Apr 1, 2013
On Saturday, I had the chance to visit the All About Pets Show in Toronto. So many lovely furry faces…everything from pure bred, award-winning studs to rescue dogs, therapy dogs and e And, of course, tons of goodies to purchase for all of them!
This beautiful australian shepherd was a natural poser.
A pretty bichon…
The puppies are always the stars and this little bulldog boy was no exception. I wanted to pick him up and just cuddle him!
I love a cavalier king charles! This is Justin, who at 2.5 years old is already quite the award-winning boy!
Just look at that gorgeous face!
All of this looking cute can be quite tiring. This guy just took a nap in the middle of an aisle…and everyone walked around him. It is good to be a dog!
A little pekinese who was full of personality!
A trio of collies…!
Of course, there were lots of kitties, but most were in their pens waiting to be judged. This little ragdoll was absolutely gorgeous and very content to meet all of the people who came by.
Last, but certainly not least, there were a few little pigs. They can be trained like dogs to be housebroken, walk on a leash and are affectionate and loyal pets.
Mar 29, 2013
I had a bit of surprise this year when I was invited to Brampton to speak to a group of students who were learning to cartoon. My friend, Daniela Easter is an award winning artist as well as a personal friend of mine. Apart from her private commissions, she founded and, for the past 9 years has run, Progressive Art for Progressive Kids in Brampton, an art school that helps young people develop their skills and exposes them to the various mediums and forms of art. For the past few months, they were learning how to cartoon!
Given that I provide some of the images of the animals that are used as a basis for the cartoon, Daniela asked me to come and speak to her students. I have to be honest – it is kind of intimidating to walk into a class room of 8-12 year olds who can draw. Really draw. Especially, if you are someone like me who cannot draw anything recognizable. However, photography is just a different medium and Daniela thought it would be beneficial for the kids to meet another working professional in the arts.
They were such a great group of students who were eager to know my process to create beautiful photographs of animals. Equally intriguing to them was the work I do with shelters and rescues. But, I think the highlight for everyone was when I taught them how to howl like a dog! (Yes, making a fool of oneself is an occupational hazard.)
So, it is my complete pleasure to showcase some of the artwork that was produced by this group of young artists!
We’ll start with the photo. This is the original image of an oh-so-cute puppy! (There were lots of awwwwwws when this little face popped up on the screen.)
And the cartoon renditions by Nicholas…
…Grace (who signed her artwork – good girl!)…
…and Avi (who also signed his name).
They then moved onto a playful, little kitten! (This image received an equal amount of awwwwws.)
And the cartoon renditions by Nicholas…
…Prerna…
…and Jessica!
I told you these kids are good!
Should you have a budding artist in your life, please go and check out the curriculum for Progressive Art for Progressive Kids. It changes regularly and covers a lot of ground, so you can nurture that creative spirit!
And, for recent updates and other cute images of furry faces, come on over to the Posh Pets Blog and see what we are up to!
Mar 15, 2013
This week’s challenge was to show off some texture.
One thing that I love about Baxter (among other things) is his amazing fur! It is so unbelievably soft, and along with his wonderful personality he is one gorgeous snuggle bum. For a challenge involving texture, what better subject than my beautiful boy!
And so, here is Baxter showing off his silvery, shimmery self – just look at the texture in that coat!
Next in the blog circle is Denver Pet Photographer, Deanna Hurt at StinkDog Photos. Please take a look at her texture theme for this week.
Mar 12, 2013
I am thrilled to announce the book Paws for Charity is now available for purchase! This is a beautiful book that features 90 talented pet photographers from around the world, showcasing their art work and the support they give to shelter animals everywhere. (Hint: if you take a look at page 53, you will find Posh Pets Photography.) Proceeds from the book sales will be donated SHAID (Sheltering Helpless Animals in Distress) Tree Animal Shelter in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
You have some options for purchasing the book:
E-book form for the iPads and tablet crowd can be purchased here while those who would love paper and ink can purchase a hardcover and softcover versions here. Consider purchasing the hardcover version – I am told that it is gorgeous and a true coffee table book and well worth the upgrade. To help make your decision easier, the one-time use code CSVIP will give you 20% off the book versions if you purchase before April 5, 2013.
