Chh...chh...changes...and more!

Announcements at the end of the blog. We are getting ready for our busy season and will be seeing you at shows soon! Please feel free to give us questions for the blog at shows, but due to time constraints please write them down, we are literally answering everything asked in this format BECAUSE it gives us time to do so without being rude! Email and Facebook are always a great way to get in touch!

If you could change one thing about dog shows what would it be? What about just dog show photography?

If I could change one thing?  I would make it about the dogs again. It currently is not. It is about the ego, about the person and it is sad. If I could change one thing about dog show photography?  Harder, but probably again that it be about the dog. If I hear one more person say, gee that is the best I have ever seen on my dog, but I look like crap. Uhm...it truly is not about you!

If I could change two things? I would want the respect back. The lack of respect for each other, the judges, the dogs, and the photographers is sad. The people who think the judge should skip their lunch for a picture after working four hour and having another four or five scheduled saddens me.. The judge stopped regularly, you were not there, they went to lunch after they finished with those who were; they have a right to eat, use the bathroom, and sit for a minute they truly do.

How long should I wait after I order a picture before contacting the photographer if I don't get it?

That depends on the photographer, what you ordered, and probably the time of year. First, check their website it usually states what their time frame is. If you ordered a digital image most will be able to get it to you within 24-48 hours. I have had a lot of people enter incorrect emails for sending them to, so always double check that and contact the photographer immediately if you find an error. Some photographers enable the ability for "instant" downloads. This takes less time to receive on your end but more time to set up on the photographers end, I have found that getting the images up faster and doing, cropping/color correction/etc AFTER it has been ordered makes more sense in my business.

If you ordered pictures through the mail it really depends on mail service these days! At the outside two weeks is still the longest you should ever wait after an order (or after a show if the photographer doesn't have a website to order from).

When you do contact the photographer be polite, you would be surprised at the number of pictures that are lost in the mail. Just because you did not get it, does not mean it was not sent!!  Unless you contact us and let us know, we do not know you did not get it. The post office does not tell us when we mail our pictures out which ones will be lost! I so wish they would. 🤷

You said you don't retouch dogs. What can/will you do if someone buys your image and retouches it themselves?

If you buy the digital form in full resolution, you can pretty much do what you like with it. If you buy a print and try to scan and retouch it I doubt you will like the quality enough for me to even worry about it as you are now about four generations down the line and the quality of the end result will not be good.

I don't like my photos on the website and I don't want other people seeing them what can I do?

Call, text or email and ask that they be removed. Either give me the image numbers, or the breed and the win, day etc. As soon as I can that will be done for you as long as you are polite, and nice about it I have no reason not to remove it. Neither of us wants bad prints up there.

This seems to happen more with ringside candids. I put up ALL of the images I take due to a lot of reasons, not the least of which is it saves time on my end and gets them in front of you faster. As I said above I crop/color correct/etc. after an order takes place so if that is the issue know that it can/will change!

What is your biggest pet peeve about photos in advertisements?

The poor Photoshop!  OMG!! 🙄🤣 I saw a Pug with an eye on its ear. Hello?!? Someone paid for that? Why did they need to play with the eye in the first place. I have seen retouched top-lines that had to look worse than the original. The "fixed rear or fronts" that were the same come on people either pay someone to do it right or don't bother!!

When you get YOUR photo taken at a dog show what are the things you try to make sure you do?

I try to be polite, quick and on point. I let the photographer know if the dog is not trained (first point, first show, thank you) and I try to have the dog calm and ready to go. If one of my Mother's Foxhounds, I say no toys, if it is my whippets, I let them know if the ears matter to me on this dog. I know the photographer has a line, and other rings to get to, so I try and get it done, not wasting their time.  After the image is taken, I have begun to specifically ask for un-retouched. As I do not want my dog retouched and have gotten some seriously bad ones recently. I want to know if the dog is not set correctly, looks heavy, thin, if he is a young dog and is high in the rear, or needs more maturity, if he goes flat footed up there. All so I can work with my dog and correct it. Mainly this dog looked like this on this day. I need to know that for future litters, dogs and wins.

We are having a contest on Facebook! Once our page gets to 750 likes we will draw a winner for a $50 gift certificate!!!! You have to interact with this post to be entered! Good Luck!!!🤑🤑

Heart of America Cluster should be online or getting there by the end of the day today for your orders! Columbia, MO Kennel Club and the Clumber and Tibetan Spaniel Nationals at Purina Farms close this week, Onofrio is the Super. We are doing ringside candids! Contact us to reserve your time now! Reservation fee is non-refundable, but does apply to your purchase! 

We have this coming weekend off, but this is our year and month for trying new things!!! We will be at the ORCA FastCATS on March 21st and 22nd! Entries close on the 18th. Event discounts will apply! See us there!!!

Have questions? Ask them! Follow us on Facebook for more information. Interested in having us photograph your show? Contact us at either location!  We have updated our website! See our calendar to know where we will be next!