Bomb Sweeps and Dog Treats
I was contracted to capture photos and some footage with the local K-9 Unit for a magazine spread. This mostly focused on candid action shots of Officer Bofysil and her partner Nitro while they were training, doing bomb sweeps and interacting with the public. Needless to say, this was a ton of fun to work on. I got to join a few ride alongs with the duo and learn a lot about their relationship together and how it affects their work.
This project did present a new challenge for me however. Not only was I required to stay up extremely late and wake up extra early to work with them, I had to take clear pictures of an extremely quick animal (Nitro) while he did his duties.
Photographing anything in low light is an obstacle when you can’t utilize any flash systems (I was required not to for the gig). This is especially true when your subject is constantly on the move. I joined Officer Bofysil and Nitro while they performed a bomb sweep in a stadium the morning before a major event. Nitro scurried from room to room, aggressively searching for any threats while Officer Bofysil directed where Nitro went.
This meant that I too had to scurry from room to room and crawl on the floor and underneath whatever Nitro was under.
The end results was a fun and fast-paced photoshoot that required a lot of on-the-fly camera adjustments and clever use of angles to capture as much light as possible without losing sight of the pair.
Not quite satisfied with the shots we had collected up to that point, I managed to arrange a last-minute bite work session with Officer Bofysil and found a volunteer to wear the suit. I quickly set up a few GoPros and recorded a few attacks while I photographed the session.
“Nitro ranked number 3 in the nation this past year for speed and agility as an attack dog.”
“Come again?”
Even now, two years later, I still keep in touch with Officer Bofysil. I had so much fun working on this project with her and Nitro that I’ve volunteered to document other ride alongs when they pop up for the K-9 Unit for internal use.
If you’d like to see what it’s like to be attacked by a professional dog, give me a call and we can probably set something up.