NACSW NW3 - Macclenny, Florida

Julia and I took part in the National Association of Canine Scent Work's NW3 trial yesterday at the Baker County Fairgrounds in Macclenny, Florida. The trial was hosted by the K9 Obedience Club of Jacksonville. Chilly start to the day (39°) but turned into a beauty of a day (70°). Fantastic place for a trial. Very well organized. Thanks to the host, CO, judges, and all volunteers.

Julia completed her NW3-Vehicles and NW3-Interior titles. Although she didn't get an outright NW3 title, under the new 2020 rules she did get a qualifying score of 88.89.

She located 7 of the 8 hides. The elements for this trial were 2 container searches, 2 vehicle searches (1 was even a blank or 0 hides), 1 exterior search, and 1 interior search.

Once again, my girl always amazes me. Even at 10 years old she's still full of beans, yet can focus when she needs too. It's super fun to have this kind of special time with her. Rock on Miss Julia!

  • All video elements below

nacsw-nw3-julia-golden-retriever-macclenny-florida-nosework-scent-work-dog.jpg
NACSW NW3 Macclenny, Florida Julia's Vehicle Search 1 - 0 hides / 0 alerts (Blank)
NACSW NW3 Macclenny, Florida Julia's Vehicle search 2 - 2 hides / 2 alerts
NACSW NW3 Macclenny, Florida Julia's Interior Search - 2 hides / 2 alerts
NACSW NW3 Macclenny, Florida Julia's Container Search 1 - 1 hide / 1 alert
NACSW NW3 Macclenny, Florida Julia's Container Search 2 - 1 hide / 1 alerts

NACSW NW3 Macclenny, Florida Julia's Exterior Search - 2 hides / 1 alert / 1 miss

Julia Wraps Up Her Overall AKC Scent Work Advanced Title

Super fun time at the Scent Work Club of Brevard County's debut trial held at Canine Star Training Academy in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Thanks to the judges and volunteers for all your hard work.

Julia finished her AKC Advanced Exterior Title today which completes her overall AKC Advanced Title. She was 3 out of 4 runs over the weekend and picked up two 1st places and one 2nd place. So proud of my girl.

Advanced exterior results for the weekend -

Trial 1 - 48.90 seconds / 1st place

Trial 2 - NQ

Trial 3 - 34.75 seconds / 2nd place

Trial 4 - 19.75 seconds / 1st place

Julia Completes Her AKC Scent Work Excellent Container Title & Advanced Buried Title

Julia and I attended the AKC Scent Work Trials at the Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg on Saturday. She completed her Excellent Container Title placing 1st and her Advanced Buried Title placing 3rd. This girl never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks to the hosting club, judges, volunteers and other competitors. Super fun time!

Special thanks to Kim Langevin at Crystal Creek Designs for the action photos.

Intentional Camera Movement Photography - Revisited

Back in 2016, I started experimenting with intentional camera movement photography or ICM. You can read the original post here. I wanted to briefly revisit the subject and share a few of my favorite new images.

As I mentioned in my first blog post, the idea of intentional camera movement photography is to introduce blur into the photograph using a slow shutter speed. Shutter speed should be somewhere between 1/4 of a second up to a few seconds while moving the camera vertically or horizontally. This technique can create some wonderful abstract photos.

Tip - When pressing the shutter button, move the camera slow for a shot and then try it faster. Results vary tremendously, so experiment, try different shutter speeds, and move the camera at a slower or quicker motion. This is a total trial and error process. Have fun!

Now more than ever, I find intentional camera movement photography a super-fun way to try new things with no rules. Most times, multiple images are required to achieve “the shot” that I’m looking for, but it’s all worth it.

California Pacific Ocean Abstract - 2.4 seconds at F10

Florida Seascape Abstract - 0.5 seconds at F36

AKC Scent Work Trials - DeLand, Florida

Brilliant day today for Julia at the AKC Scent Work Trial(s) hosted by Central Florida Agility Club in DeLand, Florida. A big shout out to the host, judges, volunteers, and competitors. Such a fun time!

Julia titled in both Novice B Exterior and Novice B Buried. Her runs consisted of a 1st place (Buried Trial 1), two 2nd places (Buried Trial 2 & Exterior Trial 2), and a 3rd place (Exterior Trial 1). Top it all of with a High In Trial (Trial 2). Super proud of her!!!

Special thanks to Bad Azz Dogz for the photos!