Oct 7, 2011
Well, the weather lately is definitely telling us that Fall is upon us. Lovely colours, sunny days, crisp temperatures and maybe a little time to recover from all of summer’s adventures. In honour of that, this week’s theme is all about s-l-o-w-ing it down and chillin’. We were asked to capture animals napping, lounging, relaxing…you get the picture. And so, I present Muffy, sleeping peacefully. Look at that face – don’t you feel all relaxed now?
Now, please head over to California and see what Ali Peterson of Skyy Blue Photo has for us this week! And be sure to follow the blog ring around until you come back here (where you will need a nap after all your travels!).
Sep 2, 2011
For this week’s theme of humour, I thought it might be fun to take you behind the scenes and see some of the “out-takes” of one of my favourite sessions. The in-between shots are sometimes the funniest and there are some “classic” poses that all pet photographers have come to know and love. I warn you: These will not win any awards, and they rarely make it into the Client Gallery. But, they certainly give me a chuckle nonetheless. Here are 3 for you to enjoy!
First up, at some point in every session, the dog or cat will stick its tongue out at you. As a pet photographer, you just have to develop a thick skin and not take this as any indication of what they think of you or your photography. Or the treats you decided to tempt them with. Besides which, they look so cute doing it.
Secondly, there is the gratuitous bum shot. There is always more grass to sniff or interesting things to look at than the photographer. Again, it is good to not take it personally. This particular pug showed me her bum so many times, I just decided to photograph it! Her mom thought it was hilarious.
Lastly, I have named this one “Use the force, Luke”. Somehow, she just looks like Yoda trying to move an x-wing out of a swamp. (I hope I haven’t dated myself with this last description…no one reading this is actually asking, “Mom, what is she talking about?” Please tell me no…)
Hope you have enjoyed these! Please now go and see the work of Liz Stabbert and see what she has posted for this week! And follow the blog circle all the way around until you end up back here! And, as always, please feel free to leave comments 🙂
Aug 23, 2011
It was with such sadness that I write today. For I wish to introduce you to Rico – a gorgeous dog, a loved family pet and a profound loss.
We met Rico, an 8-year old Golden Retriever on a hot day in June. Before we got to his home, he had already had quite a busy day. In anticipation of his photo session, he had just been to the groomer so that his coat glistened in the sun. His human “sisters” had recently returned from the United States so that they could be photographed with him, and that had meant much excitement as he welcomed them home. Also, devastatingly, just 4 weeks earlier, he had been diagnosed with advanced lymphatic cancer. It really was no surprise then, that Rico was a little tired that day. But as ill as he was, Rico’s love and attachment for his family shone through.
For those who say that a dog does not smile, I ask you to look at Rico’s images. That is a doggie smile! Between frames, Rico would lie down to rest. Or, nuzzle the closest family member. Endearingly so, it became evident that every one of those smiles was for the family that he had shared his life with. For a couple of hours on that June day, Rico gave his family a precious gift – himself.
Two weeks later, Rico was gone. When the end came and the most difficult of decisions had to be made, Rico was surrounded by the family he loved. We had a very emotional Ordering Session. Looking at these images again, his Mom said to me, “you have captured every look and expression he had in his 8 years of life”. We talked about what he had meant to the family. We laughed. We even cried. In the end, the family chose the images that had Rico with his “humans”. I have no doubt that they will be displayed prominently on every wall in the home.
Rico, you were at the core of a loving, close-knit family. A family who misses you dearly – every single day. But your love, loyalty and legacy are forever captured in these images which will be treasured always. Good-bye, sweet Rico.
Rico, laughing at the photographer! (I think he liked our jokes…)
Rico’s best smile. Just look at those soulful eyes!
Aug 14, 2011
It seems that I am behind blogging some of our recent client sessions. Every session with Posh Pets is unique and special, so I like to give them all their moment to shine. Today, is no exception!
This time around, I would like to introduce you to Leila, a lovely 3-year-old black pug. One of the first things you will notice about Leila is that she is petite for her age and breed. (Her Mom is sometimes stopped by strangers asking where they can get a pug like that.) There is, however, a reason for her size – she has a few health issues. But, as her Mom told me in the pre-session consult, it is as if “she didn’t get the memo that she is sick”. Well, was she ever right! Leila brought to her session boundless energy and a very obvious zest for life. Which is why her Mom said that, in the past, she has only ever gotten images of Leila as a “blur”. But we got some beautiful images for Leila’s mom as well as her original foster mom who Leila still keeps in touch with.
