How The Professionals Do It

There wasn't a professional photographer at the Lure Coursing Trial yesterday and, since I had brought the camera to shoot Moxie and Ike's run, I did take some pics of the real professionals doing their thing. Compared to these guys, the Rotties looked like they were moving in slow-motion . Anyhow, with due apologies to Julie Poole who really does know how to shoot these types of events, here are some of my favorite shots from yesterday's event.















And my favorite to show the sheer joy of running fast as the wind.



Enjoy!

Jim

Jim, these are wonderful. There is something so grand about watching our canine crittes running full out. Thanks for posting.

Wow, those are great! Love the muscles in the third one!

Thanks Jim. It was great fun to watch the difference between the almost delicate Salukis and the muscular Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Both run fast but the Salukis float and with the Ridgebacks, it's all about pure power. I really enjoyed shooting this event albeit as simply a competitor.

Jim

I hope to shoot coursing at Whippet Nationals next year. I talked to the performance chair and she seemed open to the idea of one contract for all performance events.

Hey Jim,

These are really cool. I would like to go to some of these events. They look like a ton of fun.

James

James, they are fun! And the show chair just saw my photos and has invited me to shoot their next few Trials so I'll be having more fun. Let me check where and when there will be Lure Coursing in your area. Down here, they won't really start in again until the Fall when it cools down. But in your neck of the woods, they pretty much run them all year. I'll send you some information.

Jim

Those are awesome! Fun wasn't it? Makes you want to get a sighthound to play sighthound games

Those are gorgeous. Love them all, especially the little terrier.

Julie, yes it really is a lot of fun but if you don't have a sound dog or one that is in really good condition, I wouldn't run it. Both of the kids are young, supple, strong and flexible. I'd never run Sundance even though he'd love it. I just can't see 130 lbs. of Rottie making those cuts.

Diana, that black and white dog is actually a Basenji which is a Sight Hound. In the CAT, 6 Parson Russell Terriers ran and they are totally crazy-fast. Also two Kerry Blue Terriers and they have incredible drive as well. Any dog with very high prey/play drive would do well in the CAT but there is no question that the Sight Hounds have both the drive and the physiology to do what they were bred to do. And it's awesome to watch them fly.

Jim

These are amazing shots and I love the Saluki.

Thanks Sue. I love all dog events but watching Sight Hounds doing what they were bred to do is truly awesome. More trials coming up in September and October. Hope to complete Moxie's CA before she starts back up in Conformation.

Jim

Great photos, Jim. I have been involved in dog trials for almost 20 years. Obedience, conformation, agility, flyball, but never luring. That looks like so much fun! I'll have to start looking for some local trials to attend.

The beauty of those dogs in full extension... WOW! Thanks for sharing.

Doug

Doug,
absolutely one of the most fun things to do both from a participation standpoint and from a photography standpoint. For a bunch of the shots, the layout allowed me to lay on my belly to catch them coming at me 3/4. I love that perspective. Of course, as I was laying there, Moxie was licking my ears so I did have a bit of distraction . Here's an example of how a Rottie does it. Not nearly as elegant but plenty of attitude .



If you get a chance to watch/shoot a coursing event, I highly recommend it.

Jim