John Ashbey:
FIFTY YEARS IN FOCUS by Jessica Braatz
For 150 years, photography has been richly intertwined with The Westminster Kennel Club’ s history, shaping the organization’ s very beginnings and continuing to capture its legacy today. From news coverage to spectator snapshots to win photo archives, photographs offer the most accurate accounts of Westminster’ s annual show and its canine competitors. This link between Westminster and photography even includes the historical creation of its famed“ Sensation” emblem. In 1876, when the then Westminster Club inquired to England in search of a Pointer to bring back to the United States, the club received a photograph of a dog named“ Don,” later imported under the name“ Sensation.” From that photograph, a 150-year legacy was born. For the century and a half since, the story of Westminster has continued to be told through the lens. Yet, few realize that an official photographer has long been an essential part of this tradition, and that for the past 50 years, this role has been filled by legendary dog show photographer John Ashbey.
Photography can be a fickle, often finicky art form. It requires immense focus, intent, and vision to capture such treasured moments. But when the subject is canine, and the handler, judge, and ribbon must all exude a composed sense of pride, the challenge grows exponentially. Throughout his tenure as Westminster’ s official photographer, John Ashbey has navigated this challenge deftly, capturing countless treasured moments with nuance, freezing them in time, and cementing them in history, much like himself.
John Ashbey has long been a pioneer in the world of show photography. His tenure as Westminster’ s official photographer began in 1976, the year he captured the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in color for the very
first time. In an era of darkroom development, and after decades of black and white captures, a new life pulsed through these photos. Like never before, the color of the dogs’ coats gleamed, the famed purple and gold rosettes were radiant, and the fashions of each judge and handler were fully realized. It was a revolution, transforming how the show would be remembered, and it unlocked a new depth of memory that now allows us to look back at half a century of Westminster in vivid color.
THE PHOTO
John Ashbey’ s five decades of photography at Westminster have been defined by his profound knowledge of dogs and their structure. For John, a proper win photograph is all about balance, prioritizing flexibility with the camera angle to bring out the best in the dog, while remaining mindful of the breed’ s standard. Early in his career, he explained,“ You have to take a picture of the
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