it puts a limit on how much I can shoot as I need to supervise there actions first.

Very serious about being serious.

Of course when I'm on a shoot I get to shoot specifically what I'm there to shoot.  It might be a party that I've been hired to shoot (those are a blast).  It may be a connection between an owner and their dog.  Perhaps some rescue dogs that are looking for a new forever home or specific shots I'm looking for.  When I shoot for magazines its either a breed specific or behavior specific that I'm shooting for so that can take a great deal of patience.  Both in that finding the dog and waiting for a particular behavior takes time.

In a single shoot I can easily click off 300-800 shots; very few of those get to stay, even fewer get the privilege of being shared.  Shooting moving candids; capturing life as it unfolds takes patience and timing.  Yesterday as I tried to capture images of Elsa fresh out of the shower it was nearly impossible.  She was zooming so fast that I thought I might not even get one good shot.  Often dogs are facing the wrong way; of course this happens often and as I move around to get the action they too move.

Lightening speed.

I'll do what it takes to get the shot; crawl around in the sand, mud or grass.  Lay on my back in the middle of a park, crawl under a dock, climb a tree or ladder, you name it.  An image that causes a feeling is a good image; which makes photography a very personal thing. One that says something to me may say nothing to you.  You may look at a photo and absolutely love it; the same photo may leave me flat.  It truly is in the eye of the beholder.

I'm considering heading to the beach today without my dogs.  I'm struggling with this, as a dog Mom I know how much they adore the beach but as a photographer I want to get some good shots of other dogs without having to constantly for my guys.  So I will pack up my camera bag, take a huge breath and lock the door behind me taking that walk to my car without my dogs.

Have a great day;