Rookie Mistake

*WARNING* Contains Graphic Material

The past week has not been on the highlights of puppy ownership. The whole story actually starts a couple weeks ago. Little pup had been having on and off diarrhea. Last weekend, it seemed to get a little worse, so we were keeping a close eye on him. He had one accident in his crate that I’m guessing not event the best of us could have avoided, after being locked up for several hours that day. The following day, things seemed to be getting better so we weren’t too worried.

That brings us to Monday. Trusting that we had everything figured out, we put his normal bed back in the crate with a false sense of security in his bowel fortitude. Arriving home Monday afternoon, I was greeted with a frantic pup who had, well, sprayed a fine mess all over and even out of the crate. The next hour and a half did not find me in the best of moods as I cleaned, shampooed and bathed.

At this point, I was also worried that something may actually be wrong with the pup, so I called Catherine, my breeder, to see if she had any suggestions for solving this problem. I also called the vet to get some advice from them. They didn’t have any immediate appointments available, but both calls left me with the same takeaway. Switch Ross’ diet to bland chicken and rice, and put him on a probiotic to help his gut.

Tuesday on the way home from work, I stopped at Petsmart to buy a bag of the Purina Pro Plan grain free chicken and rice dog food. While there, I also let my daughter pick out a new toy for Ross, as he had accidentally desecrated his last stuffed Kong bear. We came across a stuffed duck toy, and remembering how much Corbin loved his first duck toy, we choose that as the replacement.

That night pup ate his partial meal of new kibble with pleasure, as he would probably do with any food. After all, his diet had been pretty limited over the past couple days. We also gave him his new toy, hoping to take his mind off of the limited quantity of dinner. Of course he enjoyed a new toy, but someone else had their eye on it as well. Soon, the new duck toy was being chased and chewed by both dogs, and as to be expected ripped open rather quickly. Once I had noticed that the seams were open, I confiscated it, and sent them on their way.

The broken duck toy sat out of range for a couple nights but I saw Corbin eyeing it on Thursday evening, so I figured I would give them another round of play to see what would happen. The game of chase and keep away resumed as if it had never been stopped, and I quickly watched as more of the duck toys innards became exposed. Realizing this was not going to end well, the game was over almost as quickly as it began, and once again, the toy was placed safely out of range.

On Friday morning, I get a frantic call from my wife saying that the puppy has thrown up, and is in obvious discomfort. Worrying that he had ingested something in the yard, I figured we would watch him and see if things got better before worrying too much. I came home at lunch to check on him, and he seemed to be feeling a little better, so I gave him a few pieces of food, and he drank a little water. He was still only 50% of his normal happy-go-lucky self, so I brought him to the office for the afternoon to continue to monitor the situation. Things progressed as the day went on, and he ate a more food, and continued to drink water. That evening, he was even up for some fetch with a ball in the back yard.

I had been monitoring his stool closely to see if anything changed in his constitution, and for the most part, things were normal. He had not thrown up any more, so his dinner was 75% of his normal intake, which he cheerfully scarfed down. At one point early in the evening, he passed some stuffing from the duck. I figured that could have possibly made him sick, but it wasn’t a substantial amount. That night as he made his way out for one last pre-bed trip, I noticed he was once again in full on kennel point, and seemed to be struggling. After a couple location changes, something finally po(o)pped out. I figured I should probably inspect, so I grabbed a headlamp, and a garden trowel and began the search. I was honestly very surprised to find what I excavated. It was a rather large plastic bubble, well at least it was large taking into consideration the size of the dog it came out of. After a few moments of wonder, it came to me. He had ingested the squeaker from the duck. How he got to that in the limited time of play, I have no clue, but he had.

It was obvious that there was an instant wave of relief over that little dog. Now, I knew why. To say I am peeved would be an understatement. I usually don’t buy dog toys that contain a squeaker and when I had in the past, Corbin would find it and carefully remove it only to leave it lying around. Lesson learned. Needless to say, I will be contacting PetSmart and the toy manufacturer to make them aware that there is no reason to sell dog toys that contain elements that could be harmful to a dog. Be careful. Make sure you do your homework and know what you are buying. I won’t get fooled again.

