Mar 21, 2012
I am very excited to write Part Two of the crazy cartoon spotlight as this time we are featuring the felines! If you want to see the Part One about the doggies on the Posh Pets blog, please check out this link.
A bit of background…my friend and fellow creative, Daniela Easter, teaches students how to cartoon. It really does sound like a lot of fun! In February, Daniela had asked me for some of my kitty images so that her students would be able to have a base to work off of. I wish I had a group of student drawings to showcase, but unfortunately, it was graduation day and there was no time to scan the artwork before the students took them home. Sigh. But, I thought you might find it cool to see what the teacher is able to produce. So, here is Daniela’s work.
Here is the original image:
And Daniela’s cartoon:
Another original image:
And the cartoon version:
Again, if you have a young artist who would want to participate, Daniela conducts various classes in Brampton. These include 6 week curriculums and intensives for the March and Summer school breaks. Find all of the details about the art school – Progressive Art for Progressive Kids – here.
Feb 20, 2012
They named her Rags, short for Ragamuffin. The name fit. Found running down a main road by a kindly police officer, this snippet of a dog shivering from the cold was brought to the closest shelter. A senior dog, deaf, blind and not yet spayed, she had been hungry too long. And had too many puppies. As a result, her skin was many sizes too large for the small body she carried on her slight frame. Her coat was a clear witness to the neglect she had experienced.
The now permanently closed shelter had an arrangement with the local college – they “placed” animals with the Veterinary Technician Program with the hopes of them becoming socialized. It was a good arrangement. After all, the students need practice at handling animals, and a socialized animal has a much better chance of adoption than one that is not. In this way, a small, delicate Shih-Poo named Rags arrived at the college in a sad state. She was almost immediately shaved and spayed and met the students.
One of those students was my sister.
From the moment she met Rags, my sister held her and with words she could not hear, but affection she could feel, let her know that someone in the world cared. At the end of the semester when the time came for Rags to return to the shelter, my sister knew that that simply could not happen. Given her age and her medical condition, her chances of adoption were almost non-existent. She would only have shelter life to look forward to.
And so Rags was brought home. We are a close family, which means that this girl has become a part of all of our lives. It has been amazing to see the indomitable spirit of such a little dog. While she spent her first few days only sleeping and eating, by the third day, she wagged her tail for the first time. A few days later, she found her voice.
Today marks an anniversary. Rags has been with us for one whole year. She now shares her life with two other Shih Tzus, and although deaf and blind, she has quickly learned the routine. They have accepted her into the family and surprisingly, she is able to interact with them despite her limited senses. More importantly, she has not let her past taint her ability to accept the love she is receiving now and will receive on into the future.
Fortunately, we will never know all the details of her sad life before she came to us. That is a story that only Rags could relate and she is not telling. But one thing is clear: the Rags who arrived at the shelter just over a year ago, no longer exists. Fitting for a dog that has come so far, and whose life has changed so much, her name has changed. World…please meet Muffin. Muffy. The sweetest dog in the world. The little dog with an amazing heart. The little dog who has found her forever home.
Muffy, enjoying her life today.
Happy Anniversary Muffin!
EDIT: We said good-bye to Muffin at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. My sister had asked her for 2 years when she adopted her and that is what Muffy gave us. She was wonderful, amazing and incredible and is sorely missed. While her body eventually failed her, her heart loved until the end. Go gently into that good night, Muffy.
Feb 13, 2012
Today, is a special day in our house for it marks the moment, 16 years ago, when Ripley came into our lives. Originally from the Toronto Humane Society, the “Ripley Years” have just flown by. However, in other ways, it seems like forever for we cannot remember life before his arrival. The day he popped his little head out of his carrier, made himself comfortable on our bed, and took up residence in our hearts.
So, happy adoption day to our big orange tabby. May there be many more years of relaxing on our bed to come…
Jan 13, 2012
The theme we were given to shoot around this week was simply “new”. Given that most people take a moment at the beginning of a new year or a new month to think about some goals they might have, I thought I would share one of mine. This will definitely be new for me.
I want to learn to shoot film…properly.
There was a time that I had a film camera and I happily put rolls of film in it, set it to auto and hoped for the best. At the time, I had no idea of how to compose a photograph, let alone how to determine “correct’ exposure or how to rate film. This time, I am going to learn.
