How To Shoot Dog Show Photos Part Four The Care and Feeding of Judges -- That person who is standing in the middle of the ring: Yes, the Power, and yes, the Glory...That person is not necessarily a young person, may have been standing on their feet for eight hours, give or take, often has had poor hospitality because the Clubs are overwhelmed and undermanned sometimes, and is getting paid, not very well, to Judge dogs, not take photos. Yes, that person. You care for that person. You pay attention to that person. It is their ring. It is their time. It is by their grace that you are allowed to go into the ring to do photos, so return the grace by attending to their needs. Is it sunny out? Is it hot? If so, consider doing a photo in the shade, where that Judge can have a moment of reprieve from the elements. We are all dog people, so use some of your dog sense to look at the Judge and evaluate how much they should be moved around to do the photo. When possible, have them abide in one place, move the exhibit. move the exhibitor, and do the Mohammad thing and bring the sign to them. Look at the ribbons. Exhibitors often thrust them out, wrinkled and upside down. Try to order them, right them, and hand them to the Judge with a Thank You! Especially if it is warm, shoot so the Judge is not looking directly into the sun. If it is windy, have them turn so their shoulder is towards the wind and have your exhibit face into the wind -- both glamorous, and protective of the Judge -- Better than that, if you have opportunity, particularly for the coated breeds, do them inside when you can arrange it. No one likes a Shih Tzu that looks like it has been combed with a blender. Around lunch time, that 11:30 to Noon rush, look at your schedule. Clubs often give the Judges 45 minutes for lunch or less. If the Judge is running long, and is into their break, arrange to meet a few minutes early when they get back before they start their next breed. If you are in the ring, with the exhibit and exhibitor, and the sign is set up, the Judge will be comfortable to come back from lunch, take the ribbons from your hand (Thank you!) and be in position. 30 seconds, tops. Have anyone else waiting for photos, standing by, ribbons in hand, ready to step in to do the next one. Breaks for the Judges are important: In any other job, they could have coffee breaks, potty breaks, just a sit - down. You want to make the certain that the look the Judge has in his/her eye is enjoyment of the wonderful animal they have found, and not desperation as to where the closest restroom is. You need to respect what it takes to become a Judge, and what it takes to be a Judge -- It is not a fun process and what they give us -- yes, GIVE us, is their experience. Honor this. Honor their choices. Make certain each and every photo you take will, within reason, make them proud they chose and posed. So, go into the ring, when you can. Make it painless, if you can. Make it happy. Say suggestions in the most positive tones and words, because any critical comment is a comment on the Judges choice and reasoning. Dont make the Judge work for you: You work for them. When you leave the ring, thank the Judge AND the Ring Steward for their time. One other thing: There are times when an exhibitor will capture the Judge with a long exposition about linage and previous wins. If you see your Judge start to glaze over, go over, pick up your sign, again thank the Judge and gently take the ribbons; hand them the the effervescent exhibitor with a Congratulations! which will give the Judge a door to leave through. It is up to the Judge to go through that door. End Part Four
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 02:16:45 +0000
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