There is so much to understand and to do in order to get great photo shots of your dog to be used in advertising. There are candid shots, movement shots, still shots. The photos can be taken in the ring, in the photographer's setup, outside in the snow or in a flower garden. Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!
Getting good show photos is important. You are already spending the money to buy that memory of your dog's great win, so make sure you can also use it in advertising. Make sure your dog is stacked perfectly, remember to emphasize the good parts. If you are using a professional handler, this will never be an issue. But if you are a newbie owner/handler, let me tell you this isn't as easy as you think. You will get your photo and the dog is posting or has slumped or your hand looks like it has a choke hold on its neck. We have a medium small dog and my husband would stoop sorta and his knee would be right behind our girl's chest. The chest is a really good part and we don't want to make it hard to see with a knee directly behind it.
When we found a photographer that we liked and worked with us with patience, we would work with him for all our specialized still shots. They will help you so much. Go to them when most of the dogs are in the ring and he isn't so busy. He will take a lot of shots for you to pick from. Tell him what you believe are the areas you want to focus on and the type of shots you are looking for. Don't be afraid to go back several times until you get the shot you are looking for. Don't just buy an 8 x 10, ask the photographer to put all the pics you like on a cd. A cd comes in handy when you decide you want to advertise your dog.
There is Canadian Dog Fancier Magazine. It prints 6 times a year, so your ad will be in the publication for at least 2 months. There is a variety of ad sizes to decide on that fits most pocketbooks. Working with a good graphic designer like Wendy Reyn makes advertising in this great magazine a snap, too.
Lastly, it helps to have a third person to look at your photos that understands your breed and can help you see what could be improved before you place a photo in an ad. If you are going to spend for the advertising, make sure you are showing your dog's best.
ASK THE EXPERTS
This is a regular feature of my blog. I will be asking a question to a cross-section of Canadian experts involved in various areas of the dog world. If you would like to participate or have a question you would like to have asked or have an expert you would like to answer a question, feel free to contact me.MY WESTMINSTER DREAM
By Josephine Lambert, Spoiled Red Bassets, Ancaster, Ontario
 |
| AM/CAN CH BOBAC FOXY BROWN & CAN CH BOBAC SPOILED RED CECIL B DEMILLE |
Many people have childhood dreams and I
have been lucky enough to recently have my childhood dream of competing at
Westminster come true!
The dream started to unfold, late last year
after competing in both Canada and the USA with my 2 basset hounds, AM/CAN CH BOBAC FOXY BROWN, and CAN CH BOBAC SPOILED RED CECIL B DEMILLE.
We were doing quite well in the 2012 show
season and I inquired as how to enter Westminster. It had been open to AM Champions, and now the
rules had changed slightly allowing a class dog if that dog had qualified and
earned a 2pt, 3pt, or 5 pt major.
So after competing at the BHCA Nationals in
Boston late in the fall, my male had a 5pt major win at the Pilgrim
Specialty. I decided to enter both Foxy
and Cecil. The entries were mailed on
Nov 16, and after being received and audited by the AKC to make sure both dogs
had the proper credentials, we were accepted to compete. I received the good news about a week before
Christmas. An early present for me from
Santa!
 |
| Josephine Lambert |
Now the fun began. Planning whether to drive or fly. After careful consideration I just could not
put my babies in the belly of a plane in cargo and expose them to the cold temperatures,
so I decided to drive to New York.
Hotel reservations were made, auto club
route planning done. The training of my
2 babies got more intense. Stacking
daily to perfect the perfect stack.
Moving and playing the whole routine over and over in my head.
Mid January the actual receipt of all
Westminster info came to me. Wow, I
thought it is actually happening. Rules
of loading and unloading, staging at the Piers, release of dogs from Piers to
the Gardens, the list went on and on. I
was overwhelmed but was adamant to plan every detail like a fine tooth comb.
I watched the weather forecast religiously
day by day up to the week before we were scheduled to leave. Clear it said. Well not !
One day prior to leaving on the Friday a freak snowstorm a Nor'easter
came up the coast and hit New York City as well as the Hamilton area. My nerves went crazy, thinking I would be
snowed in and not able to get out of the almost 2 feet of snow that was
starting to occupy my driveway. On the
Friday I cleaned that drive several times hoping that Saturday morning I would
be able to escape with my babies to New York.
Saturday morning arrived and low and behold
sunshine! There was a major amount of
snow to contend with but I was determined the roads would be clear and packed
up the car and started our journey at 8:30 am.
