Starting last Thursday, the Louisville Cluster of Dog Shows was held in Louisville, KY. These are the largest Cluster of All-Breed Dog Shows in the country ranging in size from 2,800 entries to over 3,500. A typical local show on a typical weekend may draw an entry of up to 1,000 dogs.
We headed up to Louisville on Wednesday with 3 generations of Rotties in the van: grandpa Rowdy, daughter Cassidy and Cassidy's daughter, Juneau. Juneau is going to our National Specialty with her handler and co-owner Kimm McDowell and we were also bringing along Cassidy who just went into heat and we were looking at a potential "husband" for her second and last breeding. Rowdy came along because these shows -- unlike most All Breed Shows -- offer a Veterans Class.
As a photographer, I've always dreaded these shows held at the Louisville Fairgrounds and Expo Center because the lighting is terrible for candids. It's dim. It's flat so there is very little contrast. And I tend to shoot primarily black dogs and try to get moving shots of them which requires high ISOs and wide apertures.
On Thursday, I fine-tuned my settings and found that with my Canon 135mm F2.0L, I needed ISO 3,200 at F2.0 to get fast enough shutter speeds to freeze the movement. And, even at that, initial focus acquisition was difficult because of the low contrast. Also shooting candids were Chuck Currey and Tom Weigand, both shooting Nikon D300s. I compared notes with them and found that we were having the same difficulties and the same settings. Here are a few samples of the shots I was able to get.
First, a shot of Michelle McDowell showing her English Setter in Junior Handler competition. Settings: F2.0 @ 1/1000 sec.
Next, a picture of Kimm McDowell showing a Cavalier puppy. Settings: F2.0 @ 1/1000 sec.
A head shot of Ceaser being shown in Rottie competition. Settings: F2.0 @ 1/90 at ISO 1600. Focus point is the left eye.
And lastly, a moving shot of Ceaser's dad, Ch Ringsides Odin V Rueger showing in Best Of Breed competition. Settings: F2.0 @ 1/500 sec. at ISO 3200.
I love that tongue
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Tough conditions but some decent shots under the circumstances. Indoor candids are very difficult because the lighting is always a challenge as is finding the right place to stand to shoot the dogs. After all is said and done, you can only get what the situation gives you. Having said that, these are great shows. For more on Rowdy's time in Louisville, check in to my next post.
Jim
