Sheepdog Photographer - Richard Montague

Over the years, many photographers have taken an interest in photographing sheepdogs at work and trials. The ISDS Sheepdog Archive will be uploading as many photographs as possible.

A more recent photographer who photographs sheepdogs is Richard Montague, he can often be seen with his camera at English Nationals, Internationals and World trials.

He has put his trialling photographs on a website - www.sheepdogtrialphotos.co.uk . Some of his trialling photographs are presented in galleries on this website. They can be seen under the relevant trial and date.

There are also PhotoGalleries on this website created by Richard (2016 Longshaw Sheepdog Trials, 2016 English National and 2016 International)

Some background on Richard:

“Well, I was born in Hammersmith  in London in 1949. After my education, I went to an agricultural college for six months with the aim of going into farming, and subsequently worked on farms in Somerset and Devon. Although I loved the job and life, after a year, I realised that this sector of industry would not give me a financially viable future. So I transferred, eventually, into the vastly different world of computer and system development for a major UK airline. I have travelled extensively, and retired a few years ago, after being at the the airline for thirty two years.

I have always retained my love of the countryside, and also the One Man and His Dog TV series. I knew someone in the 2000's who had a border collie (not a working one), and this rekindled my interest in sheepdog trialling.

I attended the ISDS’s English National near Dorking in Surrey in 2011, and was keen to visiting more trials. With my long history of an interest in photography, I combined these two interests. I have visited many ISDS Nationals, Internationals and World Trials since then, and have recorded them photographically, at first just for my own viewing and subsequently creating a website appropriately named www.sheepdogtrialphotos.co.uk to let a larger audience view, buy or use the photographs. Also for records of the Trials to be available to all. A few newspapers and magazines have used my photos over the years.

Travelling and photographing at the Trials is a lovely way of spending time, and has taken me to many places in the UK that I may not have visited. I have met many people who also share my interest in Trialling and Photography.

My interest in Photography goes back to the 'film' photography era in the 1960's and 70’s, and has now entered the digital age. My equipment over the years has been Canon, and I still own film and digital cameras and a variety of lenses. The Handlers, and especially the dogs, make extremely good subjects for photographing…. capturing the 'moment' can produce lovely memories.

Also my interest in Computers and Programming has lead me to produce my website, with my incentive being to share and record the sheepdog trials that I attend for current and future generations to view”.