We picked up a friend of mine who was accompanying us and we were off
figuring we would go as far as we could and if needed stay half way and
continue on Sunday. The roads were
terrible in St. Catherines, but once we crossed the border the roads were only
wet. Truly we had the most snow of any
in the Hamilton area. So with a few pit
stops we were able to get to our hotel in New York City around 5:30 pm that
same day.
Oh thank the big guy above I thought. We made it!!!!
After a good nights sleep we were up and sitting
in the staging area of 57th street waiting to get into the Piers to
set up. All ran very smoothly. I must say very well organized. Being a newbie to Westminster, I had tons of
questions on where to park for the Monday and how would I get back into
the building. I was taken by the arm by a very kind
Westminster representative, who walked me through the procedures for Monday
until I was comfortable with where I was going.
So back to the hotel we went and baths and
final trimming started. New York was
great except for the fact there was not a stitch of grass for my babies to
relieve themselves, so it was rather difficult to get them to go, but they did
pick up on the new cement procedures.
Early to bed with clothes laid out for morning.
Monday arrived and my dream was close to
fruition!!!! We awoke at 4 am, and were
sitting in line to get to the parking on top of the Piers at 6 am. Parking finally opened up and so did the
skies with rainy conditions. No worries
though as once we unloaded we were in an elevator and covered walkways to our
benching area. Cecil and Foxy could sense the excitement
in the air.
While at our benching area they drew crowds
that I could never imagine. The camera
flashes and people crowding in to see them made me feel like we were on the red
carpet in Hollywood,,,,lol. Both Cecil
and Foxy loved the attention.
Thomas my handler for Foxy arrived, and we
were ready to make our way to the ring.
Unbelievable to look across that ring before entering and seeing
literally thousands of people watching you.
The judge was ready and we were called into the ring. Cecil was so hungry as he would not eat his
breakfast that he truly was excited when he knew I had the bait in my
hand. He moved nicely, and stacked well,
but a bit too much excitement while we were trotting around. He sure showed that he was enjoying himself!
The rest of the breed dogs went into the
ring and we followed, with Foxy and Thomas in front of us. I must say Foxy showed beautifully, could not
ask for more from her, and Thomas did a fantastic job with her.
Well the time came and decisions were made,
and we were delighted to have Foxy, Best of Opposite and Cecil was Winners Dog.
We had a very nice picture taken, and
then it was hugs all around and back to the benching area. Treats were given to both of them to
celebrate their success. I could not
have asked for more from either of them.
The real prize for me was just being at Westminster.
Many people still flocked to our benching
area offering much praise and friendship.
The day was long and we were all tired.
The time came to pack up and wait in line with our release forms. Everyone was ushered out of the Piers in the
same orderly fashion that we arrived. I
must commend Westminster on the smoothness of how this was run for the first
time at a new venue!
Back to the hotel, we went and supper for
all. My babies were pooped out. Never heard a peep out of them till it was
time to put them to bed.
Tuesday we saw the sights and sounds that
New York offers, and made our way to the Gardens for the finale. Lights, camera, action, the last of the breed
judging occurred, and then the finale.
Seven of the top dogs all competing for
Best In Show. Who would it be? Everyone had their own favorites, and then
the final moment when Little Joe was able to be
crowned Best In Show.
As we made our way trying to hail a cab
back to our hotel, the sights and sounds of the Big Apple were coming to an
end.
Wednesday morning we said goodbye to New
York. As we drove out of the Lincoln
Tunnel on our way home, I was touched by the beautiful sunrise over the New
York skyline.
So I am living proof - yes dreams do come
true. Never give up on your dream and
one day you may be as lucky as I was to LIVE MY DREAM!
I like to see people do nice things for others. If someone does something nice for you at a show or you see or hear about something nice being done, please send me an email at djenkins@shaw.ca. Be sure to put in the subject: Nice
We will mention that person by name in the blog.
Paul and Lynne Oslach Photography, Guelph, Ontario
www.oslachphoto.com
This weekend, Paul and Lynne took an extraordinary amount of time with us to make sure we got just the shot we wanted. He will soon have a home studio as well as setup at dog shows. Paul and Lynne are professionals available for weddings, sports teams and portraits but specializing in Canine Photography. Their pricing is very competitive and I love the quality of their work. Watch your show premium lists and if they are the official photographer, you will want to be sure to have them capture your special win with your dog.
Remember to watch for "Nice Deeds". They are happening all around us. Let's talk about the people helping others.
Be sure to go to Canuck Dogs, http://www.canuckdogs.com, to see all the upcoming events and to check stats. You should bookmark it. That's where you will find my blog.
XXXOOO
Be sure to go to Canuck Dogs, http://www.canuckdogs.com, to see all the upcoming events and to check stats. You should bookmark it. That's where you will find my blog.
XXXOOO
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