Man’s best friend as documented by the world’s top dog photographers

The Kennel Club announces winners of their annual Dog Photographer competition.

By Jeanette D. Moses | Published Jul 27, 2018 7:47 PM EDT

News

Older dog in the woods — 1st Place and Overall Winner: Noa, Great Dane. Monica van der Maden

Dogs are the best. These furry creatures are wonderful to be around and endlessly fun to photograph. We’re guessing the photographers that entered the 13th annual Kennel Club Photography Competition would agree.

“Good dog photographers know their subject well and take their time in getting a great photograph,” says Heidi Hudson, who oversees the annual competition. “Dog photography is mostly about patience—waiting for the right moment to visually capture the personality of the dog.”

This year’s competition saw nearly 10,000 entries from 70 different countries. Monica van der Maden of the Netherlands took home the top prize for an image featuring a senior great dane named Noa. It’s the first time that an image in the ‘Oldies’ category has topped the competition.

“I always try to capture the image of a dog in a way that you can see the emotion in their eyes,” van der Maden says of her winning image. “When I took this picture in the forest early one morning, Noa looked at her owner and you could feel the love between them.”

Van der Maden has been professionally photographing dogs for the last decade.

Elke Vogelsang, a German dog photographer and VIP Judge for this year’s competition, says that the judges were interested in images with high technical quality that also portrayed an emotional component that hopefully tells an interesting story.

“To me the best shots are of a candid nature that show the natural behaviour of the dog,” she says. “It’s important to be able to communicate with dogs, motivate them, make them feel at ease and be willing to play.”

Her tips for anyone just starting out: volunteer to take portraits at a local shelter or animal rescue to get to know the personalities of dogs and learn your equipment inside and out. If you’re fiddling with your camera setting you’re likely to miss those candid moments.

Assistance dogs

German Shepard assistance dog — 1st Place: Rocko, German Shepherd *Dean Mortimer*

assistance golden retriever — 2nd Place: Messi, Golden Retriever *Maria Cristina Nadalin*

police assistance dog — 3rd Place: Delta, White Swiss Shepherd *Craig Turner-Bullock*

Dogs at play

Pomeranian playing with bubble — 1st Place: Lili, Pomeranian *Elinor Roizman*

small dog jumping — 2nd Place: Heidi, Merle Chihuahua *Steffi Cousins*

three dogs playing — 3rd Place: Daffy, Taz, and Wile E. (left to right); Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers *Sarah Beeson*

Dogs at work

several dogs on work truck — 1st Place: Wayne’s Team “I was in photographer’s heaven whilst out on the shoot with Wayne’s Team of working dogs. It was a privilege to watch them, tails held high, nose to the ground and retrieving. All of them totally in tune with Wayne Green, hanging on every command and thoroughly enjoying their job. Its days like this and the reality of life that I am looking to capture in my images.” *Tracy Kidd*

pointing hunting dog — 2nd Place: Tarly, English Springer Spaniel *Richard Lane*

training work dog — 3rd Place: Nyx, German Shepherd *Ian Squire*

I love dogs because…

dogs laying together — 1st Place: Dash, Royal, Harley, Ženka, Ryan, Ready, all border collies *Tamara Kedves*

yorkshire terrier playing — 2nd Place: Darcy, Crossbreed (Cocker and Poodle) *Elise Finney*

dog peeking from behind tree — 3rd Place: Fenrir, Border Collie *Kirsten van Ravenhorst*

Man’s best friend

dog under umbrella — 1st Place: Godji, Portuguese Podengo crossbreed *Joana Matos*

dog getting head scratches — 2nd Place: Kodi, 10 years old, Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix *Sherilyn Vineyard*

dog loving human — 3rd Place: Ruby Roo, Golden Retriever *Cheryl Murphy*

Oldies

older dog looking out window — 2nd Place: – Nilo, cross breed and rescue dog *Rachele Z. Cecchini*

older dog outdoors — 3rd Place: Bentley, German Shorthaired Pointer *Philip Wright*

Portrait

black labs outside in fall — 1st Place: Crew, Darcie, Pagan (Glenturret) Flat Coated Retrievers *Carol Durrant*

dog on the porch — 2nd Place: Thalia, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever *Katarzyna Siminiak*

Pomeranian looking outside — 3rd Place: Hugo, Pomeranian *Michael Sweeney*

Puppies

puppy portrait — 1st Place: Ceylin, Italian Greyhound *Klaus Dyba*

puppy on blanket — 3rd Place: Snickers, cross breed puppy photographed for Doodle Rock Rescue *Robyn Pope*

Rescue

rescue dog on cliff — 3rd Place: Dania, cross breed Portuguese Podengo, rescue dog *Christina Roemmelt*

Young pup

young german shepard — 1st Place: Roxy, German Shepard “I took this photo of Roxy, at about 9Pm, just before I went to bed. It was dark and she was sitting on our back porch waiting for mom to give her a treat. I used a modeling light and the porch light to put light on her pretty face.” – Mariah Mobley *Mariah Mobley*

young hunting dog — 3rd Place: Monty, German Shorthaired Pointer *Maisie Mitford*

Judges Mentions

Alice Loder, UK – Dogs at Play
Darren Hall, UK – Dogs at Play
Leslie Plesser, US – Dogs at Work
Bendik Almås, Norway – Man’s Best Friend
Inés Tafalla, Spain – Man’s Best Friend
Viktoria Baranova, Estonia – Portrait
Jonathan Yearsley, UK – Portrait
Alicia Zymslowska, Poland – Puppy
Jarmila Eckardt, Germany – Rescue
Euan Shannon, UK – Young Pup

Jeanette D. Moses

Jeanette D. Moses is a New York City–based filmmaker and photographer known for her intimate depictions of New York's creative communities. She’s been a contributor to PopPhoto since 2014, specializing in interviews, gear reviews, and all things analog.