Trigger
Nov, 2014Views
279
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Outstanding
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 2Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at an Avalanche training for search and rescue dogs. I have been training search and rescue dogs for 10 years now and initially started mixing in my photography as a way to gather images that could be used in our K9 group's wilderness safety educations programs. But that eventually gave way to just trying to capture the joy these animals have in just doing their jobs, and partnership between the handlers and their K9s as well as a peak at the kind of work that goes into training up these working pups.Time
This photo was taken mid-afternoon on a beautiful February day. It was pretty close to 0 degrees F that day and I had to keep shoving my camera into my coat to keep it warm and working right.Lighting
The lightning in this photo was just a lucky happenstance. Since most of my shots are taken in the moment during training, I have to work with whatever the lighting happens to be at the time. This was one of those rare, magical days when the lighting is just perfect for what you are trying to shoot.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D60 and a polarized lens.Inspiration
The pup in the photo, Trigg, was not quite 1 at the time and this was his first season learning Avalanche searching. He was just so proud of himself after finding his subject, you couldn't help but smile just looking at him. I wanted to capture that moment.Editing
I did. I was playing around with the vignette feature and discovered you could lighten the edges as well as darken them. As I continued to play with the program it started to look like the pup was playing in the clouds, which was kind of a nice effect.In my camera bag
Mostly just my 70-300 zoom lens. Things move fast in dog training and I find this is the most versatile lens in my limited supply for the kind of shooting I do.Feedback
Get out with you subjects a lot. This shot wasn't planned. The lighting was just perfect at the right time to get it. The more you get out and shoot, the better you chances are at stumbling across that lucky accident when everything just falls together. Don't be afraid to get out in less than perfect weather. Sometimes the sunlight breaks through the rain clouds just right and you end up with something magical. As for taking pictures of search and rescue dogs, offer to hide for you local group's pups. Search and rescue handlers are always looking for people to hide for their dogs or help with training. Connect with a group in you area and you'll have lots of opportunities to shoot those happy, hero dogs while they practice for the very important work they do.
