32 replies to this topic

[Chesney's Girl]

Lovely photos Lynn.

How close were you positioned for these pictures? I find that I want an even higher zoom than my 70-300mm when I photograph trials and working dogs.

[Alchemist]

Danielle, they were nice enough to let me sit right next to the judge, so I was as close as I'm ever likely to get at a trial! But you can see the subject distance in each shot from my EXIF on Flickr. And of course I was very close for the best shots.

I hear you on the 70-300. That's been my lens of choice at sheepdog trials as well, though I'm with you, I wish it had more "reach". That's the major reason why I rented the teleconverter with the 70-200mm f/2.8; I knew it would give me a 140-400mm f/5.6. But the softness was nasty in most of the shots, even stopped down.

Nikon makes an 80-400mm zoom but one of my Flickr contacts tells me its AF is so slow she can go and make a pot of tea while it's hunting for the subject.

I rented the new Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 OS lens for some birding I did in Florida on spring break (and you can see the shots I've gotten around to processing in my photostream). I was pleased by how sharp it was, but I didn't put it to the test with fast-moving subjects. I'll try to rent one again for the next sheepdog trial I attend. It's not a light-weight lens, though, and I'm not sure I'd get good shots with it handheld all day. (Though I did get one good shot of a female boat-tailed grackle handheld). But then I had the 70-200 on a tripod as well. OTOH, I'm willing to bet you're fitter than I am!

[Anda]

Excellent! So all I have to do is buy this lens and I will take pictures equalling the quality of yours, Anda? Why didn't you say so before?

LOL I tried to tell you to buy it )))

[Bluzinnias]

Wonderful work Lynn! I love the shot of Flora! I need to get on the site and order one.

Thanks for all your hard work over that weekend. I know it can be exhausting!

Extraordinary shots!

Michelle

[Gideon's girl]

The bearded BC photo is the best I've ever seen. The BC museum would probably be thrilled to have it submitted to them.

[Laurae]

But doesn't James (and thus Sirius) have some Beardie in him?

[Mark Billadeau]

But doesn't James (and thus Sirius) have some Beardie in him?

What is you're breed defintion of Border Collie? Does it follow that of the AKC (looks) or the ABCA (work)?
By my breed defintion the dogs in question are Border Collies.

So where did the dogs used to develop the Breaded Collie come from: ISDS registered working dogs.

[WildFlower]

The bearded BC photo is the best I've ever seen. The BC museum would probably be thrilled to have it submitted to them.

If I am not mistaken, Sirus' sire James' photo is in the BC musuem already. As well as Christine's (a board member) Lone, who is also a beardie BC.

[PSmitty]

Wow, beautiful!

[Alchemist]

Thanks, all! This trial was a high point of my summer.

Sorry to be slow in responding - getting ready for a conference next week and two weeks' vacation immediately following (though I'll have my laptop with me, should anyone want to order photos for the Tim M benefit fund - close to $200 raised from the photos so far!) has kept me hopping. (On top of the two trips this week to the vet's).

Emily, can't wait to meet Livy and take her photo (though it will be some time before I'll be able to add this lens to my permanent collection!). Can she teach Duncan a "time" command on stock? He's got a "steady" off stock, though I'm sure he'll deny ever having heard the phrase at his next lesson.

Anda, I'm trying to pretend I didn't see your comments. I would like to play ostrich about the differences in the breadth of Nikon vs Canon lens offerings. It WAS your 70-200 f/4 lens I had in mind when I commented on its fantastic results. Did you know I could buy the 7D AND the non-IS 70-200 f/4 for less than the cost of Nikon's 70-200 f/2.8 VRII? (sigh).

Especial thanks to Michelle! (You know where to find me, sigh). Your photos of sheepdogs in action are a continual inspiration to me!

Laura E (and others): I think James is 1/32 Beardie (which would make Sirius 1/64), though as far as I know they're both ABCA registered (hence, eligible for AKC registration). Can you imagine ACK's horror if Polly were to bring either one into the show ring?

[Laurae]

Laura E (and others): I think James is 1/32 Beardie (which would make Sirius 1/64), though as far as I know they're both ABCA registered (hence, eligible for AKC registration). Can you imagine ACK's horror if Polly were to bring either one into the show ring?

I understood that James was 1/8 beardie. But my memory could be faulty.

[Sue R]

Here is a link to a photo of James (owned by Barbara Starkey and trained and run by Polly Matzinger) by Christine Koval.

He is rather quite like Lone in appearance, like a Border Collie with bristles. I believe he goes back to Turnbull's Blue but while I used to be able to locate his pedigree online, the site that I could go to to access it appears to be non-functional right now.

I've seen James and Sirius run, and seen working Beardies in Scotland, and they look *nothing* like the show-bred Beardies. The shepherd running one at a demo at the ag research station in Scotland described their working style as a bit more upright than a Border Collie, working a bit more closely in, and occasionally (but not often) barking. I don't know if these are traits found in certain lines or generally true of Beardies. I said "a bit" because the dog(s) I saw worked in a style not radically different from a Border Collie, just "a bit" differently.

James (and Sirius), while having the Beardie coat like Lone, are (I believe) predominently Border Collie in lineage, with the Beardie coat - I don't even think that either of Lone's parents had a Beardie coat but I could easily be wrong in that. I am not familiar with the genetics of this coat type at all.

[juliepoudrier]

According to Polly (IIRC), she thinks bearded is at least partly dominant to smooth. Sirius' dam is Lily, owned by Polly and a smooth/slick coat. Sirius was one of three bearded pups in his litter of four (and yes, Polly avoided the obvious Harry in favor of Sirius). So Sirius, who is probably even hairier than James, is more than 1/2 border collie, since Lily is 100% border collie and James is some percentage border collie.

James' mother Nell was 1/8 beardie. I don't know who James' sire is, but I presume a border collie, which would mean that James is less than 1/8 beardie.

J.