Special Greenback Boogie

I know I am a few weeks late on this post, but I wanted to formally introduce you to the newest member of the Sport Dog Photo family. Meet RiversWild Special Greenback Boogie, call name Ross. Ross is a Miley x Jax puppy, and was part of a 10 puppy litter. He was one of 3 chocolate males.

From the moment he could move on his own, he was a lively little soul. Even today, he is a bold energetic pup. I know I have my work cut out on this one. I have big hopes for this little guy.

2017 GSEM Gun Dog Chalenge

In the months leading up to the first Gun Dog Challenge of the year, there isn’t a whole lot of time to think about photography. When you are the one responsible for making the show happen, there are a lot of factors to think about other than pictures of the event. Still, I find that good images are the best marketing tool for any event, so I do make an effort to grab a few while the event is going on. It also allows me to walk the field and see how things are going.

On March 18, the Greater Southeast MI chapter of RGS held its annual Gun Dog Challenge. It was a slick snowy wet morning, but the show must go on. Despite having to make several changes to the schedule, we pushed through and made it happen. Given the juggling of the morning schedule, I was not able to grab too many images. I did try to get some video, and now I need to figure out what to do with it. I can shoot video, but I really am pretty dumb at editing it.

The weather cleared by afternoon, and I was able to be in the field a little more. By the end of the day, spirits were up, and it appeared that everyone had a great time.

Because this is “my” event, all digital images are just $5. And, all money made from this event will go back into the Gun Dog Challenge coffers to help make these events possible. Don’t be shy…

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The Film Project Part 1

What started as a “hey can you test out this film camera I just bought” a few months ago, as turned into a new hobby/experiment in my photography venture. After putting a roll through that Olympus SLR, I was immediately drawn back in to the world that got me started. I could list pages of reasons why digital imaging is so much better than film, but there is something pure about shooting a completely manual camera, and not having the luxury of instant gratification.

This post is part 1 because it would take way too long to do this in one post. Some of this series will be just my verbal processing of what I have (re)learned, and some parts will be my thoughts on digital vs. film photography in general.

For this test shoot, I was using the Olympus OM-2. This was my first time shooting an Olympus camera, and it was like no other camera I have shot. The shutter speed, aperture, and focus were all on the lens. It was actually quite difficult to manage all three of those things on a small 50mm lens. It also forced me to mentally recollect my manual stop numbers. I will admit, that I have gotten lazy in the past few years.

I think these fundamentals are good for any photographer to know, but digital cameras make it way too easy for us to just spin dials till we get the right exposure. This aspect in itself is part of the reason that I have decided to keep shooting film. Mental sharpness behind the lens. I have told many people that if they really want to get into photography, they need to learn the basics. In fact, I personally don’t think you can call yourself a photographer and not know them. The exposure triangle, as it is known, is the very foundation for getting the proper shot. I will expound on this later. Back to the subject at hand.

It was a fun and challenging process, but I was fairly pleased with the results. I did not post process any of these shots. They are only scanned to digital. This will be be the case for every post in this series.

A Fresh Start

Well, it has been a long time coming, but it had to happen. It’s time for a fresh start.

On March 10, 2012, I purchased the domain www.sportdogphoto.com. I knew absolutely zero about websites, and was relying on the experience of a couple good friends to get me started. Being that I had no clue what I was doing, and that there was going to be a learning curve to building a website, it was decided at the time to build the site under a sub domain, and then transfer it to the primary once I had everything in place. I’m sure that some of you noticed that when you went to my site, the domain was newsite.sportdogphoto.com.

As time passed and I took longer than expected to get everything set, I began to build pretty good search ratings on the “temporary” domain. Even when I had things at a comfortable place, I wasn’t sure how to move my content over to the proper domain. Ergo 2017. 5 years is enough and it was now time to make this happen. I decided that since I was going to have to basically rebuild my site at the new domain, that I might as well give it a fresh look while I am at it.

