Ringside Thoughts

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332 – November/December, 2023

By Kerrin Winter-Churchill

Lately, the young guns of the dog show industry have been sounding the battle cry. “Can everyone please stop photoshopping dogs?” While I usually try to ignore those posturing for a voice within the community, the most recent one hit close to home as its author asked publicly why two photographers can record the same dog and the resulting images look so different. My photograph of a dog was the owner’s second attempt at getting what she wanted. Understanding the breed, and having a vision of what I wanted caused my image to look very different than those created by the original photographer. And so, I believe it beneficial to explain both the misused terminology and the evolution of a cultural phenomenon within our dog sport.

Photoshop is the program that has replaced the darkroom. The myriad of things you can do with the program (or in the darkroom) fall into two categories. Those that manipulate the characteristics of the exposure–like the color balance, brightness, and sharpness, and those manipulating or replacing the actual details of the image. For example, if you have a great expression but the dog dropped its tail for that exposure, you can combine the best parts of several images to make the “perfect” representation of the subject.

Back in the Stone Age when my husband and I began taking pictures, professional photographers used film and we had processing labs that would develop the transparencies or negatives. Composition and knowledge of the subject aside, most of the hard work was in the settings of the camera, the lights, and the choice of lens. Just like today, these elements were the most important choices separating the quality pictures from the mundane.

Click here to read the complete article
332 – November/December, 2023

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