E220: 에이미 존슨(Amy Johnson) - "개를 쏴버리고 싶으신가요?"

because they're just a little bit too smart for me. Um, and then yesterday I picked up, um, uh, Iris, who is my five month old deaf great Dane puppy. And, um, she's actually my third deaf Dane. So my first Dane was deaf and then I had another one along the way and now she's number three. So, um, got some experience, which is why the breeder was really happy to, um, let me take her. And, uh, so that's going to be a, another new adventure. So yes, there's four dogs in the house at the moment. So. Very exciting. And what an adventure, I mean, at least you've been down the road before, so you know what you're getting yourself into. I do. I do. And I'm, I was reminded today, just watching her interact with the world, how visual they are. I mean, she was watching every bug on our walk. She was chasing leaves and butterflies and, um, shadows. She was chasing my shadow, I think at one point. So, I mean, there, she is so tuned into what is visually going on around her. Um, and, but definitely just totally deaf because I clapped, called her name, you know, did a few things while, while she was, you know, had her back to me. In fact, one time she woke up, uh, from a nap and I was upstairs here and she was downstairs and I heard her moving around. And so I went downstairs cause she was looking for somebody cause never, nobody else was around. And she, I had to wait for her to turn and see me. Um, but until then it was, it was a little bit sad, but no, she's, she's, uh, she doesn't know she's deaf though. So she doesn't know anything different. Um, sweet, sweet dog. Um, and that's been my experience with deaf dogs in general. Um, and I know they're, you know, they have reputations and whatever, but I think if you know what you're doing, um, then it's really, I don't, I find them to be delightful. So that's why I am on number three. So fair enough. Um, so, uh, you talked about the dogs and normally I ask folks about their dogs because that's what they teach. But since you, um, teach photography, let's make the photo nerds happy too. Uh, do you want to kind of talk about your typical gear breakdown? Yeah, sure. Um, right now I'm kind of in transition. And so I have a really wide range of gear at the moment. Um, so, uh, I've been a Canon shooter for 20 plus years. Um, when I started teaching at FDSA, I started, I bought a Nikon camera. I think it was a couple of terms after I started teaching, I realized I needed to learn Nikon better so I could be better, a better help to my students. Um, cause they were asking camera specific things and, you know, I could look things

up, but to have that firsthand, you know, hands-on experience is always different than just looking up an answer in a camera manual. So I've been shooting Nikon and Canon back and forth interchangeably for, for many years now. Um, it works really well at my agility events because when I have a crew come in, um, I can just, I can use whatever gear is left over, so to speak. Um, so I make sure that they all are shooting with what they're comfortable with. And then if I have a Nikon camera left, or if I have a Canon camera left, I will, you know, I can do that interchangeably. Or if somebody, you know, needs me to step in, I can, whatever camera they're using, I can step in and just go for it. Um, then the, so really though, what's going on right now is where a really interesting tipping point, um, from going from DSLR. So digital SLR cameras to mirrorless cameras. And so I have also picked up a Canon R5 and that is their, uh, it's a fairly high end. Um, it's right now it's the highest, um, high end, uh, mirrorless that they have. They do have another one coming out and they'll probably keep bringing out, um, others along the way. But right now the R5 is, is their high megapixel. Um, does it shoots 20 frames a second. Um, it's, it's quite extraordinary. And the, the, what's the most extraordinary is the autofocus. So it does, it tracks the eyes, which is an amazing thing for someone like me, who's shooting animals, um, whether it be birds or wildlife or dogs, um, it will track the eye. It somehow knows what an eye is and can track that and focus on that even as the subject is moving. So, um, you know, DSLRs are going to be around for quite a while. People who want to shoot DSLRs are going to be in good shape for getting used gear at a really good price these days. Um, but definitely the switch is happening to mirrorless. Um, so I'm trying to stay on board with that. So yeah, I've got Canon DSLR, Nikon DSLR and Canon mirrorless. And I'm toying with the idea of picking up a Sony mirrorless too, because I have a lot of Sony shooters and I'm kind of at that point where I'm feeling like I need to learn that system as well, which, you know, it's like people with lots of dogs and who want to do lots of sports. I'm that way with cameras. I'm like, well, let's, I, I need to learn something new. So maybe we'll just pick up a whole new camera system. Why not? So just try one of these and one of those. I'll take one of those and one of those. Um, so I, uh, I know you talked about being able to kind of interchangeably switch between

