One of the main reasons you choose a
photographer for your needs, whether it be
for dog shows or a candid session, is
finding a professional that is experienced
with dogs and understands breed type.
Growing up in the suburbs of Toronto, David
has always been involved with animals. If not
raising orphaned wild animals, he was
investigating their habitat and taking
pictures of them. “I always thought the
perfect job was to be a photographer for
National Geographic”.
Between studying photography in school and
belonging to Photo clubs,
 and volunteering
for the local zoo, he kept his dream alive.
From this, he became involved in the retail
industry and worked in pet stores for
several years. His newfound interest found
him breeding and showing tropical fish, this
is when his competitive nature blossomed.
This obsession to compete with his pets took
a leap when he acquired his first purebred
show dog in the mid 70’s.
After breeding and showing sporting dogs for
about 4 years he worked as a show kennel
manager and found the dog show world very
expansive. He decided to broaden his
horizons and moved to the states to
apprentice under a Professional handler,
Paul Edwards in Pennsylvania. This
apprenticeship lasted about eight years and
the knowledge he gained from this was
invaluable. In 1989 David left Pennsylvania
and moved again to Virginia, and opened up
his own handling business.
During the next 15 years he handled show
dogs professionally, and his credits include
hundreds of finished champions and many #1
dogs in their breed. Probably most well
known in recent years for his fortune in the
herding group, he piloted Rough Collies,
Smooth Collies and a Belgian Malinois to
tops in their breed. The team of David and
Gus his Belgian Malinois accomplished many
firsts in the country, including the 1st
Malinois to place in the group at the
prestigious Morris Essex dog club and
probably most special was winning a Group 2
at the Westminster Dog show in 2003.
Although the photography took a backseat to
his handling these years, he still managed
to dabble with candid work here and there.
In 2003, he photographed several specialties
including several Nationals and found the
camera bug again. 2004 was a transition year
as he started winding down on his handling
career; he started taking on more photo
assignments. In November 2004 He hung up the
lead and picked up the camera.
To date his credits from the candid
photography include book covers, magazine
covers, and countless photos of his work are
seen in advertisements in several dog
publications. He has photographed many
National Specialties, and all breed shows.
His love for dogs has filtered through to
his photography and having experienced
working with dogs and dog people for over 25
years, he has gained knowledge that cannot
be taught in school or photography class.
The greatest compliment one can receive is
the recommendation of their work to others.
"I considered handling dogs for people very
serious and very personal. I now want to use
all that I have learned in the dog show
world and apply that to my photography".
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