SHOOT THE DOG™: Dogs doing what dogs do

Most dog photography is of dogs in “pet” mode.  The photographer is using a relatively short lens and is interacting directly with the dog while shooting, often keeping the dog’s attention by waving a yummy treat in front of his face.  This results in a photo with the dog looking towards the camera with total love and devotion, eyes large and tongue lolling as he tries to figure out what cute thing he needs to do to be rewarded with the bait.  This is the dog in total pet mode, which is the only way many people ever see their dog.

There’s another way to photograph dogs.  Under the veneer of domestication is the original canine beast, with its instincts and desires largely intact but suppressed when interacting with people.  Releasing and photographing that inner dog is often no harder than putting a long lens on the camera, taking off the leash, and shooting whatever happens.  This is the kind of photography that I really enjoy.

I live on the west coast and frequently take advantage of a beautiful beach as a shoot location.  Most dogs love to run, but none more than whippets.  They are lean, mean running machines, with long legs, well-muscled thighs, the leanest possible body, and everything streamlined from nose to the tip of the tail.  Take off the leash, give them room to run, and the show can be spectacular.

This is once again the lovely whippet Chanel, whom I have photographed many times.   She’s one of my favorite subjects because, despite being a top-ranked show dog, her inner canine soul is very much intact and wonderful fun to photograph.  We had her one afternoon on a beach in Southern California shooting some posed photos for her show career, and when we were done let her play on the beach until well after sundown.  She could have taken off down the beach and been hopelessly out of sight in minutes (a real danger with most sighthounds), but she’s as loyal as a retriever and ran up and down the beach at top speed in front of us until all she could do was collapse on the cold sand with a huge smile of satisfaction on her face.

I got many wonderful shoots from that shoot, but this one to me is the essence of whippet.  Sprinting flat out with all her energy, mental and physical, directed intensely forward, she is still the picture of grace and effortless elegance.  It’s breathtaking to watch.  It’s a whippet being a whippet.

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