cameras, but I, I would guess that, you know, at least some of your gear choices kind of depend on what you're shooting and where you are and, and bits and pieces like that. So can you talk a little bit how, about how kind of photographing something like an agility trial might be different than say, you know, taking portraits of a dog? Sure. Um, so when I am doing agility, I need camera equipment that is the best of the best because that isn't a sport. It's kind of an extreme sport. Actually, most dog sports, um, taking photographs at any dog sport is a kind of an extreme thing. So you need camera equipment that can keep up with the dogs. Um, so over the years I have always been using whether it's Canon or Nikon, they're, they're top of the line sports camera to do my agility trials. Do I need that to do portraits? No. Um, if I'm just doing portraits, things that are moving slower landscapes, even, um, I don't need the super high end camera bodies. I can, I can do that with something that has less, you know, fewer frames per second. Um, high megapixel is good because if you're doing landscapes, for instance, you want to be able to make maybe some big wall size prints from that. Um, but it doesn't need the same kind of high performance specs that, um, a, a dog sports or any sports camera would need. So, um, I, but of course I'm not going to buy a lower end camera, you know, if I'm doing portraits, I'm going to just stick with my high end, you know, that's, that's of course the way it's going to go. Um, now I have had an interesting experience recently in terms of the mirrorless. Like I said, I've got, got the R5 and I was just in Florida to do AKC's premier cup. And I, it was a last minute ad and it was on the end of another, of a road trip I was doing. So I didn't have my DSLRs with me. So I decided to just use the mirrorless that I had with me. I rented a lens, um, cause I just needed one more lens to do that. And I, I shot the premier cup with the R5 and it was an interesting experience because it handles just a little differently than the DSLR. And there are some things, there are some tricks that I have on my DSLR that I don't have on the mirrorless. And so it was, it, it threw me for a loop a little bit. I mean, I, I got pictures, you know, it's not like I blew the event or anything, but, um, there were things throughout the day that I was thinking, oh shoot, I really wish I had my DSLR here, which, you know, the mirrorless is fantastic at birds because I am, I'm able to get some shots that I never would have gotten with a DSLR.

But with the mirrorless, um, there were a few things missing or a few things that were lacking for the way that I shoot agility trials. And it was a very, it was, I've been raving about the R5 for, for months now, ever since I got one, but it was an interesting experience to go, oh wait, there's something that I, that it doesn't do as well as my DSLR. There are things maybe that it's not as ideal for. So, um, that was kind of an interesting experience to find something that it wasn't, it wasn't quite as good at. So, um, now I, I shoot agility in a very specific way that is kind of, that not everybody does it the way I do it. So, um, there are photographers that are, that are using the mirrorless systems and are very happy with them. So it's not to say you shouldn't buy one or you, they aren't usable. It's just for me and the way I've been doing this for 20 years, it makes me sound really old. Oh, back in my day. I'm now the old timer. I'm old school in the photography world, but I'm trying. Um, but no, it's for the way that I shoot agility, the mirrorless just wasn't quite what I, it wasn't, didn't make me happy. I was a little frustrated throughout the day, but it, it was a good learning experience. I'd love to have you elaborate. I guess what was, was it missing? Did it feel like it was missing or? Yeah. Yeah. So the primary thing that it was missing is a frame rate. So I did say that it, it shoots 20 frames a second. Um, there are two different, I'm going to get techie here. So hopefully, sorry, dog people. If you, if you don't know anything about cameras, this is going to make all the camera people really, really happy though. Okay. So there are two different types of shutter, um, on the mirrorless cameras. You can do a mechanical shutter, which is the traditional, it literally, it physically opens and closes to take the picture. So that's the mechanical shutter that maxes out at 12 frames a second. In under ideal conditions. So it has to be ideal conditions and I can list those if you really want me to, but, um, under, then you can use the electronic shutter where there's no moving parts. And that's what can shoot up to 20 frames a second. And it is not adjustable. I can't say, Oh, I only want 16 frames a second or 14 frames a second. Cause 14 to 16 is kind of the sweet spot for me for the way that I shoot agility. So 12 isn't quite enough. 20 is too many. So I needed that sweet spot right in between, but I couldn't get it. And I couldn't even get the 12 frames a second because the conditions I was shooting in were not ideal. So I was, it's indoor light. I mean, it's fantastic.

