Brand & Commercial
Hero imagery and campaign sets for pet, outdoor, and lifestyle brands — built to your creative direction.
About Chris Davis — Dog Sports, Action & Brand Photographer
About
13 years chasing dogs at full speed.
I'm Chris Davis, the photographer behind Davis Dog Sports Media — a commercial dog and pet photographer specializing in dog sports, action, and brand work. I've been shooting dog sports since 2013 — dock diving, hunt tests, retriever trials, and the events that bring the best dogs and handlers in the country together. Based in Northern Illinois, near Chicago, and available nationwide, I've spent years learning to read a dog a half-second before the moment, so the frame lands sharp, intentional, and full of energy.
Most of my best work happens from inside the event. I travel with the crews, work alongside the handlers, and get close to the action where the real moments live — the launch off the dock, the mark in the field, the look between a dog and its handler. That access is what lets me deliver images you can't get from the sidelines — for the events, the organizations, and the pet, outdoor, and sporting brands behind them.
Selected coverage
- Super Retriever Series (SRS) Crown Championship Embedded photographer, Super Dock & Retriever Trials · 2024–2026
- UKC Premier Nationals Contracted coverage · 2024–2026
- AKC North American Diving Dogs National Championships 6 days of national coverage · FL, 2014 & 2015
- AKC NADD North Central Regional Championships 4 days of coverage · IL, 2020
- UpDog International Finals 3 days of coverage · MO, 2017
- AKC Publication 1st Place, Black & White category · 2016
Services
What I shoot for brands
Commercial dog and pet photography for pet, outdoor, and lifestyle brands — flexible engagements from a single hero image to a full campaign day on location, with studio space arranged when a shoot calls for it.
Action & Sports
Agility, dock diving, disc, and lure coursing captured at peak motion, tack-sharp and dramatic.
Lifestyle & Editorial
Dogs and handlers in natural, story-driven moments for editorial features and social content.
Product & Gear
Equipment and products shown in real use, with dogs that make the gear look as good as it works.
Looking for event galleries, prints, or digital downloads from a show? Those live on my SmugMug galleries.
Licensing
Image licensing & usage
How my photographs can be used, and what it costs. Personal keepsakes are handled right in the event galleries. Anything used to promote a business, brand, product, or organization needs a commercial license — priced to the specific use and quoted before you buy.
Personal
You and your dog, for your own enjoyment — prints, gifts, and personal social posts. Bought directly from the event gallery. No separate license needed.
Commercial
Any use that promotes a business, brand, product, breeder, or organization: websites, ads, packaging, sponsor content, marketing. Licensed to the use and quoted before you buy.
Priced by usage, not by file size
The value of a commercial image comes from where it runs, how long it runs, and how widely. A single social post and a year-long national campaign are very different things, so I quote each license to the actual use rather than the file. Tell me the details and I'll give you a firm number.
For sponsors and organizations that need ongoing coverage — event content, marketing assets, season-long visibility — I work on a day rate plus a usage license rather than per image. Tell me what you're trying to accomplish and I'll scope it.
What moves the price
- Reach. One company page, or a national audience? Wider reach, higher value.
- Duration. A one-time post, or a year on your homepage? Longer term costs more.
- Exclusivity. Do you need to be the only one who can use it, or is a shared license fine?
- Placement. Social, web, print, paid ads, and packaging each carry different weight.
- Volume. A set of images for a season or campaign is packaged at a better per-image rate.
Request a licensing quote
All images are protected by copyright. A purchased print or personal download does not grant commercial rights; commercial use without a license isn't permitted.