Given my goal, I am so thankful to my mom for lending me her old Minolta x-700. At the time when it was released, this was a state-of-the-art camera system – the flagship of the Minolta line. It is lovely! Completely manual, without the aid of an LCD screen, this camera will force me to slow down and think before I release the shutter. It will also force me to become friends with my light meter again.
Second item on my list was, of course, film! I have chosen to shoot Kodak Portra 400 VC for my first few rolls. And here is the very first one, fresh out of his cannister with its old familiar smell. This will bring its own set of challenges, the most interesting of which will be finding a lab that I like that can process C-41 colour film. I have been given a couple of recommendations which I will try out, but I am excited to discover a part of the Toronto photography scene that I know little about.
So, there you have it – my new (to me!) camera, my new film and my new goal! With a manual focus camera, it might be a little while until you see Posh Pets portraits from me taken on film, but I think working with this new medium will make me a better photographer. It will be just for me. No pressure. No chance of public failure. But, with a lot of time and practice, I hope to bring you images of cats and dogs, shot on film.
As this is a blog circle, please check out Cynthia Wood of Georgian Bay Studios and see what is new in her life this week! Have a happy Friday!
Jan 6, 2012
Welcome to 2012 – a brand new year and a new start to Project 52! For this week, we were asked to introduce you to our pets. Unfortunately, not all was well in the Posh Pets’ household this week. I would love to explain, but I promised Ripley, our 17-year old orange tabby that he could tell it from his perspective. Hang on to your seats. And read this out loud with a slight British accent – that is exactly how Ripley speaks.
“Last Friday, I awoke to a day that I thought would be like any other. We had snow – which was new for this season, but we do get that every year. Other than that, I woke up my mom at the appointed time to ask her to feed me. She is good about that and ensures that my sister and myself always have what we need in the morning. As we padded our way to the kitchen to open the fridge door (which I always peer into to determine what today’s menu will be like), I noticed that something was amiss. My sister, who prides herself it seems, on a ghastly display of manners by bounding ahead of me and trying to shove her face into my food bowl, was following behind. (Please note that word, “behind” – it becomes important). This was highly unusual, for in my 16 years of residence – 15 of which were with Lady Jane – she rarely follows me.
Anyway, I had my breakfast, but Lady Jane seemed uninterested. Highly unusual. It was then that I heard my mom making a phone call and I knew, instinctively by how she addressed them, that this was no ordinary phone call at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. One of those terrible creatures humanity calls “vets” had been called. Given that we had just attended that sordid place in July (yes, I do keep track of these things), I could not believe my ears. I was sure that my attempts at behaviour modification had worked, for in July, I had thrown up all over the vet clinic’s lobby which prompted everyone, including staff, to great action of cleaning me, my carrier, the room…and the year previously, I had pee’d on my vet as a signal of my displeasure with where she stuck THAT. But I digress…
Soon after, I heard the familiar rattle of the cat carrier being dragged out of the closet. It was then that I noticed that the bedroom door was closed and I was IN the bedroom. The cat carrier was OUT there, but I was IN here. Safely esconsed in my room. I listened and then I heard it. Lady Jane’s furitive cries as she was being placed in the carrier. The bedroom door opened and suddenly my mom was explaining to me that she had to take Lady Jane to the vet, but that she would be home soon. I was relieved. Mostly because it appears that my previous behaviour has frightened or disgusted those vets enough to not ever want to see me again. Hopefully both.
I obviously have no first-hand knowledge of what went on in that place, but as I understand it, Lady Jane developed a condition that involved her…ahem…bottom region (see my reference above to “behind”). Essentially, she was unable to use the litter box as we felines have done for years. Rather than ensuring that she drank enough water (as I always do) to counteract the problem, she resorted to licking herself…down there. However, she was not content to merely clean herself. No, she licked herself to the point that she was red, raw and sore. That will only get you a trip to the vet and this time it is your own fault, in my opinion.
Anyway, mom and Lady Jane returned and I was none the worse for wear, lounging about on the couch upon their arrival. The carrier was opened and I came over to hear what tribulations she might have endured during her trip away. I had planned to give her a good sniff to ensure she was clean, but I was stopped dead in my tracks.
It. Was. Horrific.