It's the, um, uh, world equestrian center down in Ocala, Florida. And the light there is fantastic for indoors. The, the surface is really bright. It's a sand and like a fiber mixture. It's really interesting. Um, but it's bright. It's like white. And so it reflects the light up. Um, on in, and so it's ideal for indoors. It's ideal shooting conditions, but it's still wouldn't give me the 12 frames a second. And it's not that I was counting. I just, that's something that I just have a feel for. So it was maybe hitting, you know, eight or nine, maybe. And that for the way that I shoot is just too slow. So I'm panicking and the three dogs have run and I'm like, I'm not getting the shots that I need. So I flip it into the electronic shutter and go to 20 frames a second, which means I'm way overshooting. Um, but so I ended, ended the day with, you know, I think maybe about 15,000 images where I should have really ended with five or 6,000 at the most. So yeah, way overshooting, but that's better than not getting it at all. I mean, or not getting the shots that I need. So, I mean, I'm going to err on the side of overshooting rather than undershooting. Um, another trick that I use on my DSLRs, um, is something called, uh, that's meant to fix, um, when you have a lens that isn't focusing properly, it's like, it's focusing in front of where it thinks it should be or behind where it thinks it should be. You can, in the camera, in a menu setting, um, fine tune that, that focus. So you can push the plane of focus away, or you can pull the plane of focus towards you. Like I said, we're getting techie here. Um, so this is, I hack that system in terms of, I use it to deliberately misalign that lens. I, I use it to, to pull the plane of focus towards me for certain shots. And I, you cannot do that on a mirrorless because of the physics of it, because of the way it's constructed. Um, the, and I don't know all the details. I'm not going to list those off, but the, the mechanics of it, it can't be misaligned because of the way the sensor and all the, all of that works. It's the fact that it doesn't have a mirror in there anymore. It's a mirror less. It's, it's, so it's something to do with that. Um, so it cannot be misaligned. So there is no way to fine tune the focus because there should, in theory, be no reason to fine tune the focus. I do it on purpose, but I can't do that on the mirrorless. So I had, I have other ways around that, but I did not realize quite how much I rely on that until I was, you know, setting up shots and thinking, okay, uh, oh, I can't do that.

Tunnel shots in particular, it really helps because then instead of getting the dog while it's still, while the face is still in the tunnel in shadow, I can, I can pull the plane of focus out and get the dog's face when it's out in the light. And then it's in, and it's in focus out there. So it's, it's a neat trick. Um, it was taught to me by another photographer years and years ago, and I've always loved it. Um, but it, it doesn't work on a mirrorless. So those are the two primary things that, that came up. So being able to, to adjust the, the, where the plane of focus is and the frame rate, um, and not having either having to weigh overshoot or not get the frame rate that I need. So there you go. There's your technical answer. Yeah. Yeah. And it's good stuff. Um, so obviously you, you talked a little bit about light in there and that light obviously has a huge role when you're talking about photography. Um, can you talk a little bit about what's kind of ideal in terms of lighting when you're trying to do some, some, some awesome stuff, take some really nice shots of your dog? So, um, light, uh, good light for a, for us as humans, just to see the world is different than good light for photographers and for, for cameras. So, um, the best light for outdoors is at the edges of the day. So like an hour or two before sunset, an hour or two after sunrise. Um, if you're doing portraits, um, or even action shots that you're setting up, not, you know, not at an, at an event, um, you want to find that light at the edge of the day because then it's, the angle is really low. It's coming, um, through more of the atmosphere. So it's got a nice warmth to it that it doesn't have if it's, you know, noonday sun. Um, it's, uh, it just is prettier. It's softer. It's, uh, the color is nicer. Um, so the edges of the day are, are really great light for outdoors. Um, indoor light is always tricky. Um, and especially for someone like me who can't use, I mean, I can't go into an agility trial and say, Hey, can I set up this big flash here? Um, you know, that I would be booted out of the event so fast. I wouldn't even know what happened. So, um, I am constrained by the light that is available inside of whatever the, you know, the venue is. So I, I shoot a lot in horse arenas. Um, state fairgrounds are a popular place for these big events to be held. Um, and the, that light isn't always great. It's improving because as these facilities upgrade their lighting, I'm always happy when I get, I walk into a place and they've upgraded their lighting. I I'm always like, Ooh, yay. Um, I know the things that make me happier are weird.

I totally get that. Um, everybody else is looking at the footing. I'm looking up at the lighting. So yeah, that's how it goes. Um, but, uh, so I, I'm always limited by what the light is in, in the place. So the, my, um, go to for how to manage light indoors, primarily at a big event is using the ISO and the camera. So ISO is, um, kind of like turning up the volume on, on a, on your radio. So it amplifies the light. Um, it, in essence, there are some negative consequences to that, but as cameras get better, they have increased the range that, that ISO, you know, the, the, the upper limit of the ISO, um, on the high end cameras, we're talking, you know, going up into the, the, um, 102,000 and, and on up. So it used to be in the film days that film speed, which is the equivalent of ISO, um, would go up to, you know, 800 or 1600. And, you know, you could push process to 3,200 and now cameras, you know, I regularly shoot at 40,000 ISO. Um, the newer, newest cameras, um, AKC nationals in March, we were shooting at 80,000 ISO. Um, that's insane. And yet that's what allows me to get the photos in places like that and get the shutter speed that I need in order to stop the motion of these really fast dogs. So, um, rather than being able to bring in light, you know, but with a flash or an X, you know, just some sort of external light source. I rely on the ISO to give me the, the kind of settings on the camera that I can, so that I can get those images at, at these events. I don't know if that, if I, I might've taken a little bit of walkabout on that question, but. No, it was good. I think, I think you took and you merged kind of what I was going to ask you next, which I was going to ask you about kind of how you compensate for bad lighting in a situation like that. And it sounds like, well, part of the answer is really good gear. Well, yes. And that actually, that's true. I mean, that is, that's a huge part of it. That is one of the primary reasons that I spend as much on my camera gear as I do is because I need a camera that can give me as high of an ISO as possible. Um, you know, it's, it's one of those features. It's just like on cars where the high end vehicles start out with the really fancy, you know, features, and then it trickles down into the lower end cars, same thing. So ISO, you know, used to be the realm of just the high end camera bodies. And now it's been trickling down and, um, more and more camera bodies have a really nice range of ISO. So, but if you, you know, if you look at a camera that's 10 years old, then you're, you're probably limited to 6,400 ISO. So, and that is really ugly.

