A big part of my recent trip to South Dakota and parts west, was to help photograph a national dog show for the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed. The event was held in the Civic Center in Rapid City and there were about 500 dogs in attendance. If you have seen the movie, Best in Show, you have a slight idea as to the goings on at these events. Lots of dog lovers and lots of “show people.”
My job was to organize and print out proofs from the “win” shots. These are basically portraits of the dog, handler and or owner, and the judge for the winning animals in each class. It got hectic occasionally as this was my first time at a dog show and had to learn fast to keep up with volume. I was also shooting “candids” which are shots of the dogs in the ring as they are being judged. It is important to get the dogs in the right position so that the correct confirmation for the breed is shown. It got easier as the show progressed.
My first priority was to get the shots I have described. If I was there on my own, I would be covering the event in a photojouralistic style complete with interviews of the people involved. But that was not to be. Priorities first.
I did get some shots that I liked and have produced them here in B&W. I thought that it fit my vision of the event. Of course, the images I submitted to my employer were all in color. Tom and Sande Weigand of The Winning Image had hired me for this job. They travel around the country in an enormous RV and photograph dog shows all during the year. They were short handed for this show so I was able to fill in.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a truly wonderful breed. They were originally bred to hunt lions in South Africa. They are loyal, friendly, and particularly affectionate and caring of children. The breed was a consideration the last time we got a dog, but it needs a bit more exercise and care than we would be able to provide. So it was a Boston Terrier for us.
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