As if photographing moving dogs isn’t difficult enough, try photographing moving dogs that are flying through the air!!  This has got to be one of the most challenging things I have ever photographed!  The photos above and below are from the 2011 National Dog Show Presented by Purina.  They are nothing to brag about, but I am posting them to show some of the highlights of what you will see at The National Dog Show.  Lourdes Edlin and her amazing dogs were on hand last year to entertain the crowd with the dogs flying through the air to catch frisbees.  To say that photographing the action was a challenge is an understatement as it was difficult to anticipate in advance where the dogs would be in the air – especially with a long zoom.  It sure was fun photographing them and watching them perform!

Last year was the first time I had an opportunity to be on the show floor duing the Groups and Best in Show judging at The National Dog Show Presented by Purina.  It was awesome!  What I quickly learned, however, was that the ideal set up would be to have two cameras – one with a long zoom and the other with a shorter focal length lens.  I used my 70-200mm lens for the show and at times it wasn’t long enough and at other times it was too long, depending on where dog and handler happened to be.  The action was fast & furious when they were moving around the ring.  Here’s a shot where I could have used a longer lens …. who doesn’t love a big old hug from a Komondor?  I am following up the original shot with a cropped version of the same image [see below].