About Amy Johanson

Dogs were my first passion- I was born into a successful Australian Shepherd breeding program started by my mom in the 90’s. I grew up at dog shows. Our kennel has produced Best in Show winners, Westminster group winners, National Specialty winners, Best in Futurity winners, and more including nearly 50 champions. I am a breeder/owner/handler of my dogs and take great pride in the preservation of purebred animals.

I’ve been behind a camera for the last 15 years. In 2019, I decided to take the plunge into being a full time self employed photogapher. I began working in the horse show industry as a private client photographer. That career was great fun… wintering in sunny Wellington, FL at WEF and spending summers bouncing from Kentucky (KHP) to Michigan (GLEF) to New York (Lake Placid) and Pennsylvania (Devon), just to name a few places.

I was mentored in the art of dog show photography by a legend of the industry, Fritz Clark. We met by chance while I was having a win photo taken. We happened to discuss that I wanted to travel for work less than the horse show circuit demanded. Lucky me- Fritz was getting ready to retire and wanted a protege to train. I worked as his assistant and learned the nuances of each breed from him for an entire year. I learned just how much knowledge is involved in taking the perfect win photo.

I love my job very much and enjoy getting to work with both newbies and seasoned professionals to get a great photo. I’m passionate about getting it right because I am just like the people I take photos of every weekend. I’m an active exhibitor myself, when I’m not behind the camera.