For there was Lady Jane alright, but what had they put around her head? A satellite dish, perhaps? No, for we have never had any need of such entertainment in our house and this particular dish was turquoise. If Lady Jane was channelling some kind of Elizabethan collar style…well, this was not working for her. She looked depressed and miserable. I no doubt looked astounded and aghast. (Later when I heard my mom recounting the situation to my dad, she said my look was “priceless”. I like the sound of that.)
What ensued was 5 days of some ancient rituals involving water, epsom salts, zinc oxide cream (I have since been made aware of the fact that they regularly put this on human babies as well to counteract something called diaper rash) and syringes of sticky, orange-flavoured lactulose. All the while, wearing this ridiculous cone-shaped contraption. To her credit, Lady Jane bore it all remarkably well. I tried the best I could to support her by giving her gentle kisses on her head which is not like me, but when one of your own is so publically humiliated, you must help them to survive.
So, there you have it. I was in no condition to have my portrait taken this week and neither was Lady Jane. But to give you an idea of how incredibly horrible this all was, look below. If you are faint of heart, please avert your eyes.”
Ripley
For those left wondering, Lady Jane seems to have recovered from her ordeal and all systems are working as they should. The cone of shame has been removed and she has spent quite a bit of time sleeping. Which is when I captured this portrait of her. It really displays what she is like – a lovely, contented kitty. As for Ripley…he has had a hard week. Enjoy!
Now, in order to meet all the pets of the other members of the Project 52 circle, please check out fellow Canadian pet photographer Cynthia Wood.
Dec 31, 2011
- As of December 2011, the Posh Pets Blog is officially one year old! Hard to believe that this was begun on December 19, 2010 with one small post that said we had gone live. At the time, I had no idea what I would find to write about for the whole year, but it really has come together for me. I find that sometimes I simply cannot get all the ideas I have written quickly enough!
- Posh Pets joined the Beautiful Beasties Project 52 in March 2011. That has been an awesome project that allows me to shoot images just for me. For an artist, it is vitally important that we get an opportunity to stretch and push ourselves to try different things and also to explore ideas and concepts that we would not otherwise do. I really have enjoyed seeing how each member interprets one theme – I hope you have too!
- Posh Pets was featured in the Toronto Star on November 12, 2011 alongside one of my mentors, the very talented Teresa Berg. That was something that I could not have even dreamed of at the beginning of 2011. It was a complete surprise to be recognized for my work.
- Posh Pets began photographing the Toronto Animal Services Adoptables on November 2, 2011. I began with Greta, a beautiful brown tabby and ended the year with Pete, a gorgeous husky. In between, there were a total of 76 animals who posed for my lens – that is a lot of furry faces in just 2 months! I am so happy to report that Greta has since found her forever home along with 57 of her fellow adoptables and I hope Pete and his friends are not far behind.
Of course, I know that I could not have done this all by myself. So, I want to take a few lines to thank all of the people who have helped me during 2011.
♥ Thank you to all of my clients who trusted me to capture the beauty and grace of their beloved pets for I could not be working at something I absolutely love without you! I have enjoyed meeting you, snuggling with your furry family members and presenting you with final images you can treasure for years to come.
♥ Thank you to Kathy and her staff at Toronto Animal Services – North Region. Every week I go in to meet the newest group of adoptables, I am amazed by the hard work and dedication they display towards these animals who have no home, no protection and no voice. They really do care!
♥ Thank you to my family who have shown me such support during this last year. My Mom and Dad and sister have always been there, encouraging me to do what they know is a dream for me. I hope you know how much I love you guys!
♥ It would be hard to have missed the many stories on the blog of the kitties my husband and I share our home with. Ripley and Lady Jane are the best models, patiently putting up with my never ending requests for photography time. Ripley is now 17 years old and Lady Jane is 15, so they have many long hours of napping in between, but I would be remiss not to thank them too!
♥ Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my dear husband. Dean has always believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. He is honest to a fault and I can always count on him to tell me the truth about any of my ideas, business or my photography. At the same time, he knows exactly what to say and do when I am feeling frustrated or down. I truly do love you honey!
I will leave you with an image of one of our success stories from 2011 – this is Hank, who found his forever home last week. I do hope you will all stick around for all the Posh Pets’ excitement in 2012!
Oct 28, 2011
Another week of Project 52 has flown by! This week we were given the theme “wide open”, which was open to all types of interpretations – wide angle lenses, large apertures, wide vistas – whatever each photographer wanted to showcase. So, I took the opportunity to go to a place I remember from my childhood. We called them the elephant backs as kids because they looked like rolling reddish-grey hills that had the texture of an elephant’s back. Invariably, we would run up and down them like crazy people, covering our clothes with a fine red soil which we tracked into our parent’s car. We, as kids, had a great time!
