I photographed squads of handlers. All I asked them was to be consistent in their poses- whatever they chose. Love all of these guys….what a great day.
Some chose formal…..
This archive includes blog posts published by the Military Working Dog Team Support Association prior to 2016, as well as miscellaneous content that is now out-of-date.
MWDTSA, founded in 2006, has served hundreds of military working dog teams in all branches of the service. We provide care packages to handlers and K9s serving in global combat zones. We schedule recognition events for active duty teams at home station kennels.
As well, we support veterans causes and much more. The blog posts in this archive cover a range of topics, from kennel visits to donor thank yous. For more stories, also check out our Kennel Talk archive here: https://www.mwdtsa.org/kennel-talk-newsletter-archive/
Will you become part of MWDTSA’s story? We are seeking volunteers to help in variety of roles, including fundraising. It’s an honor to support our troops, both the two-legged and four-legged variety! For more information, visit https://www.mwdtsa.org/.
While we were packing our boxes, one of the volunteers said that she had heard from some of her Tri-Athlete buddies that Lara Bars were “to die for yummy”. Apparently, that is true. One of the handlers fessed up that the first thing out of the box while unpacking was a Bananas Foster bar that was quickly consumed and thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to our friends at Small Planet Foods!
I adore these photos. And, even more special is that this is a team to which we’ve sent a care package. I would have loved to have included at least one of them in our 2014 calendar, but the DPI isn’t quite high enough. Which means I’m delighted to share them with all of you now.
Photos by Staff Sgt. Marleah Miller
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessie Johnson and her MWD Chrach (pronounced Crash).
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessie Johnson & Chrach patrolling the streets.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessie Johnson & Chrach bonding.
You can probably tell, MWDTSA has been VERY busy with packaging and shipping care packages, with very little extra time to update the Blog. We have so many items that we didn’t present photos of everything, but here is a sampling of our “Play Ball” box contents….
We included baseballs, baseball books, baseball decorated dog cookies, a dog ball and bandana.
We sent water flavoring to change up the water that the handlers need for hydration.
We sent Xyla gum in Peppermint.
We sent Larabars….
We packed with and shipped over zip loc bags provided by Family Dollar
We sent over Peanuts and Cracker Jacks…..
We sent over personal care items, many of them donated by four generous donors.
We sent over dental care products.
And, Gold Bond.
Courtney volunteered with MWDTSA during her senior year in high school She’s now a rising Senior and future veterinarian and is still supporting deployed dogs.
All together, we packed and shipped over 150 packages in the past week. Whew!
This wonderful donation of Pet Care products by Paul Mitchell was donated by Krisellen. I hope to have more of these donations sorted out and prominent in the July newsletter! Thanks to everyone who donated funding, products, time and effort. Can’t wait until these boxes start arriving down range.
Thank you to this great group of BBQ chefs, cooks and servers who were kind enough to put together a BBQ fundraiser in support of Military Working Dogs and their handlers. We drove over to Cartersville and spent an hour or so with great company. The food was yummy; wish all of our supporters had been in the area.
Here are some photos of the guys cooking, the ladies who were serving and a single shot of Deborah Kornow, the brains behind this event! Deborah’s brother was a Navy dog handler and another of the ladies had a son who was a Marine dog handler out of Camp Pendleton.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Erick Martinez, military dog handler, inspects his K-9, Argo II, paws for any damage on Mar. 04, 2011 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Dog handlers inspect their K-9 on a daily basis to promote good health. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Allen Stokes/Released)
Daniel – Dog Handler
By Jessica
(Part of the best part of getting to know the handlers is getting to see their families grow.)
By Megan
Photo courtesy of DoD photographers.
Once we understand some of the uses of the camera and lighting, we now turn to concepts of great photo composition.
1. The Rule of Thirds: Many photographers attempt to center their image in the middle of the viewfinder. Instead, in your mind’s eye, overlay your image with two horizontal and two vertical lines to produce 9 equal segments in your photo. A more interesting place to place the focal point of your photograph is where two of these lines intersect.
Here are some examples where you might easily see this element of composition illustrated.
Photo courtesy of DoD photographers.
2. Leading lines: Our eyes follow lines. How these are included in the composition of your photograph will determine how the viewer’s eyes are drawn through the image.
Two images showing lines leading the eyes through the photo are included below.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Robert Whelan
In the photo below of the tracking dog, the line of the highway edge is clear as is the line of trees in the background. My eyes are drawn from the front right back towards the left. Are yours? In the photo below of Taran and his handler, Mras on the train, the lines in the photo draw you from the left to the right instead.
U.S. Army Sgt. Zachary Delk and military working dog, Nero M707, attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, conduct track training in Baghdad, Iraq, April 3, 2009. Track training teaches a dog to track by scent as well as sight. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Robert Whelan/Released)
Photo above is courtesy DoD photograph.
3. Patterns, repetition and symmetry – Repetition of shapes and visuals can place the focus on your subject. In the top photo, the repetition also serves to showcase how many bags have to be searched.
U.S. Air Force photo by Perry Aston
U.S. Army Sgt. Todd Neveu, a military working dog (MWD) handler, and his dog, Gino, search baggage for drugs before the bags are loaded onto a plane July 25, 2010, at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. MWD teams randomly inspect baggage and personnel as U.S. forces transit through the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Perry Aston/Released)
Notice that some photographs include more than one element of composition. In the photo below, there is repetition in the arches, but the top of the bridge and the trees form lines lead your eyes towards the back of the photo.
