Kim,
I do dog show photography as a job and not a hobby. I've done Agility as well as Conformation and have found that shooting dog sports is a very special skill with increasingly sophisticated delivery systems. Talk to David Ramey about that. He's a member of this forum and one of the top Dog Sport Photographers in the Country.

My segment has been Conformation and shooting show formals at shows as well as candids at shows where I'm not the Official Photographer. I've found that you just can't do both well at the same event.

A typical show weekend will have me shooting 400-600 wins with 2-3 proofs per setup. I shoot the classes mainly in the rings; the Groups mainly at a formal podium with studio lighting. Kinda like Westminster which is shot by John Ashby.

I then mail out the proofs with order forms, get the orders and fulfill them through an outside lab. When I'm not shooting shows, I photograph pets both in my studio and in their homes. Sometimes inside and sometimes outside depending on the dog and the feeling the owner wants. These are formal portraits regardless of where I shoot them.

A side business of ours is the publishing of The Rottweiler Magazine which is Linda's main business but I manage the financial/marketing part of it and contribute a lot of images. Since a lot of what I do ends up getting used in advertising, we've developed an advertising LOB (line of business) which currently has 5 main clients on annual contracts for weekly advertising development and placement.

Since we are both "self-employed" our businesses must generate enough income to cover our expenses which is why we continue to look closely at the viability of each venture we enter into. Income potential and profitability are as important to me as the artistic merit of what I do. Of course, I love photography and I love dogs so the actual work is pretty rewarding. But if it wasn't making enough money, I'd have to focus my energies elsewhere.

Good luck with your photography and continued success with your candids. You certainly have the skill to make it work.

Jim