🏃♂️ The Front Runner Challenge: When the Ball Bounces and So Does the Husband
Theme:
This challenge was all about capturing a high-energy moment: your subject (ideally a dog!) charging straight toward the camera, full of personality, paws in motion, eyes sharp, and lighting on point. It’s the kind of dog action photo that stops you mid-scroll and makes you smile.
🎯 Why I Skipped the Model Call (Spoiler: My Models Live With Me)
For this challenge, I didn’t put out a model call — I had the perfect subjects at home: Lexie and Murphy, my two resident fluffballs and frequent muses.
Lexie, with her signature half-white face and piercing blue eye, always looks like she’s galloping out of a storybook when she runs.
But this time, I wanted to shine the spotlight on Murphy, our sweet, ball-obsessed Border Collie who’s somehow underrepresented in my photo archives — and that simply wouldn’t do!
Lexie, the Empress in motion — full of joy and grace as always.
🏞️ How We Set the Scene for Our Pet Photography Session
We headed out to an open grassy field near sunset, armed with:
📸 I laid flat on the ground at one end of the field (grass in my hair and all), camera locked and loaded. My husband Charlie handled both dogs on the other side, and we tossed the ball back and forth — giving Murphy every opportunity to run directly at me, tongue out, full tilt, ears flying.
🤦♂️ The Mishap: Tangled Leads and Flying Husbands
It was going great… until it wasn’t.
Murphy hit full stride at the exact moment Charlie repositioned. That long lead tightened, Charlie had a brief moment of clarity: “Oh no” — and then the line caught him like a lasso and sent him airborne.
Thankfully, no injuries — except maybe a bruised ego and a pair of dirty pants.
(Murphy would like to clarify: the ball survived.)
😂 The Things We Do for the Paw-fect Picture
After Charlie’s accidental acrobatics, we carried on with the shoot.
But by the time I stood up from the grass, it was clear: the field had been freshly watered.
Proof that dog photography isn’t always glamorous, but it’s always worth it.
Wet jeans, muddy flip-flops, and one extremely happy dog later, I had what I came for.
🐶 The Final Pick: Technical or Not, It’s Pure Joy
I had two strong contenders:
Lexie, as graceful and glowing as ever.
Murphy, mid-stride with a goofy expression, ears flopping, and light catching him just right — even if it was slightly underexposed.
In the end, I submitted Murphy’s image.
Did the judges love it?
Not particularly.
But me? I love it!
It captured his spirit. It made me laugh. And that photo now lives in my Sparkle Vault as one of my all-time favorites.
💡 Want to Try This Kind of Dog Action Shot?
Here’s what worked for us:
🧵 100-foot lead – great for giving your dog freedom without risking a zoomie into the sunset
🎾 Murphy’s go-to squeaky ball – motivation in motion!
📷 Lying flat on the ground – uncomfortable, but necessary for that dynamic, low-angle shot
😅 Willingness to laugh when you end up soaked from head to toe
🐾 Final Thoughts: Sometimes the Messy Ones Are the Best Ones
The Front Runner Challenge didn’t bring in a ribbon this time, but it brought:
A story I’ll never forget
A hilarious behind-the-scenes moment
And a photo that makes my heart do a little happy dance
These images are more than just pixels — they’re pieces of our dogs’ stories. And I wouldn’t trade this one for anything.
Until next time,
🛍️ Affiliate Disclosure (Because Lexie Said I Had To)
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. It helps fund Murphy’s ball obsession and Lexie’s royal biscuit supply. Thank you for supporting this sparkle-soaked little pet photography biz! 🐾✨
