PHOTOGRAPH INFO

This is the last photo in a series from the Westminster Kennel Club Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 11th and 12th.

A little background about the series:

The environment behind the scenes and on the floor of the Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden is close to chaotic. There are thousands of people and hundreds of dogs everywhere, walking into and around one another for over 12 hours on both days. It can be very hot and uncomfortable at times and people are often grouchy and miserable! But one of the many reasons I enjoy the show is that it offers an incredibly challenging environment to take photos.

Because my empathy rests with the dogs, I work hard to capture the show from the dog's point of view, which means a lot of bending, twisting, turning and sitting on the floor in the middle of all the mayhem. I've been kicked and pushed over and yelled at plenty of times for being in the way of handlers and spectators, and by security guards who don't want me sitting on the floor next to the ring.

None of the dogs have ever yelled at me, though. :)

The images from this series are all JPEG files straight from my camera, with very minimal processing and no cropping. All were shot with ambient light. My goal is for the images to be "photojournalistic" -- to tell the viewer a story about how the dogs might be thinking or feeling, using the composition to capture the rich details in the background and hopefully a connection to the humans' emotions as well.

If I ever decide to make books of my photos, one of them will be about my years at the WKC shows.

Camera settings and post-processing: Shot with the Canon EOS 5D and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens at 24mm, ISO 3200, f/3.2, 1/60s. Basic curves adjustment, color balancing.

Thanks for visiting Durham Township!

--Kathleen

Najciekawsze z ostatnio prezetowanych fotografii.
Very nice...

Awww...I LOVE that face! How could you resist!

I think you did an amazing job with the series as always.

I can imagine the chaos and the tension. It's not so different from kids sporting events. Your description reminds me of the chaos of going to Jon's gymnastic meets, except no one but coaches and athletes or authorized personnel are allowed on the floor. Parents have to jockey for positions at each event rotation to see their kids and it definitely gets testy sometimes.

I'm not a big dog fan (more of a cat person) but i love thise pictures! Especially the background and angle of this one.

A dog and his god....Zeus? Just how much crawling around on the floor was required in order turn the owner's head into a radiator? (is this women a riot or what?) Or could this have been a innocent eclipse of elements, like "The Bag Lady with the Head of a Dog" composition? (Now there's a nice book title for you.....or a National Inquirer headline.)
.....and that floor looks like it has been around the block a few times! (Another Gary Larson concept for you.)

And now, The Dog Show Journalism Criticism Address Dept. Another competent photographer-lady once pointed out, "photography can be a way of seeing and teaching how to see." So when a photographer "does her dog show thing," The focus/purpose is narrowed to seeing the event personally, "her way" ...including her sense of humor.

I can enjoy "technical," and I can enjoy "artistic. ("My personal subject preferences are landscape, landscape and, oh yeah, did I mention landscapes?) But like the Coast to Coast audience, we sometimes just relax and enjoy the ride. Even if the ride is going to the dogs. Or to put it another way (And, of course I will.) "sometimes a dog show is just a dog show," so relax and enjoy!

....and after years of being told "the show must go on." Kathleen puts a stop to it. Great ride, great finale! Arf, arf!

One thing that has struck me in this series is how much the owners do, in fact, look like their dogs! I know that is a cliche.

I admire your courage in getting down on the floor to take these photos, despite people who don't understand.

As a mother of a Mastiff myself (loving those dewlaps!) this image is my favorite among your series at Westminster... the circular ceiling is so well framed, it sets this image off in a most interesting way. Lovely, really lovely.

Thats one big dog - makes my miniature daschund seem small! Nice composition, I think it helps to show the dogs point of a view a little.

Love the halo over the man's head. Adds a very interesting element to the overall composition. Great shot!
DW

Did you take this one for us? Think of it... Gracie and Grant.

An interesting series. The only job better than being a photographer at the dog show would be running the fire hydrant concession. A spot where all the participants would want to visit.

I've really enjoyed your dog show series!! If you do make a book out of them, I'll be first in line to buy one. :)

The almost complete lack of noise in this series has just about convinced me to switch from my Nikon to a 5d!

Hi Kathleen!

Long time no see! You need to make it back to Pittsburgh. Actually, I will be in Philly in March (I'll drop you an email) Anyway, I love this! Mastiff's are such a beautiful breed.

Your work, as always, continues to impress me.

I'll be talking to you soon!

Best,

-Dean (a.k.a. photosuperstar)

:-)
Al Pacino and his dog. HAHA.
Great

al pacino with dog :)))