And, here we are. I like simplicity and ease of use. I try not to over infosize(yeah, just made that up) my visitors, and let them get to the places they want to go. I hope that this new site provides the necessary content that people are looking for, while still engaging new visitors.

So, whats new? Well, not a whole lot is exactly new. I have fresh home page that while similar to the old, has a cleaner menu and allows the viewer to browse the images uninhibited by the menu or content. I am constantly building my collection of images available for stock commercial and editorial use. I have so many images on so many drives, it will take some time to go through them all and get them loaded on the server. I will also be adding new images as I go.

I am also hoping to be a little better at keeping this blog stocked with fresh content. What that will be, I haven’t quite decided yet. Leave a comment below, and let me know if there are any subjects you would like to read about. I am thinking besides covering events, I may also cover some general photography tips, thoughts, and occasional rants.

All in all, this is the right step to be taking. I hope you will continue to help make Sport Dog Photography the go to service for all your dog, hunting, and outdoor photography needs.

2015 Year End Review for Sport Dog Photo

It really has been a great year for Sport Dog Photography. There are still many things that I would like to be doing to further my business, but this year has brought me many growth opportunities. The intent of this post isn’t to bore you with wordy details, rather to highlight some of the things that have taken place in 2015. I was fortunate to be able to expand into some new areas this year, and also was able to see many familiar faces, as well. If you take the time to read to the end, there is even a little surprise that most of you don’t know about….But you’ll just have to keep reading to find out.

Probably the biggest achievement for me was making my business official. In January, I filed for my LLC. I had been putting it off for a while, as I had been running the business through an older company. Now, the photo business is officially Sport Dog Photography LLC. Nothing really changes for most of my clients, but it makes things easier for me, and adds a layer of protection.

The spring started off pretty typical with a few RGS events. It is always fun to get out int he field with old friends, and make a few new ones along the way.

Toward the middle of 2014, I was asked to shoot the 2015 Michigan Sporting Clays Championship, by Michigan Shooting Centers. It was great to be able to see some of the pros doing their thing on the course. It is hard to be creative when watching basically the same thing over and over, but those are the situations that make you better, and keep you thinking. I would love to pick up a few more events like this, in the future.

As fall approached, I had lined up a few different hunts, including my first waterfowl hunt. While grouse and upland hunting are what I love to do, I am also equally drawn to the duck blind. The nature of duck hunting lends to certain challenges for a photographer, but I welcome them all, and adjusted as needed.

Of course there is there is grouse season. And, while I may not get to hunt as much as I would like, I consider each step into the woods a blessing, and whether I am carrying the gun or the camera, I am creating memories.

This year was the first time that I decided to publish a calendar. I have toyed with the idea in the past, but wasn’t really sure who would want it. I created one this year primarily as a “thank-you” for some of my clients. I then put the remaining prints online for sale. To my surprise, I sold out in about a week. I have more in stock now, so if you are reading this and want one, I still have a few left. Below are some of the images in the 2016 SDP Calendar. Follow the link to purchase one for yourself.

And now, if you have been looking through this post only looking forward to this big secret project, well here it is. Since I started doing photography professionally, I have always told people that I don’t shoot wedding or babies. Well that still holds true for the most part. I prefer shooting events, dogs, and hunting. It’s what I feel I am good at, and what I have chosen to focus on. I was approached by a friend early in the year wondering if I would be willing to shoot her wedding. I said no, and gave them some options of other photographers that I feel do an excellent job of capturing weddings. Apparently she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and eventually I agreed to take on the task. As I said up front, I think it is important to try new things as a photographer. It keeps your mind fresh, and makes you think beyond what your are comfortable with. So, that being said, I did it! They were looking for a photojournalistic style of coverage, and I felt that I could provide that. I will admit, when it come to posed shots, I struggled, but the rest fo the weekend felt pretty natural. I was honored to be a part of their special day.