So, what are you waiting for?
Mar 3, 2013
When I heard that Dachshund UN would be making its debut in Toronto, I was very excited! The thought of 36 doxies in a room … well, these are ideas that make a pet photographer happy! If you don’t know what all of the fuss is about, check this link here.
So, as you can imagine, on Friday, March 1, my husband and I showed up with camera gear in tow, to watch the 7 p.m. performance. The curtain rose and we were greeted with this scene.
The crowd applauded the appearance of these guys. The amazing thing was to see the variety and different personalities of the individual “delegates”. Hard to imagine, but those wee dachshunds were able to interact with the crowd – albeit a wiener-dog crazy crowd. Who knew that so many people could be enthralled with simply watching dachshunds being themselves.
The first to be noticed was Mexico. Sitting, ahem, standing in the front row, he had tons to “say” to anyone who would listen. He was definitely the most vocal of the entire group!
Then the guy from Chile raised his head. He was the largest of the group and situated front and centre, he was hard to miss!
This little guy representing Ghana was Simon. This much I learned from the lady standing in line with me as she was oh-so-proud of her grand-doggie as he did so well!
The delegate from Italy was a quiet, beautiful soul. I loved her coat and colouring!
Netherlands thought the whole thing was pretty funny…
…and shared the joke with Zambia (look at that face – he had it all evening!)
I caught the delegate from Argentina napping (I wonder if this happens in ‘real’ UN sessions?).
But, Kyrgyzstan was alert and eager to follow what was happening around them.
Slovenia listened thoughtfully while others “spoke”. This little guy stole my heart with his quiet, gentle demeanour.
But, the most gorgeous award has to go to Cuba. Whoever owns this gorgeous pup…thank you for sharing him or her with us!
That’s a brief round-up of the highlights! I have so many other images to go through and I will try and share some of those in the coming days. And I have to apologize, I do not know if the delegates were boys or girls – I simply picked a gender on what I thought they looked like. If anyone knows these pups personally, please let me know and I will definitely update!
In the meantime, today is your last day to get down to Harbourfront and see these dachshunds for the last time! The performance begins at 2 p.m. and admission is free on a first come, first admitted basis.
Mar 1, 2013
When we were asked to incorporate shoes in our image this week, I knew exactly what shoes I would use! These are my fanciest, blinged-out, look-at-me-I’m-wearing-sexy-red-shoes pair that I own. They are beautiful and they make your leg look awesome!
Only one problem. I’ve never worn them.
See, I bought them on a whim. They were beautiful and, as I recall, they were part of an amazing sale. Unfortunately, they were, and are, the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever bought. My foot cramped up in the store just trying to get them on. For some reason though, I convinced myself that all of that would change if I brought them home and walked around in them. But, that didn’t happen. So, they sit in my closet, in a box on the shelf, looking sexy.
However, not all is lost. As you can see they photograph beautifully. And as an added bonus, when I brought them out to photograph them, my husband naturally asked, “When did you get the new shoes?“. At which point, I could truthfully reply that I have had them for years. 🙂
Baxter, being a boy, thought they were pretty sexy too. So, here he is checking them out…
Next in the blog circle is Tracy Sutherland Photography in Squamish, BC, Canada. Let’s go and see what happened to her shoes this week!
Feb 27, 2013
I was back at Toronto Animal Services – North on Monday and the weather was definitely milder! Which was a nice change from the previous week. Photographing some other wonderful wagging tails and furry faces is always a highlight of my week.
This little troupe is available from TAS – North, so please contact them directly to inquire about them. As always, there is some information such as ID number and other little details on the Posh Pets’ Facebook page. Enjoy and see you next week!
Feb 22, 2013
Having been away for a week of vacation seemed like a long time. So, I walked into the shelter this week to find that there were a few more dogs than usual to photograph. Not only that, but it was freezing outside, so we had to be quick!
There are some beautiful furry faces this week and I am sharing all of their lovely faces here. If you see someone you like, please contact Toronto Animal Services – North directly. There is an off-site adopt-a-thon this weekend, so it would be good to call ahead and see where the particular dog or cat you are interested in will be. That way, there is no disappointment 🙂
I also have posted a few details about each of these adoptables on the Posh Pets’ facebook page. Check that out here.