Leila, you are truly an example of how to not let our circumstances dictate how much enthusiasm we will have for life. Nor how much love and enjoyment we can bring to others. Here are some of your images. Enjoy them with your family as they love you very much!
Next: Not to be left out, Leila’s older brother Reilly got in on the action and his own photo session. We will post some of his amazing images here soon!
Jul 13, 2011
One beautiful Sunday morning, we set out to Burlington to meet Toby and Caleb. We had been warned by his humans that Toby, the 10 year old husky, could be a “little stubborn” and they were not sure how the session would go. They needn’t have worried. First of all, Tobey had obviously taken his custom portrait session seriously by going out and getting himself groomed and his stunning coat blown out (Okay, maybe his humans had helped a little with this). Secondly, he knew he was a bit of a celebrity and his very walk showed it. Strangers literally stopped us mid-shoot to remark on his coat and that he looked so much younger than his 10 years.
And then there was the gentle Caleb, an 11 year old Rottweiler mix. She is very attached to her mom which can sometimes present some challenges. But in this case, it just meant that she looked wherever her mom was. That is a photographer’s dream! Caleb also loves, loves, loves the water! LaSalle Park, where we had our session, is home to a pretty marina. A number of times during the session Caleb would look longingly at the water and whine to go in. We had already discussed the water and her mom really wanted water pictures of her swimming, so we promised we would let her in – once the “dry land” photos were done. And so Caleb tried her best to be patient and gave us beautiful images. Once we said she could go in the water though – she was off!
So, here are some of our favourite images of our session that day.
Toby and Caleb – you were an absolute joy to meet and to photograph! You are both quite obviously loved by your mom and dad, so enjoy that to the full – we know that the images we captured will be cherished for years to come!
Jun 10, 2011
When we received our theme for this week, I immediately thought hockey. Living in Canada during the last days of the Stanley Cup finals will do that to a person. However, when I suggested to our two cats that we dress them up in hockey jerseys for this week’s image, it was met with such a look of disgust, I immediately thought better of it. Their idea of “sport” is “endurance napping” or “finding just the right ray of sunshine to bask in” or “convince the humans that 5 a.m. is an excellent time to put down some food”. Not exactly Olympic events, although I have my suspicions that they would think that a failure on the Olympic Committe’s part.
As a result, I was thrilled to meet Caleb, a beautiful Rotti mix who loves swimming. Now, that is a sport! So, we arrived early at the park to photograph her and her wonderful family. After some beautiful images on dry land, Caleb was very excited to show off her skills in the water. Here is an image from that session. Please enjoy!
Next up is Natalia and Bill from Photo Lab. We cannot wait to see what great animal sport they captured! As always, please follow the blog circle around, until you end up back here. Caleb will still be enjoying the water!
May 6, 2011
This week’s theme was a real challenge. Our group was instructed to “find a stranger with a pet, introduce yourself and Project 52, and ask if their pet would be willing to model”. Which would give you about 5 minutes. That was no easy task, but it was much harder considering how much it has rained in Toronto this past week. Most days, I did not want to go outside, let alone approach a stranger and ask them to stand in the driving rain while I photographed their pet. I am pretty sure my equipment would not have enjoyed it either.
However, yesterday was a beautiful day with gorgeous sunshine. We determined to get out to High Park in Toronto, in part to see the Cherry Tree Blossoms. We have lived in Toronto a long time, but I do not think it ever registered that we have Sakura Cherry trees in our own backyard. Once I found that out, I was determined to photograph them this spring. It turns out that we were a bit early, as they are not yet in full bloom. But, they are already beautiful. Even better, High Park boasts its own off-leash dog area. What better place to visit and see if I could find a willing, on-the-spur-of-the-moment kind of model to photograph.
