1st Place and Overall Winner: Noa, Great Dane. Monica van der Maden
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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
1st Place: Rocko, German Shepherd Dean Mortimer2nd Place: Messi, Golden Retriever Maria Cristina Nadalin3rd Place: Delta, White Swiss Shepherd Craig Turner-Bullock
Dogs at play
1st Place: Lili, Pomeranian Elinor Roizman2nd Place: Heidi, Merle Chihuahua Steffi Cousins3rd Place: Daffy, Taz, and Wile E. (left to right); Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers Sarah Beeson
Dogs at work
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 Kidd2nd Place: Tarly, English Springer Spaniel Richard Lane3rd Place: Nyx, German Shepherd Ian Squire
I love dogs because…
1st Place: Dash, Royal, Harley, Ženka, Ryan, Ready, all border collies Tamara Kedves2nd Place: Darcy, Crossbreed (Cocker and Poodle) Elise Finney3rd Place: Fenrir, Border Collie Kirsten van Ravenhorst
1st Place and Overall Winner: Noa, Great Dane Monica van der Maden2nd Place: – Nilo, cross breed and rescue dog Rachele Z. Cecchini3rd Place: Bentley, German Shorthaired Pointer Philip Wright
Portrait
1st Place: Crew, Darcie, Pagan (Glenturret) Flat Coated Retrievers Carol Durrant2nd Place: Thalia, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Katarzyna Siminiak3rd Place: Hugo, Pomeranian Michael Sweeney
Puppies
1st Place: Ceylin, Italian Greyhound Klaus Dyba2nd Place: Beagle Mix Puppies “Since early last year, my partner Raymond Janis and I have had the honor of supporting the Vanderpump Dogs Foundation in Los Angeles by photographing their adoptable dogs. In July 2017, we met these adorable beagle mix puppies. As Raymond tried to wrangle them, something magical happened and I was able to capture a perfect moment of a puppy family sticking together.” – Charlie Nunn Charlie Nunn3rd Place: Snickers, cross breed puppy photographed for Doodle Rock Rescue Robyn Pope
Rescue
1st Place: Cooper, Labrador Retriever Mix and rescue dog Sonya Kolb2nd Place: Magda, rescue dog cross breed (Hungarian Vizsla and Labrador Retriever) Leslie Plesser3rd Place: Dania, cross breed Portuguese Podengo, rescue dog Christina Roemmelt
Young pup
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 Mobley2nd Place: Dallas, Whippet Sienna Millward3rd Place: Monty, German Shorthaired Pointer Maisie Mitford
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.
