54 NEBRASKAland • NOVEMBER 2018
Dogged Work
T
here is no better time to work than when a dog
wants to play. This was the case when making
photos of Todd Mills's Labrador retriever, Hope,
following a waterfowl hunt last season.
The first rule of dog photography is to lower
yourself to the dog's eye-level. The second rule is to
keep clicking until your cards run out of memory.
Rarely will dogs run out of patience before you do,
which makes them so much better than human models,
who start to stare at you a bit funny when you ask them
to walk up and down a trail for the fifth time. "Make
sure you're smiling," you'll add.
A dog doesn't need to smile for you to know she's
happy.
The shoot is a constant switch of shutter speeds and
focal distance, trying to capture all the movement and
intensity inherent in any good hunting dog. But you
don't want too much movement or too much intensity;
you also want to stop water droplets exploding in all
directions.
The great part about a shoot like this is that it's never
perfect. There is always just a bit more – or less –
movement than I want.
But this imperfection is a good reason to once again
head for the duck blind with a hunting buddy with an
enthusiastic, photogenic, and patient dog/model.
Good thing is the model is hoping for the same
thing. ■
Jeff Kurrus
October 1, 2018
