It was a great weekend for a one of MCP’s clients. Barb and Bill Leavell’s grand champion dog, GCH Bar-B's Tawny Mist Topias or “Topi” won Best in Show at the Lewis-Clark Kennel Club Dog Show this weekend in Lewiston, ID. My sincere congratulations to Topi’s handler, Ed Thomason, Ed’s assistant and amazing groomer, Aaron Bradshaw, and Barbara and William Leavell for this wonderful and singular honor. We all knew Topi was a BIS dog, we are just happy others see it too. Go Topi!

Tags: Topi

This weekend, at a dog show in Lewiston, ID, I was approached by several individuals asking me if I proofed ads with clients before sending them to print. I replied that I do every time. Apparently, the copy I was given regarding a dog’s certifications was, well, exaggerated. I later learned that when other owners and breeders of this specific breed confronted this former MCP client about the exaggerated title, she said it was MCP’s mistake.

I was surprised by this and completely taken off guard. In the commercial world, businesses work very hard to tailor copy in their ads to be accurate and effective. With a sue-happy public, constant vigilance is vital. I learned a valuable lesson about advertising in the world of champion dogs: verify titles with the AKC, UKC, or whatever registry they are using. At the very least it will catch a typo, and at most it will avoid a mess like this.

In the end, after consulting the AKC representative (thank you Allen) and reviewing what happened here, the course of action MCP will take is very clear and things will work out well. It does underscore the importance of ethics on two fronts: Always apply the highest standard in your own work, and don’t assume others will do the same.

Late last week, Japan was hit with a devastating quake, tsunami, and pending nuclear power plant incident. First let me say that our prayers and support go out to all those affected by this tragedy. Several people have asked me how this affected Canon and I replied with the only information I know: Canon was touched by this, as all were, but still is in operation. Here is the a link to the Canon website regarding the latest information on their company and their operations: Damage Report.

In addition, we will continue to support our friends at Canon, and in Japan in general, by giving them all the support they need, even if it includes just keeping them in our daily prayers. You can make a donation through iTunes to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts: Red Cross iTunes page.

Tags: Canon, Japan Tragedy, Red Cross

Have you every noticed, those of you who are small business owners yourself, that sometimes last thing you get around to with your own company is the aspect of your business you do best? MCP web site was sorely out of date and the photos were, well, getting old. I got to the point where I couldn’t look at the old site anymore. For some reason, my clients loved it, but I knew I could do better, much better.

So here is the new site. We here at MCP are going through a few growing pains which is, of course, a good thing. We have a new set of emails, new servers, a new website, new slogan, and a whole new focus. Play to your strengths, right? I hope you enjoy the new face of MCP as much as we enjoyed developing it.

Coats are coming back, the clouds are filling back in, and now is a great time to shoot a catalogue for next year’s advertising. Many clients come to me wanting an image for the next issue of a magazine. Of course the deadline is today and the shot needs to be retouched and composited to edit out the streaker in the background and a person doing an obscene gesture. MCP will always accommodate clients. We love our clients. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a metric ton of cure. Setup shoots now for the the next year.

Here is a strategy that works. First, figure out the budget and list a set of advertising goals. Next, sit down with MCP and build a plan for advertising that will coincide with key shows. At that point, it is time to plan some photography sessions that will highlight your dog and set them apart from the rest. When it is time to submit the photos and ads, they are already finished and ready to go. No stress, no worries.

Send us an email here at Maritime City Photography and let us help build a campaigning strategy for your dog. We do photos | web | print so you can be sure that everyone else sees what you already know: Your dog is a winner.