They may have short legs, but they definitely have big spirits and attitudes! I have always loved photographing these charming little dogs. Many people are surprised to hear that they are herding dogs. They can mix it up with the best of their larger peers though. The feisty one herding cattle is 10 year old Hella. She hails from California and recently participated in a workshop at Brigand’s HideOut in Washington.
This gorgeous red corgi is Betty, taking a break and watching her friend from the comfort of her mom’s lap.
Photographing dogs herding can often get quite complicated. The photographer often has to shoot over fences. You never have control of the light…..and there is certainly no control of where the animals are going or what they might do. I have found that the best technique is to choose my location and stick with it. My lens of choice is the Nikon 70-200 2.8mm VRII. It is the largest lens that I can handhold and when you are following action and shooting over fences, monopods are just impossible to use. Because I also participate in this sport, I often have general ideas of where the action will be, but there are often surprises! The final trick is to just shoot, shoot and then shoot some more! I usually have a general idea of what I am capturing, but it is always so much fun to view the images after I have downloaded them and find those special surprise shots.
Here is Vinnie, another little….er….I mean big Corgi practicing his duck herding on a sunny Sunday afternoon!
by DancingDogPhotography/Debbie Z Dunne
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