Dallas Lone Star State Classic Dog Show 2026
This July, we set up our studio at the Dallas Market Hall for our very first event as a company at the Lone Star State Classic Dog Show in Dallas, Texas. The show ran for four days and included over 150 different breeds exhibiting (over 1,700 dogs)! This was also the first conformation show Olivia and I had ever attended. Each day as we sat at our booth and walked the venue, we were in awe of the beautiful dogs and we had so much fun identifying breeds, asking owners and handlers about their breed’s traits and personalities, and learning more about what makes each breed so special. It was truly incredible seeing so many gorgeous dogs and talented handlers in one place.
Since this was our first time as vendors at an event like this, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We knew this would be a very different setup compared to our normal photography days, so we planned accordingly. We changed up our pricing structure for the show, ran a contest for a free mini session, offered free test shots, limited backdrop color choices to one-per-day, and somehow managed to fit all of our lights, equipment, props, backdrops and supplies into a 10′ x 20′ space (we only dropped a laptop one time, I think that’s a win).
On Wednesday, I drove into the venue, unloaded my car and set up our booth. We hit the ground running on Thursday morning, and began the weekend by photographing four dogs! There wasn’t much foot traffic from spectators this day, and the exhibitors were getting settled in for the weekend so it was one of the slower days for our booth, but by the next day, things were really picking up. We photographed seven dogs on Friday and there were a lot more folks at the show to spectate and shop! We talked to a lot of people who said they follow us on social media, which was a really cool to hear as a small business owner. Everytime someone mentioned that they’ve seen our work and know who we are was the best feeling! We especially loved hearing “you guys are the ones who do the fun photos!” Throughout the weekend we also reconnected with folks we know from the dog community who we haven’t seen in quite some time, which is always nice. By Saturday, things were really bustling. We photographed 16 dogs, talked with so many people, and tried our best to catch up on editing photos from the previous days of the show. Sunday was the final day and most folks had already left town, or were headed out as soon as their dog was finished in the show ring, so we photographed just two dogs. After saying goodbye to our new friends, fellow vendors, and cleaning up our booth, we headed home. While we were exhautsed, we felt so energized and inspired by everything the weekend brought and we are incredibly grateful we atteneded this event.
In total, we photographed 29 dogs and considering this was our first-ever event, we are very proud of that! We also got to check off NINE new breeds for our Dog Breed Goal, how exciting!
To everyone who made us feel SO welcome, stopped by to say hello, entered our contest, followed us on social media, shared our Instagram and Facebook posts, reccomended us to your friends, brought your dog over for some treats or to be interviewed with Olivia’s tiny microphone (iykyk) or booked a session with us that weekend (!!!), we are so grateful for you and this community we are apart of. Our business couldn’t exist without your continued support and we are so appreciative!