Well, when we arrived, there were so many dogs out and about, enjoying the glorious sun with their humans. But the one that caught my eye was the beagle standing on the pathway with her family. Why? Well, I am kind of a nut for beagles. It must be a Snoopy thing. Back when I was in grade school, I would write and illustrate stories about Snoopy on my own time! And when little Uno became the first beagle in history to take “Best in Show” at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show in 2008…well, I have to admit that I had a little tear in my eye. It is that great face, the unassuming personality and the fact that they seem to just be themselves. At this point, I have pretty much decided that one day we will have a beagle in our home. (But please, do not tell the resident kitties about this plan…)
For all those reasons, I was beyond thrilled when her human family stopped me out of the blue and asked me to take a photo of them. At that point, I got introduced to Lola, their (approximately) 6-year-old beagle. Lola’s mom explained that she had been a rescue from a pound. They had gone to visit and realized that no one wanted her, which is horrible to imagine. But, like most beagles, Lola leapt into their hearts and found her forever home.
Lola was a wonderful little model! Even though this was early afternoon and therefore, the worst possible light you can have, she was more than willing to help me out. Of course, it did not hurt that her Dad had treats on hand as rewards. And the fact that she is so well trained. She posed, in between breaks to go and have a grand ole’ sniff of something interesting. It did not take more than a few minutes to find her look.
After everything, I just have to say: Lola, I really enjoyed meeting you, hearing your story and having the privilege of photographing you. We even snuck in a few images of you with your human family so that they did not feel left out. A sincere thanks to you, and the three humans you share your home with who all helped make it happen!
Look at her “big dog” shadow!
And we’ll leave you with one of the best things about Lola – her smile!
Blur – The Answer
For those of you who saw last week’s image and wondered how to achieve that kind of effect in camera, here is the answer. It is nothing more than a zoom lens and slow shutter. I set my shutter for 1.6 seconds and focused using the 70mm end of my zoom lens. When I depressed the shutter, I then proceeded to zoom all the way in to 200mm while the shutter was still open. It is that change in perspective that creates the lines. The trick though is to pause ever so slightly at the 70mm focal length before zooming through. That creates a slightly darker imprint of your initial image. So there you have it – go out and give it a try!
Going Around in Circles
At this point, you all know the drill. Now, we are heading north to Collingwood to see Cynthia Wood of Georgian Bay Pet Photography and see who she met! And then you get to click all the way through until you end up here with Lola’s smiling face.
Apr 22, 2011
For those of you that went looking for last week’s post, so sorry, but we had to miss a week. With all of our travelling, the days just went by too quickly to shoot, edit, write and post. But, Posh Pets is back this week with a new theme – Landscape!
The instructions were: get outside, let the landscape inspire you, try to positively incorporate the surroundings rather than cut them out, and possibly shoot wider than usual. Which, truthfully, sounded like a lot of fun. However, if you live anywhere near Toronto, you will know that this past week featured absolutely horrendous weather. It was hard to go outside without being rained upon, blown about, hit by hail…never mind trying to do this with animals. So, what could I do? Well, in order to meet the deadline, I must confess. I cheated. Just a little. But I will come clean – this week’s image was not shot this week. Rather, it is one the images I took on my vacation about 10 days ago.
You might not find this landscape particularly “inspiring”, but, for me, it tells a story. I will always remember coming upon this dog with the soulful eyes. Who, after having checked us out, continued down the obviously seldom-travelled road alone. And who, just before she disappeared around the corner, turned back one more time, as if to wish us well on our travels. That look is this week’s image. It made me think: as we travel through life, we will meet new people and have experiences quite “by accident”. Sometimes this will happen in the least “inspiring” of places. Do not take these for granted. And, whether we enjoy them for years, months, weeks, days or for only a few moments, be sure to wish them well before we depart.
For another take on this theme, please check out the wonderful Steph Skardal’s image and blog. Do not forget to click through each link to complete the circle and end up back here. We will be waiting for you!
Feb 8, 2011
I had the pleasure of photographing this brother and sister duo last year on one of the final beautiful days of Fall. It was indeed glorious, especially for a dog – leaves everywhere, perfect temperate weather and the trees were abounding with busy squirrels to watch. Inseparable since birth, these two Shih Tzus are quite obviously attached to one another. They have spent years together playing, wrestling and exploring and this has kept them “young at heart” – much younger than their 11+ years. It was a privilege to document McLeod and Anthea in their golden years and to see them enjoy it so much with their adoring family. You are truly loved!
