Well, I nabbed my first real photo assignment for The News-Times, and boy was it a good one.
Melissa Bruen and I were able to travel to New York City to cover the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. There were about 10 dogs from our coverage area that released their contact information to the media, so we spent time following their progress through the show. One of these dogs was Stump, the 10-year-old Sussex spaniel that took home the top prize, Best in Show. One of his owners hails from Redding, a town solidly within our realm. We covered two other dogs (Ellie Mae, a white bull terrier, and Toby, a German shorthaired pinscher) that made it to their group finals.
I’ve been to dog shows for as long as I can remember, but never Westminster. The experience was certainly memorable, with some aspects of the show being what I had expected and others not so much. It was also both similar to and different from other dog shows – the dogs are the same, but the people and the atmosphere totally unique.
A slideshow of my photos from the show has been posted here, including several exclusive shots of Stump that were taken just minutes before he trotted out into the ring for Best in Show. I should also note that I am visible in the first shot of this slideshow from The New York Times. Due to the high visibility of my poorly-selected blue-and-white-striped shirt, I was also apparently on TV several times throughout the broadcast.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this experience was being able to get back behind my camera as a photojournalist and not just a hobbyist. I have been feeling anxious to shoot for a little while now and this was a great chance to do so. Hopefully, the powers that be at the office enjoyed my work and I’ll be able to be more and more active photographically.
As always, let me know what you think, which are your favorites, and which ones you dislike!
One final note, I have created a Twitter account. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but you can follow me @brettmickelson.
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