Meet Louise Tope . . .

LOUISE TOPE has been involved in the dog show scene for over 25 years and has exhibited and handled many different breeds across the groups. For the last 12 years, it’s been purely Whippets and she currently owns four boys all of which proved themselves in the show ring, including a first prize at Crufts.

She has always had an interest in photography and spent many a long hour in the darkroom when studying A-level art. For the past twenty years, she has worked as a professional canine beautician, having owned her own salon for the last nine years. The need to achieve balance and harmony in a perfectly groomed dog, along with her many years of experience in the show ring, has given me a natural ‘eye’ for a good photograph.

She started out taking a few pictures for friends to feature in breed year books and advertisements and it’s been a natural progression from there. She submitted a portfolio to Our Dogs in November 2007 and subsequently started to cover shows in her local area Devon & Cornwall and Whippet events all over the country. Second only to dogs is her passion for beautiful cars, which she also loves to photograph.

Her favourite photograph is “Flying Wilf”, captured at a Lurcher and Terrier show last year. She says she just loves the focus in the dog’s face and the apparently effortless speed. www.dewerstonephotography.co.uk