Jan 20, 2011
More often than not, people will tell me that the one thing they treasure most about their pets is that their animals seem to know how they are feeling. That innate sense of when something is wrong, and the ability to respond in their own small way to provide comfort, is what forges the bond between many humans and their animals. How do they “know”? There are many theories on the subject, but sometimes it is just a beauty to watch it happen. I was able to do that yesterday.
Police Sergeant Ryan Russell was killed in the line of duty on January 12, 2011, when he was hit by a stolen snowplow. Last Tuesday, amidst a reprieve from the cold temperatures, the City of Toronto came out to pay their respects. It was quite a sight to see as thousands of officers in dress uniform, as well as civilians associated with the Service, march as one group down University Avenue. They came from all over Canada and the US and filled the street with a sea of blue and red (I personally have never seen so many RCMP in one place) in advance of Sergeant Russell’s casket.
Included in this number were the members of the Mounted and Police Dog Services. Watching them, it seemed that these animal officers understood what they were there to do – to pay their respects to their fallen comrade. They too, marched – their paws and hoofs in line with the others. They looked ahead and and, in the case of the Mounted unit, set the pace for the rest. Dignified mourning in the face of tragedy.
Toronto is fortunate, for the city of 2.5 million (5.5 million if you count the GTA) has not had a police officer killed in the line of duty since 2002. It says a lot about the city I call my home. But for those that knew him, that statistic must seem rather insignificant now. My condolences to Sergeant Ryan Russell’s family, friends and colleagues.
Jan 12, 2011
I absolutely love what I do! If you were to ask me what “it” is, I would tell you that “I am a fine art pet photographer”. When I say that, I get some quizzical looks as a lot of people are not used to hearing “fine art” and “pet photography” in the same sentence. But it is a good description of the products and services I provide. So, what does it mean? Let’s see if I can explain…
I seek to create images that you will want to display in your home – on the wall, in your entrance, up the stairs as part of a grouping – it doesn’t matter where, just as long as you are proud for others to see it! As such, the products Posh Pets Photography offers are items like Canvas Gallery Wraps, Framed Prints on fine art papers, Gallery Mounts…even our individual prints are professionally prepared, printed, mounted and coated to ensure that they are perfect for display. The idea is to create something that will be treasured not only today, but on into the future.
That being said, any images with Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Toothfairy or any other “holiday-themed” images do not fit the essence of fine art. So, I don’t shoot them. Those images have their place and I think a lot of pet owners enjoy having their animals celebrate the holidays along with them. But fine art evokes the idea of timelessness and classic, and photos of fido with reindeer ears does not seem to do the term justice. Plus, I am pretty sure that not many can envision a 30×30 Gallery Wrapped Canvas “reindeer ears” on their wall.
We start with a pre-consultation – just as professional photographers have been having with people since…well…forever. If you are one of those people who thinks that their pets are important members of the family, then the idea of a pre-consultation won’t come as a surprise to you. After all, the goals of each are pretty similar. It gives me a chance to get to know your beloved pet and for them to have at least met me before the big day. Of course, we don’t have to spend too much time on what to wear, but we’ll talk about the things that make your pet special, how they react to noise, to food, to the sound of your voice. Do they have health issues and how will that impact our session? My goal is simple – I want to be able to coax and capture beautiful images of your pet, and this pre-consult assists me. But it is also equally important for us to discuss your goals – what it is you would like to have out of the portrait session, any preferences you may have as to final product and answer any questions you have about the process. Together, we’ll come up with a plan (and yes, you’ll have a little homework to do). And the final reason we have a pre-consultation? Well, as you can expect from a pet photographer, I just love spending time with animals. So, humour me, please!
Once the amazing portrait session is over (and it will be great!), I will professionally finish your final images before they are printed. That includes minor touch-ups such as removing leashes. Unless we are inside, safety is of prime importance, so pets are on leashes. But that doesn’t mean that the leash has to be in the final images, does it? Unless, of course your pet sports the coolest leash ever and it is integral to who they are or the situation we’ve captured. Then we will just have to show it off!
So, that’s it! I hope you’ll agree – the words “fine art” and “pet photography” DO go together.