And so you probably won't, don't want to do any more than 3,200. So, um, the age of the gear will play into that a lot, but yeah, it's every year the camera bodies get better and better, even the ones that are kind of the middle of the road and not the high end ones. So just because you brought it up, um, what, what would be like a good range for somebody who's maybe just dipping their toe in or just starting to learn this stuff? What should they be looking for? Oh, so it's, that's a really tricky question because it kind of, it depends so heavily on what you want to photograph. So if we go back to that question that you asked about, you know, cameras, you know, for agility versus cameras for portraits, um, the requirements for a camera body for what depend heavily on what you're going to photograph. A lot, I know a lot of this audience likes to think about photographing their dogs and photographing their dogs, doing things, not just sitting there smiling at them. Although those are lovely too, believe me, but if you're, if you're wanting to, to photograph your dog moving, playing in the backyard or doing something, you know, even more, um, it's probably not something you're probably not going to photograph your own dog doing agility because you're out there with your dog unless somebody else runs it for you. So, um, you know, if you're the, the requirements for camera gear is so different depending on what you want to do. So if you want to just do portraits or still photos, um, then you can, you know, you can easily get a camera that will do that very nicely for under a thousand dollars. Um, you want to, if you're doing a DSLR or mirrorless, it's the camera body. Plus you have to have a lens to go on it. You can't just have a camera body. It won't, that won't do you any good, but you want to take into account. You got to buy both a camera and a lens. A lot of things come with a kit where they, it's a camera and a lens and a battery and a charger, then you're all set to go. Um, those kit lenses tend to be a little lower end. So you got to kind of keep an eye on those specs and decide if it's worth spending the money on that kit lens, or if you want to buy the body separately and then spend the money to get a little bit better lens. Um, if you're trying to do action, then you're not looking at under a thousand dollars. You're probably looking at, you know, 1500 minimum, um, for, you know, you can probably find a good used camera. Um, you know, something that was the top of the line five years ago. And now, you know, you can maybe find some, some of those good deals.

If you're looking at new, um, you know, it's probably 2000 or more. So for instance, the Canon R5 and R6, R6 is a little less expensive. There are reasons we don't need to go into it. Um, but it's got many of the same specs as the R5. It is a fantastic action camera, but it's still going to cost you, you know, for camera and lens close to $3,000. So, um, you know, that's, it's worth it. In my opinion, if you are serious about this, spend the money and that camera will last you for years. Um, because the specs on it are so good. You are, I mean, it's got the 20 frames a second electronic shutter. It has the eye tracking focus, which is phenomenal. Um, it it's going to last forever and ever and ever. It will last certainly for every, any class of mine that you take. Um, so, but that is, that's a little different than, you know, under a thousand dollars. So it really kind of depends on what you're going to be, what you're going to, you know, photograph. So that's a question you have to kind of think hard and decide how serious am I about the action stuff? And if I am, am I ready to put down a chunk of change? You don't have to start that way. Start with things that don't move so fast. Start with a camera that is under a thousand dollars and just see if you like it. Um, make sure you like taking pictures, you know, maybe before you sink $3,000 into your, your first system. So, um, my, my students and I are very good enablers though. We will point out all of the sales on the refurbished gear. Hey, Nikon's having a sale. Um, so we will, if you want to get serious and get into the gear, I have a whole bunch of people that will help enable that. So come and join the craziness. We will take care of that. Is that just the class Facebook group or is that? I have a group of my alums that, that I interact with. Um, and I, I give them, you know, it's not just FDSA. It's, uh, you know, places along the way that I've encountered people. But, um, yeah, I, I have a Facebook group that for my alums that, uh, we, we do all sorts of enabling. Um, so, and we have a lot of fun doing it. That's the joke. I mean, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sort of like going into the FDSA puppy group and saying, should I get this puppy? Exactly. It's exactly the same thing. Who's ever going to say no? Right. Um, all right. So we've kind of gotten into this nerdy stuff for the, for the camera folks to kind of zoom out just a little bit, you know, do you have any tips for those who maybe haven't invested in some gear yet? And they're just trying to kind of capture good pictures with their phone camera in the