Am I a wedding photographer now? NO. Would I do it again given the right circumstance? Maybe. Was I pleased with the outcome? Yes. So, you be the judge, or better yet, keep your negative comments to yourself…just kidding…sort of.

Ehde Wedding Photo Highlights

Thanks for taking a look at my year end review. I look forward to seeing many of you again in the coming year. I have a couple things already lined up for 2016, so if you are thinking of booking and event or shoot, please contact me soon. I am hoping for an even better 2016.

The Fast and Furless – Product Review

Not something I normally do here on the SDP blog, but this product left quite an impression on me, and I felt it needed to be shared with the masses.

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, we visited the Dog Bowl held in Frankenmuth, MI. There were lots of cool dog related activities happening there, as well as a select number of vendors with their booths set up. Normally, you just glance by the vendor booths, but one stood out. It was a simple display, but the product made it’s own impression. The Fast and Furless tool seemed like one of those “as seen on tv” type of things. You know the kind, something you buy because it looks cool, use twice, it brakes, and then you never use it again type of things. We stopped and talked to the couple who invented the tool. After a short conversation and a demonstration, we went along our way. As we walked around, I felt compelled to walk by one more time. On our way out of the event, we swung by their booth. Being that they are a Michigan small business, I decided to pick one up.

After getting home, I put the tool together with the short brush kit. It comes with a short hair set, and a medium hair set. The “special” dog isn’t exactly a short-haired model, but e isn’t sporting a shag, either. Being that the weather hadn’t warmed up too much in the year yet, he wasn’t in his full summer shed. The tool still did its job, removing a great deal of the dense undercoat.

Fast forward to today, and the heat is on. We were out in the back yard and I decided it was time for the dog to get a bath. He has been shedding something fierce the past couple weeks. I always brush him out the best I can before a bath, so I can achieve a better clean. I went to grab the drill with the tool on it only to find that both of my batteries were dead. I proceeded to us a brush to prep the dog for his bath. I removed a considerable amount of hair, that otherwise would have found its way to our floors. After his bath, and after some time drying, I had a charged battery for the drill. Running the Fast and Furless through his coat, it was still able to rake out quite a bit of fur.

: All Rights Reserved Copyright David Veldman 2015

: All Rights Reserved Copyright David Veldman 2015

In my opinion, if you are looking to replace your “furminator”, this is the tool. It is made of a special high grade plastic, and the ends are not sharp, so it is much safer for your dog. It works pretty fast, and does a really good job of pulling out the undercoat fur. Keep you drill batteries charged, and this tool will make quick work of that annoying summer shed.

New Puppy in the Sport Dog Family

If you follow my Facebook page, you probably have seen that there is a new puppy in the Sport Dog family. My brother-in-law brought home the latest edition on Friday. Unofficially at this point, he will be registered as “Fair’s Lost in D’Nile” call name “Moses”. They picked out the name Moses, I coined the registered name. We shall see if it sticks. Yesterday, I was able to get some formal shots of the little guy.

I am looking forward to seeing how this little guy turns out as a duck dog. We will be getting him started early and get lots of practical training in. But for now, he just needs to learn how to sleep through the night.

If you have plans to bring home your newest family member, or have a new puppy that you would like shots of, please contact me. It is always fun to capture the unexpected moments of young dog just getting its legs.

Important Changes for Sport Dog Photography

If you are not signed up to receive emails from Sport Dog Photo, here is the latest with some important information that you might be interested in.

Hi everyone-

Hope this email doesn’t find you going too crazy from this long cold February. A lot has been going on behind the scenes here, even though not much has been happing in the field, lately.

First off, if you haven’t heard, I have officially incorporated Sport Dog Photography LLC. It was a long time coming, but needed to happen. It really doesn’t affect too many people, but just less confusing than running everything through my old company.

