PeggySue,
what I'm talking about here is the stuff Booth, Ashbey, Meyer do: ring or podium win shots. That's the business I'm in primarily and I do it by myself without any additional photographers. Covering 12 rings by yourself is existential, especially at 60 years of age!

The formal win shot is still the mainstay of the AKC Conformation ring and it's not going to change substantially in the short term. Do folks want other types of shots for advertising? Absolutely. We do the advertising for 6 dog clients and we're always trying to get great beauty shots, candids and, the elusive great moving shot.

What I'm talking about is not what to shoot but what to deliver. Since before Al Gore invented the internet , folks have received an 8X10 print for their win. If they wanted to advertise that win, they ordered another 8X10 and sent it to the publication. There was no internet or website. Publications couldn't use files. Everybody was happy. Especially the photographers because they were getting extra print orders.

Then about 10 years ago, things started to change. The internet bred websites and over time everyone needed to have one. Magazine advertising went digital and instead of prints they wanted hi rez files. Computers started to enter every home and along with the computer came scanners. Suddenly, folks had the ability to make their own web files and advertising files. And, since nobody told them they couldn't, they did. And still do.

So now we suddenly come out from behind our digital cameras and tell them that when they buy our prints they haven't bought the right to scan them for web or ads and they think we're the thieves. "What do you mean I can't do what I've been doing for the past 5 years?"

Or, as I just explained to a very good client of mine, I can be absolutely correct and still lose her business. Since keeping her business is my objective, I'm looking for a better win/win scenario. And that may mean a different primary product.

As for the "gang bang" approach to photographing dog shows, that's how they do it in California and if the quality of the images is any measure of its success, it's not working. In theory, it could work. I might be great at shooting Rotties and Julie great at shooting Whippets and the owners of each breed could pick the best photographer for their particular breed. But from a practical business perspective, why would I spend a weekend competing for business I might or might not get? Besides the business of getting dog show contracts depends on graft and corruption and that is not likely to change in the near term.

I've just completed a mini-survey about this issue with some good clients and was reminded that in Canada, they proof, print and deliver a CD right at the shows. They charge $45 American for their product and they essentially deliver images right out of the camera but a lot of folks think it's the way to go. I'm not so sure.

Jim