backyard or pics, you know, maybe of their friends, cause they're standing on the sidelines while they're at a trial. Sure. So again, I think part of this is being realistic about what your camera gear can do. So a cell phone is going to do great at video. It is not going to do great at taking action, still pictures at, you know, an agility trial, for instance. Um, you, you can get decent, do decent portraits with a cell phone these days. I think the biggest thing is to think about not so much the gear, but about how you're taking the picture. So, um, something that you, things that you want to consider are get down to your subject's level. So if you have your dog sitting, you know, very nicely in a nice place, um, don't stand up and shoot, get down, kneel down. I know my knees don't like it either, but find a way to get yourself down to the dog's level or raise the dog up to your level. So put the dog on, you know, a table or a bench or a sofa or something, um, find a way to, to put you and the dog or the camera and the dog on the same level. And that's going to improve your photos a million percent right there. Um, consider what's in the background. Make sure that there's no trees growing out of heads. I know these are really simple things, but these are things that we, we get home and we look at our pictures and we go, why, why did I leave that light post growing out of my dog's head? Um, so make sure you're checking the background, look for all those things that might be a distraction. Um, and again, that's one of those really simple kind of no brainers, but people forget them. So, you know, kind of pay attention to your background, pay attention to the level that you're shooting from, um, be realistic about what your gear can do. If you have a lower end camera, um, it is not going to do so great at taking agility photos. Um, and you know, you might get lucky. So take a gajillion photos and you might get that lucky shot and that'll be fantastic and fun and it'll be great. But to get consistency and, um, being able to, to repeat the same shot over and over and get you, you have to have a little more than luck at that point. So, um, then that's where the camera gear comes into play where you need to maybe, if that's something you really want to do, then you look at saving your pennies and investing in better gear. So, but yeah, the other thing I'll say, if you're at an agility trial and your friend says, Hey, can you take my picture? Um, consider whether or not there is a professional that is there doing that. Already.

Um, and if there is perhaps say, you know what, there's someone who's taken, going to take much better pictures than I am. So why don't you see if you can get their card and buy from them? Um, and just be considerate of the pro that is there because that's, you know, they've spent a lot of time and effort and money learning their sport, learning their craft, getting there. Um, you know, there's, there's a lot that goes into being a professional photographer at a dog event. Um, and so I would, I would just ask that people be considerate of that. So, yeah, absolutely. Speaking of, so if, um, you know, folks listening, if they're planning on heading to a competition where they do expect there's going to be a professional, um, is there anything they should be thinking about in terms of their clothing or how they, you know, kind of approach things in the ring, uh, to help ensure they kind of get some good photos, help memorialize the event? So my biggest thing is I want to, I actually, as the photographer, I want to be invisible. I don't want anybody to know, to see that I'm there. I don't want a dog to be distracted. So I don't want competitors to be thinking about me and what they might look like in a photo. I want them to do their absolute best in the ring. And so whatever that is, I mean, yes, if you're, if you're a black dog and you're wearing black pants and the dog, you know, and I get a photo where the dog, you and the dog are lined up together. The dog can disappear into your pants. Um, you know, that's something to consider. Uh, but quite often the dog, you and the dog won't be lined up quite that way in the photo anyway. So, um, you can think about that, you know, whether you, whether you want to contrast with your dog or whether you want to hide your dog. Um, and that's just totally up to you. And there are maybe reasons, competitive reasons why you want the dog to disappear into your pants. And I, that is your call. And I don't want you to change your plan because of the photos. I want you to do what is best for you and the dog in the ring. Um, I was going to go off on something else and now I forgot. So. That's right. Um, what about like, you know, they know the pros there. They want to make sure they get some good photos, memorialize things. Maybe it's the dog's last run and they're going to retire, whatever. Go ahead. So I remembered what I was going to say. I was going to say the one thing you can do is groom your dog because I have had so many people come to my sales booth and say, Oh, I love this picture, but I should have groomed my dog. So, and I can't help with that.