Also, over the past couple years, I have been using a 3rd party website to sell images online. While it is convenient, and has quite a few options, it is not cheap. Between paying for the service, and the fees they charge, I came to realize it was costing me almost 50% of sales. I have also found some great partner labs that I now work with directly. They provide outstanding quality and great customer service. I also get much better pricing through them, which in turn allows me to adjust some of my pricing options. This brings me to the part that may benefit many of you. I will be closing down the 3rd party website by the middle of May. This means that all of the albums that I have made available over the past 3 years will be going away permanently. The benefit? I will be offering ALL images from events over the past 3 years at a substantial discount through the middle of May. Sure, it will mean a hit to me, but I wanted everyone to have a chance to grab any images that you may have previously put off purchasing. There are no codes or coupons. All prices are already cut. Many by as much as 50%.

Looking forward, I will be transitioning to new software built into my main website to display and sell images. This will allow me greater freedom to take care of the processing myself, and ensure higher quality, and a better customer experience. That being said, most of the old albums will no longer be available after May 20, 2015. Sure, I still have all those images locked away on hard drives, but there are over 12,000 images on the old site, and I just can’t get all those transferred over efficiently. I will probably post a couple of the more recent events, and will be putting all new events on the new platform.

I cannot thank all of you enough for the support of this venture over the past 3 years. I purchased the domain “www.sportdogphoto.com” on March 10, 2012. Since then, I have had the great pleasure of meeting so many of you, and getting to know your pets. I look forward to many more years of being able to serve you in various capacities.

Here are some links to help you get started. RGS Events HRC Events NSTRA Events ALPA Events UAD Events BDC Events There are a few more albums on there, including any private albums that you may have. All private albums will also be taken offline. Again, I do still have all of the images on file, they will just not be readily available after May.

Also, I just want to let you know that I am already booking events for this spring and summer. I only have a limited number of weekend dates available, so if you have an event coming up that you would like me to shoot, please contact me soon. I am looking forward to some new shooting experiences this year, and hopefully I can add a few more. If you would like to book a portrait shoot or private hunt shoot, I also have dates available for those as well. Just contact me and we can discuss the details.

Again, thank you to all of you for the huge support.

Dave

Pulling the Wool – Border Collies Working

Normally when someone wants shots taken of their dog(s), they are looking for your standard portrait, or a dog on point or some other creative pose. The reality is, most of my contacts are hunting dogs, and people want to remember their dog doing what it does best.

A couple weeks ago, I was privileged to be able to shoot a few border collies at work. These dogs live to herd sheep. If you have one, and don’t let it work out its natural abilities, you are doing yourself and the dog an injustice.

When I was approached about this shoot, I really could not wait to just go witness these dogs at work. Even had I not been able to photograph it, I still would have gladly made the trip to watch non-hunting breeds doing what they love to do. The first dog I got to watch was named Emmy. She is a ball of energy and she loves those sheep. She would barely approach me when I met her at her home, but once she saw me in the pasture, she decided I was alright.

It really was amazing to see a dog so dedicated to its craft, that it would barely take its eyes off of the sheep even for a moment. Even when taking a break, you could tell that she just wanted to get back to herding those sheep.

Well, it turned out that Emmy has a littermate sister that likes to work sheep as well, and with her came her brother and older sister who also wanted their time in front of the camera to show off their skills. I was more than willing to stay in the field and watch each dog put on their display of talent. First up was Wren. With the same energy as her sister, she immediately took command of the flock.

Next Moss hit the field. He immediatly made wide sweep along the border of the field to “sneak” up on the sheep. He is an incredibly intense dog, and kept his purposeful low stance the entire time.

Finally there was Abby. She is an older dog that moves a touch slower, but when she works the field, you would never know her age. She was the friendly one, and even came back to walk with me out of the field when we were finished.

This truly was quite the experience. I really hope I get the chance to go back and see it again. On a side note, it was humorous to watch all the cars along 119 pull off the road and get out and watch as each do worked the flock. I really can’t blame them, though.

Author: daveldman8@gmail.com

About daveldman8@gmail.com