Photo below credited to the DoD.
4. Viewpoint -Try taking your photos from a variety of angles and viewpoints. Each viewpoint will give you a different outcome and the photograph will convey a different feel and message. Above, direct and from below all will add character to your photographs depending on the subject. For great portraits, try photographing from slightly below eye level on the dog. Here are two other photos taken from two other viewpoints.
DoD photo by Perry Aston, U.S. Air Force.
Ali, a U.S. Air Force military working dog, runs to the next obstacle on a training course at Asad Air Base, Iraq, on July 25, 2010. The obstacle course provides exercise and obedience training for military dogs. DoD photo by Perry Aston, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
Below: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rusty Frank
5. Background – Always be aware of the background when shooting photos of your dog. You will want to consider color, distracting or uncomplimentary items (flowers appearing to come out of dog’s head for example). In the case of MWDs, including maps??? Maybe not a good idea. Remember the camera catches everything it sees, not just what the photographer is hoping to capture.
Here are some great backgrounds that really add to the story of the MWD being photographed.
The following photo is one of my favorites submitted to us by the handler, Daniel Fulton. The blue sky and desolate background add to the surreal surroundings in the deserts of Iraq.
Marine photo below by Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper
Enjoy practicing your craft. For every 25 photos you take, you may get only one or two that are worth keeping. That’s okay. As I said previously, pixels sacrificed in the search of a great photo are easily spent.
Send us MWD photos that you would like to share at info@mwdtsa.org. Happy Shooting!
Many Military Working Dogs are German shepherd dogs, Belgian Malinois and Labrador Retrievers. All of these breeds are prone to being very dark dogs. As handlers will quickly find, all black or other dark dogs can be a particular challenge to photograph.
A quick look at the photo below of three handlers and their dogs will illustrate that the dogs with dark or all black coasts tend to show less details in photos. Max, on the right, is more visible to the eye than either of our bi-color buddies with their dark faces. So how do we tackle the problems of photographing these great dogs?
We loved this photo we recently received. It also illustrates clearly the huge difference in detail that you can see in various dogs’ faces. The darker the face, the less detail you see.
So what to do?
Lighting, again is the first challenge. As discussed in our previous MWD Photo Shoot Blog, soft light is almost vital in taking photos of darker dogs: photos taken on overcast days, or light early in the morning or late afternoon will produce the best images. Harsh light will produce shadows which will often serve to make dark features even more indistinguishable.
Additionally, light can be augmented by reflection of light onto the dogs. Placing reflective white poster board, or placing the dog near a white wall that reflects light will offer some additional detail to your photos. Alternatively, bouncing a flash off of a white wall, white poster board will add more indirect light.
When photographing in direct light, try taking photos with the light coming from the side.
Recommendations for shooting black dogs also include having a neutral, uncluttered background. Photographers should remember that dark dogs taken against a dark subject will lose detail and fade into the background, thus making the dog virtually invisible.
One should also avoid white and other extremely light backgrounds. Green grass, fields, leaves and other natural backgrounds are good.
This photo taken of Nero inside a car (in the shade) shows more detail of his handsome little black face. Below are a few other of my favorite photos of dark dogs.
Billy and Posha Courtesy of DoD Beautiful photo of black dog against a neutral background.
Below a photo of Rocky. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Matthew P. Troyer Side light. Notice dog is squinting in the sun.
U.S. Marine Corps improvised explosive device (IED) detection dog Rocky, attached to India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, rests during a patrol in Kajaki, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 22, 2010. The unit patrolled the area to deter insurgent emplacement of improvised explosive devices. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Matthew P. Troyer/Released)
Indirect light coming in from a window.
Photo courtesy of Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo
Next Monday: MWD Photo Shoot: Basic Elements of Composition
If you work long hard hours with your dog on jagged rocks or blistering pavement, you are going to need some quality boots. We are pleased to share with you that we have received a donation of 15 pairs of these superb boots from the Ruffwear Company. We have been promised photos of some of the recipients in the boots and will be sure to post them as soon as we receive them.
In the meantime, please check out these awesome boots at ruffwear.com and be sure to stop by and voice your support for a great company giving back to America’s military working dogs.
Thank you Ruffwear! We appreciate your donation and we know the handlers will appreciate it too, as they asked for you by name!
MWDTSA is proud to partner with OOIDA: Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association – an association of truck drivers to help round up addresses for their fabulous care packages. We generally send addresses of handlers who will be deployed for a year and who have additional dog handlers with whom they can share the generous contents of these great packages.
We were first connected with OOIDA via a Vietnam era Combat Tracker dog handler, Bill Casey, from Ohio. Bill is a member of OOIDA When Jeanne Dedrick joined the board, she and her husband were also members. We love truck drivers and OOIDA as they are both a generous and patriotic group.
This organization took on the cause of dogs, in addition to supporting all troops. Above is one of the care packages they put together to send to some of the kennels down range.
Below are packages received by some of the handlers.
From the photos, we think the dogs would join OOIDA…. if they could only drive truck….darn those missing opposable thumbs…LOL
Thanks to OOIDA for sending this important support. Please stop by their website and say thanks: http://ooida.com/. And, thanks, Adam for the great photos.