I can't, that's not a Photoshop thing. It's not, there is literally nothing I can do about that after the fact. So if you are the kind of person who wants your dog to look its best in a photo, take some extra time the night before, groom it up a little bit. It doesn't have, it's not, we're not talking confirmation level grooming here. We're just talking about brush it out. Maybe bathe it if it, you know, if it needs that, I don't know. Um, and I know that, you know, if we're running in a dirt arena, then the dog's going to get dirty naturally and that's going to happen. But if you start with a clean dog, a groomed dog, then maybe you're going to be more happy with the picture. So that it's one of those funny things that people don't always think of until it's too late. Um, and, but it's a very consistent comment that I get of, Oh, I wish this, this photo is great, but I wish my dog was groomed. And the first few times I heard it, I just, I didn't know what to do with that comment. Cause I'm like, I, I, I can't help you. I'm sorry. I felt really bad about it. But, um, so there, that's what I was going to say. You can groom your dog and, or make sure it's, it's, uh, it looks the way you want it to look for photos. So if somebody knows going in though, that they're definitely going to buy some pics or they're definitely interested in making a purchase, is it worth kind of saying something to the photographer in the morning or, you know, does that just get obnoxious? Cause then you have like 60 people coming up to you over the course of the day. Um, this is going to come down to every photographer kind of runs things a little differently for me and the way my crew runs. We photograph everybody. If you, um, want photographs, you don't have to say anything. You can, you can certainly tell us, um, we aren't going to necessarily do anything different. Um, but it is, it's always nice to know that people are interested. Um, the, the more, maybe the more important thing is if you don't want photos or, you know, that your dog for some reason is, is going to react to the camera. Uh, generally it doesn't happen, especially in these big events where we're so far away from everything that, that, um, dogs and humans don't even see us. But if you have some reason why you don't want to be photographed, then I want to know, because the last thing I want is for you to feel like there was something that happened that you, you know, there's a reason you didn't get your cue or something that was related to the photographer. Generally, that's not the case.

But if, if you know that your dog has an issue, um, with the click of the camera or the lens, cause they're, they're big giant lenses looking out into the, into the ring. Um, you know, by all means, for me, I will always want to know that. So I will make a note of it on my running list. I will make sure to put the camera down. I won't leave the ring because I have to stay there, but, um, I will make a note of it and, and do everything I can to just look like a bump on a log on what your dog is in the ring. So for me, it's more important to know who doesn't want pictures than I just assume everybody does. And, uh, you know, take pictures of everyone. And that's just easier than trying to, to make a list ahead of time at the beginning of the day. Now there are photographers that will have you sign up ahead of time that do want to know, and we'll only take pictures of people who sign up. That's their call. But, um, for me, if you ever see great gain photos at an event, we just automatically take everybody. Good stuff. All right. So I know you've got two classes on the schedule this term, which is starting in just a couple of days. So do you want to just kind of talk us through them, what they are and what folks need in terms of equipment to sign up? Sure. So June is my favorite term because it's the term where I, uh, uh, offer both shoot the dog and chase the dog. So shoot the dog is the intro course. It's the course for if you haven't even taken the, uh, the camera out of the box yet, you know, you got to do that by day one, but it is, it is meant for people who have no shooting experience. And just want to learn how to take good pictures. So we start from the ground up and do all the fundamentals. Um, you know, start just very, very basic. In fact, it starts with a little bit of a scavenger hunt. I give you a list of things that you need to go find on the camera, figure out how to, you know, how to change the shutter speed. I don't tell you what you should put it at, but just where's the shutter speed? Where's the ISO aperture? Just a little scavenger hunt. So that's how we start. We get you familiar with your camera gear. Um, it is a class where you will end up shooting, um, learning the basics of manual exposure by the end of those six weeks. Um, and that is kind of a, a holy grail in, in photography of if you are shooting in manual exposure, that's, that's a really good thing because it means you have a lot, some, you have some skills, you have some, um, knowledge and understanding of how photography works.

It means that you are a control freak like me, um, who wants to, uh, who wants to kind of manage all of the things about the way a photo looks. Um, so we start with, I've, I've started with many people who know nothing and they come out of, at the end of six weeks and they are shooting in manual exposure. They're not fast. They're not fluent in it yet, but they are shooting in manual exposure and that's just in six weeks. And then they're hooked and then they go on to the next classes. Um, and then at the other kind of the other end of the spectrum is chase the dog. And that's my class for people who want to learn to do action photography, photographing things that move. Um, it is not a beginner level course by any means. It is definitely meant for people who understand manual exposure, who understand how their cameras work, who are fairly competent at getting good pictures of things that are not moving. Um, and just are having some problems and want to learn more about how to photograph things that are moving. So I bring kind of all my agility, uh, skills to that. I bring all of my, my birds and wildlife experience to that. Um, and we talk about a lot of different tricks and skills and, um, you know, try and even dig into the camera menus. See, this is why I need to get a Sony because I don't know the Sony menus at all, but dig into some of those little things like the, the micro adjust, the, the fine tuning, um, hack that I was talking about earlier. Um, just all those things that maybe are very camera specific or sports specific, um, and try and, and get into those nitty gritty details. So I, I love teaching this pair of classes because it's, um, I, it stretches me in a lot of different ways. Um, you know, being, uh, trying to find ways to explain topics that I, that I've been dealing with for 20 years to people who have never heard of them before is really, um, challenging, but in a good way. And then trying to explain all the things that are, I do on automatic pilot in my chase the dog class, like, Oh, right. That you, yeah. Okay. So it's, it stretches me and it makes me a better instructor after every, every time I teach both of these classes. And it's also kind of the gateway for a lot of people. Both of these classes are, I tend to get, I mean, of course I get the beginners and shoot the dog, but then I also get people who have never taken any of my classes who come into chase the dog. And then they find that there are other things that they want to get better at as well that are classes that I offer.