So, here we go!
Feb 21, 2013
We were vacationing in Arizona and California this past week and I had fun photographing some different animals other than the usual furry faces that pass in front my lens. This was my first time trying to photograph birds, which although was quite frustrating at the beginning (they move a lot more quickly than dogs and cats!), I found it can be quite addictive.
But first, this image. On our very first morning, we were treated to a beautiful Arizona sunrise! Apparently, there are not often clouds in the sky in Arizona, so this was a real treat!
We then went to the Desert Museum in Tucson to see some of the beautiful animals that make the Sonoma Desert and meet the birds! My first bird was a beautiful Red Cardinal.
Then, came a Stellars Jay…
A Magnificent Humingbird…
… and a Black Headed Grosberg.
A Rufous-Backed Robin…
…and a pair of happy Doves!
I even got to photograph the Cactus Wren, which is so very ‘south-western’.
Lastly, I got to see a Screech Owl…
…and a majestic Harris Hawk.
These were all beautiful birds and I would love to photograph some others! So, if you know any beautiful pet birds in need of a Posh Pets‘ custom portrait photography session, have their humans contact me!
Now, stay tuned for another blog post where you can enjoy some of the other wild animals of the South West!
Feb 18, 2013
We spent a day in Lake Havasu City which is technically in Arizona, but shares its border with California. First thing I noticed: this city belongs to the dogs! I have never seen so many people about with dogs, and most significantly, everyone seemed to be walking two. There were little groups comprising of 8 paws everywhere and, in speaking with a number of the humans, these little pairs were almost always related to each other.
Given the fact that it was a gorgeous day, I did get to have some impromptu “mini shoots” while we vacationed. One of these was with Shasta and Sugarplum, who are a mom and daughter Shih Tzu duo, and whom I met by chance in the hotel lobby (this is a pet-friendly city and the hotels reflect that). Their mom told me that she had once taken the two of them to a pet store for pictures, but that the images were not what she had wanted. So, we decided to take 10 minutes for some quick photographs on the hotel grounds. So, in honour of the fact that today is Family Day in Ontario (and some of the other provinces in Canada), please meet this little family…
First up was Shasta. She is 6 years old and is a quiet little soul, always observing.
Sugarplum is Shasta’s daughter and is 3 years old. She is a gregarious, attention-loving little thing. And she has the wind-blowing-in-your-hair-head-tilt-supermodel pose down pat!
After a few minutes, Shasta decided that this was going to be fun and relaxed into a lovely reclining pose.
…while Sugarplum flashed her gorgeous smile!
Towards the end of our time together, we were able to get an image of them together, which their mom just loved!
After their mom saw the images, she told me that she wished I lived closer so that they could experience a full Posh Pets Boutique Session. I honestly hear that a lot. The difference between a holiday photo in a pet store environment and custom portrait photography is dramatic. Thus, I always encourage people to consider investing in portrait photography because it is a gorgeous way to capture the essence and life of our pets now, and for years to come.
Shasta and Sugarplum, I am so glad we met and your mom gave me the opportunity to photograph you. You are darlings and I know your mom loves the pictures!
Feb 15, 2013
So, this week found me driving the length and breadth of Arizona on a little vacation, enjoying the breathtaking Grand Canyon and Sedona. However, for this week’s Project 52 theme, I had to find a doggy that would “smile” for my camera. Fortunately, by the time we reached Lake Havasu City, it was a gorgeous spring day and I found a city full of people walking dogs…mostly in pairs. When I happened upon an off-leash dog park, I met Wally and Tyson, both who were willing to show me their great smiles!
Thanks so much to you both!
Next in the blog circle is Tara Lynn, owner of InBetween the Blinks Photography in Raleigh, NC. Please click through to see who she made smile this week!
Feb 6, 2013
I am a little late with getting this post up this week, but not to fear…we met some lovely furry faces this week! They are all available from TAS – North, so if you are interested in meeting one of them, give them a call directly to find out a little more. And, as always, a bit more information about each one of them is available on the Posh Pets Photography Facebook page.
