Event Coverage
Embedded, start-to-finish coverage of major dog sporting events — championships, trials, and national finals, captured from inside the action.
About Chris Davis — Dog Sports Event & Portrait Photographer
About
13 years chasing dogs at full speed.
I'm Chris Davis, the photographer behind Davis Dog Sports Media — a dog photographer specializing in major dog sporting events and high-end dog portraits. 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. When the competition winds down, I bring that same eye to the portrait: studio-grade headshots and fine-art portraits that show a dog at its absolute best.
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
Two things, done well: full coverage of major dog sporting events, and high-end portraits and headshots. Available across the country, on the dock and in the studio.
Action & Sports
Dock diving, agility, disc, hunt tests, and retriever trials caught at peak motion — tack-sharp, dramatic, and full of energy.
Portraits & Headshots
High-end dog portraits and studio-grade headshots, on location or in the studio, that show a dog at its absolute best.
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, event, 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, event, breeder, or organization: websites, ads, 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.