So it kind of brings people in from two different directions and then, uh, kind of merges them into some of the other things that I do. Um, and we, we get a really interesting mix of people in the, the classes that come after that. So anything else you want to go into about, go ahead. Sorry. Um, you had said, what, what do they need? So let me talk about that briefly. Um, absolutely. Shoot, shoot the dog. Um, you, any DS, so if you're going to be at gold and gold is full right now, but, um, you know, for the future, um, gold students need to have either a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Um, it, at bronze, you can use any camera that will shoot, um, in manual exposure, a manual mode. Um, and there are things called bridge cameras where it's kind of like a DSLR, but the, the lens is fixed. It doesn't come off. You can't interchange it with another lens. Um, so there, there are some point and shoots that have a manual exposure mode. So anything that has manual exposure, um, on the camera, that is something that you can use at the bronze level. Um, and what I hope is that you'll kind of get hooked and realize, you know, what, what you're missing by not having a DSLR or a mirrorless. And then that'll take you to the next level. And then next year, you'll, you'll come in and do the classic gold. Um, and we'll get to work together. Yeah. That's, that's the, the method to my madness there. But bronze or gold students definitely not need to have the DSLR or mirrorless camera for chase the dog. You kind of, you, you need to not have the entry level stuff to get the most out of the class. Um, you can certainly do chase the dog with lower level gear. And then I, what will happen or what I've seen happen in the past is that people realize where they are lacking in their skills and where they are lacking in their gear. So we can, that's actually a really good thing that comes out of this class is we're able to kind of separate those two things and figure out, are you not getting the pictures you want because you don't have the skills? Are you not getting the pictures you want because you don't have the equipment? Um, and that's a hard distinction to, to figure out if you don't have a lot of experience, but I can generally, that's something that, that I can pick up pretty on pretty easily. So, um, we've had a lot of students that have realized, and this is where the enabling comes in. Oh yeah, I guess if I just upgrade my camera, then I might be better at this. So you should come in to chase the dog with a mindset of, oh, I might have to spend some money and get a new camera.

And I'll just apologize right now for that, but, you know, that's just kind of the way it goes. So there is, you do get what you pay for when it comes to a camera body. I will, you know, just, that's the way it works. So, yeah. Okay. Anything else you want to share that folks should know about either class? I think you should, I guess the biggest thing is if you have any interest in being in seeing if photography is your thing, just do it. Jump on in. Um, this is something, a class, especially shoot the dog. I've been teaching this. This was the very first class I taught at FDSA. And I've been since 2015, I think June, 2015, I think was my first term. So I've got five years, five, six, whatever, however many years that is. Whatever it is now. Whatever it is now. Time has no meaning, I swear. So this is a class that has seen a lot of students come through and has had a lot of success. I have students that started in that class and are now actually working for me at agility events. So that is, you know, if that's something you want to do, this is where it starts. And you don't need to be afraid of, oh, no, I don't know anything. No, that's the point. Come in not knowing anything. And I will, I promise you, you will feel very competent by the time you leave. You'll also know what you don't know anymore, of course. And there are going to be things where you're going to, you're going to, uh, there are things that you can't unsee. Like, oh, now I can see all the flaws in everybody's photos and mine, especially. So, you know, there, be prepared for that. But, um, you know, overall it's, it's been a fantastic experience and have, I've had a lot of success with people coming in, knowing nothing and leaving and going on and pursuing this. In fact, I have one student who started in that first, the first class who, um, just recently won a photo competition that a fairly prestigious one. So she has gone on to, um, you know, great, great success. And she's one of many who has, has done that. So, um, awesome. All right. So I know you've also got some new things kind of in the pipeline. Do you want to, do you want to kind of mention them or tease them a little bit? Sure. So, um, one question I get consistently asked when I ask, when I solicit, um, you know, what else do you want me to teach? People want to, want to know how to use Photoshop. And I did teach one term. I did try and do a Photoshop class several years ago and I tried to, it was too big. It was too wide ranging. It tried to cover too many things. So what I've done is kind of gone back to the drawing board and I have created a Photoshop

