2023 Photography Year in Review: dog sports photography, portraits, and more
2023 was the year I got started in dog sport photography, and I am never looking back! Capturing these memories for pet parents is such an honor. Not only do I get to see dogs having fun, but I also get an inside look at every dog and human’s relationship and what makes that relationship special.
Of course, one of my favorite parts of dog sport photography is seeing the dogs’ personalities shine! I get to capture a lot of funny faces as the dogs run Fast CAT:
But it wasn’t all Fast CAT! In my first year as a dog sports photographer, I also had several opportunities to photograph barn hunt. Barn hunt is one of my favorite sports to do with my own dogs, so photographing these events was extra special. These events may be slower paced than Fast CAT, but dog sports photography is never boring:
Dock diving might actually be one of my favorite sports to photograph. The intensity and thrill of a dog jumping off a dock is a sight to behold, and capturing it is definitely one of my favorite things to do. It’s a lot of hours on my feet (maybe I’ll get a tall chair in 2024, haha) but it’s never boring, so I don’t even notice the sore feet!
It might seem like a disappointment when it rains during a dog sporting event, but it’s actually a great photography opportunity! Sometimes sports photos can feel a little redundant, so when the weather looks a little rough or there’s a slower moment in the event, I like to go up front to the registration table to photograph the canine participants:
2023 wasn’t just dog sports photography though. I had a lot of fun private sessions as well. Private sessions are all about capturing the intimate bonds dogs have with their owners, as well as show dogs’ true personalities. It is such an honor to get to know each dog I photograph on a deeper level.
My photography isn’t all dog photography! Although my professional photography is centered around dogs, I also have a few subjects that I capture for the joy of photography. I love wildlife and landscape photography and have enjoyed learning more and practicing these subjects in my personal work. 2023 brought some of those subjects as well, pretty much entirely in National Parks (another great love of mine!)
And finally, I can’t forget my own dogs! Sometimes I prioritize my professional work a little too much and neglect to take photos of my own dogs. But these are the dogs I live with, work with, and love on a daily basis and a deeper level than any others. 2023 was the year Starsky died, the year I fostered Thor, and the year Annabeth joined the pack, so there were a lot of changes and shifts in dynamic that I wanted to capture. Here are a few favorites of my own dogs in 2023:
All in all, a successful and exciting year for my photography! I was even able to focus on photography 100% of the time during the summer, when dog sports photography was my only job. It was a busy year in photography, and I could not be happier with the personal, professional, and artistic progress I made!
