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Dog lovers, prepare to drool like a Saint Bernard with jealousy. Landon Nordeman got to photograph the World Dog Show in Helsinki, where over 21,000 pups attended to compete for Best in Show. He pitched the project to Time Magazine well in advance, and continually followed up with editors before he got the official green light to do it. The images fit right in with the rest of Landon’s work, as they’re representative of his instantly recognizable approach.
The world of dog shows is a natural fit for my style, which a client once described as ‘quirky and fun with a fashion sensibility.’ I’d say that is a pretty accurate assessment – however, I never thought about style as a conscious decision – it’s just the way I see the world.
Not only is the style reflective of the rest of Landon’s work, but dog shows are nothing new to him. He first photographed the Westminster Dog Show in New York for a newspaper, where he was assigned to photograph one specific pooch. However, when that dog and their owner needed some alone time, Landon ventured into the show and followed his instincts, and he now continues to photograph the Westminster Dog Show every year. That assignment also ignited Landon’s interest in photographing other dog shows.
After photographing Westminster three times, I was curious about dog shows around the world. I’ve been fortunate to photograph shows in France, England, Romania, and now Finland.
As anyone who’s tried to photograph an animal knows, there are infinite surprises and difficulties that accompany it. The most challenging thing for Landon, however, was not related to the dogs.
The only real challenge with this show was the number of non-English speakers – many of them Russian. That can make starting a conversation or getting caption information difficult.
“Fortunately,” Landon says, “most of the dogs spoke English.”
Landon has received positive feedback about the work – even from the Finnish Kennel Club, who hosted the show. He has yet to hear from the true stars, though.
I have not heard any feedback from the dogs in the pictures.
Landon plans to continuing photographing dog shows, and hopes to eventually publish a book. To see more of his work, check out his website, and stop by newsstands this week to pick up the September 1st issue of Time to see Landon’s work in print!