class that, um, is designed to teach you how to do collages. And the reason I'm teaching collages is because that is a product that I've been offering for about 18 years to my clients and they love them. So I have a lot of years of experience creating them with my agility photos for other people. And I've kind of got the whole thing down pat. So I know it's a very, um, limited list of tools and processes, um, in Photoshop. So it's not trying to teach you anything and everything. There are things we will not do in that class. Um, but there are, that's, there are a lot of things that we will do that we'll cover, what will be, um, you will be able to use in other projects as well. But, um, so it's, it's creating collage. It's called collage, the dog, creating photo collages in Photoshop. Um, and so it's, I, I'm really excited about it. It's, um, something that I worked on individually. Like when I've done my photographer's choice class, um, I've had several students that have wanted to do collages. And so this is, um, kind of an outgrowth of little bits and pieces that I've done kind of one-to-one with students over the years. And now put it together in much more of a cohesive, um, planned way. And we'll start with some, some basic tools in Photoshop, uh, layers and masks and, uh, the, the gradient tool and the text tool. And then we'll start putting, using those things to put images together. Um, I have two primary, uh, types of collages that I do. One's called blended, where it's the edges of one photo blend into the edges of the next. And then the other kind is called scrapbook collages. And those are like what you would see in a traditional paper, you know, physical scrapbook where it's individual photos, but then there's, you know, extra embellishments around as well. So, um, and yeah, by the end of six weeks, you should be able to make your own photo collages. So you don't even have to be a photographer. You have to have images to use, but you know, even if it's, I have, um, I had a student one time who wanted to put together, uh, old photos. Like she had scanned in old photos of her family, like generations back and was putting together a collage, um, and actually multiples that she was going to make a book. So she put together multiple pages of collages of these old photos and, you know, family groups and really, really an interesting idea. And, um, quite a gift that she was going to be able to give there. So, um, you know, it doesn't have to be your own photos. You have to have permission to use them, of course, but, um, this is a little bit of a

diversion away from the, the strictly photography based class. So that's, that's what's new. That's, what's coming up. That's August is when that's going to say, when is that? Yeah. Okay. So awesome. Yeah. Everybody will have to kind of keep their eyes peeled for that one. Yes. It's on the, it's on the schedule. So you can go and check out the description and see, um, still kind of fleshing out all the details, but the syllabus is there. So you can, you can take a look at the syllabus and I've got a couple of sample collages loaded in there as well. So. Very cool. Um, all right. So one last question to kind of round things out. Um, if we were to kind of take our conversation today and, uh, kind of drill it down into one key piece of information you really want listeners to kind of take away from this, you know, what would that be? So one of my big things is being real realistic with your expectations and it's being realistic with your expectations of your own skills and your expectations of the gear that you are using. So, um, going into a, an agility event and trying to take pictures with a cell phone, not the, there's a mismatch in some expectations there. There's a mismatch in the gear with what you are trying to photograph. Um, if you get lucky a few times and then decide that you're going to go into business as a photographer, there's a, some mismatch in the skills there, I think. Um, so being realistic about what is reasonable, um, in terms of your experience, your gear, um, that's, that's the biggest thing is to really be, take a critical look at what you want to do and how, how are you going to get there? Um, like I said, I have students that are shooting for me now that are working for me at national level agility events. Um, so, and it's not, I'm not saying you have to take my classes. I'm saying put the time into learning your gear, learning, improving your skills and bringing those things, those expectations, um, to the same level so that everything matches that your gear matches, your skills matches what you want to do. And that's, I think the biggest thing. Awesome. I think that's true of anything, right? Not just photography. It is. Yeah, it is. I think what happens is we think that this, the camera body is, is magic and it, we should push the button and everything's just going to happen for us. So what I see a lot is, is it, when I slow people down and say, Hey, let's think about this. Yes, they do have that realization of, Oh, right. That's the way that everything really works, but putting it, those thoughts towards photography isn't necessarily an intuitive thing for everybody.

So fair enough. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast, Amy. You are very welcome. It's always a pleasure. And thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in. We will be back next week with Nancy Gagliardi Little to talk about the less obvious skills that agility dogs need to thrive in the sport. If you haven't already subscribed to the podcast in iTunes or the podcast app of your choice to have our next episode automatically downloaded to your phone as soon as it becomes available. Today's show is brought to you by the Fenzie Dog Sports Academy. Special thanks to Denise Fenzie for supporting this podcast. Music provided royalty free by bensound.com. Track featured here is called Buddy. Audio editing provided by Chris Lang. Thanks again for tuning in and happy training. See you next week. See you next week. Thank you.