When we arrived last Sunday, it was apparent that I was not the only one who had had the idea to enjoy one of our last lovely fall days of 2011 in the wild. The place was covered with people. And, of course, kids running up and down the elephant backs. I saw this tree and was immediately taken with it. I can’t really explain why, but I knew I wanted to photograph it against the blue sky. This image took some patience as I had to wait for a number of variables to come together – the right wide-angle lens, the frame to be free of people and for the glorious late afternoon sun to make its appearance. But, finally, it came all together!
Apparently, this great place has a more grown up name – the Caledon/Cheltenham Badlands. Just north of Toronto, it is a great place to go and visit. And yes, we did track all that red soil in our car. The only difference now is that we have to clean it!
Please check out the next blog in the ring…Stephanie Madeline of Chase and Snap.
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 30, 2011
This week’s theme was to convey the thought of motion through photography. This week Posh Pets did something a little different to showcase that we do not just photograph dogs and cats.
Fortunately for me, this week I met Peck. During his “portrait session” Peck definitely spent some time checking me (and his own reflection!) out in his aquarium. I love how this photo turned out! The colours are fantastic – his orange body fairly jumps out against the blue of the water. You can also see the motion of his delicate fins as they moved in the water – soft and billowy. These subtle movements were further amplified in his reflection. To tell you the truth, I think he liked being the centre of attention!
So, now please click through to Steph Skardal and see her take on motion. You can go all the way around the blog until you end up here with Posh Pets and Peck.
Sep 23, 2011
In our house, mornings definitely have their routine. I think they are a comfortable part of our life because you can go about getting things done without much thought – a great benefit if you are not one of those “morning people”. Living as long as they have with us, our kitties have learned our routine. Although honestly it is hard to say who trained whom – whether they adapted to our way of doing things, or the more likely idea that they trained us! In any case, we get up out of bed each morning (usually because we have been nudged/licked/pawed/meowed-in-the-face by the resident felines) and begin our day with feeding Ripley and Lady Jane. Then, and only then, do we get something to eat.
Amidst all of this activity, Lady Jane has discovered something very important. We humans drink milk! At this point in her life, Lady Jane knows if we are having cereal (which means milk!) or toast (which means no milk…sigh…). If we indulge in the former, she levels a stare at us urging us to please hurry up and finish. She does this only because she knows she will get the little dregs of milk at the bottom of the bowl. Sometimes, when it is particularly urgent in her mind, she will perform a little “prairie dog” pose in order to encourage us to hurry up. The other morning was such a morning, and you can see Lady Jane simply cannot restrain herself from reaching our a paw as the bowl is being lowered. Look at the concentration on that little face!
The other routine we have is “first to the bed”. After all the feeding and necessary morning business has been done, Lady Jane insists on finding herself a spot on the yet-unmade bed (we like to leave it to “air out” before making it each morning). She loves our bed and, once she has found a spot, will do her best to render herself un-moveable. Here is her look of, “You wouldn’t be so heartless as to move cute, loveable me…would you?”
Note: I often get asked about Lady Jane’s left eye. Simply put, half of her left pupil does not contract in bright light and it has been that way since we brought her home from the shelter over 14 years ago. However, Lady Jane is one of the happiest, contented kitties I know, so she doesn’t let this little thing stop her. It does mean that her depth perception is a little off and sometimes she misjudges things. But, that is what makes her our furry, clumsy, little goofball.
And there you have it – our kitty’s morning routine! Now, please check out Amy Riddett of Bark This Way and see what the morning routine looks like in her home.
Jul 29, 2011
This week’s theme was “repetition”. Well, the week just flew by and so I leave you with something a little different – here is an image we took while we were in Santorini, Greece. These hardworking donkeys are everywhere on the island and they help the residents and visitors navigate the steep Caldera. In this case, they are returning home for the evening after helping carry the luggage for a local hotel, a process they repeat every day. I also love the repetition of the donkeys all in a row and the steps – this is one of my favourite images from the trip!
You also get to participate in “repetition” this week by clicking through each of the blogs in the blog circle. So, please check out Karla Ogilvie and see what repetition she saw in the world!
Jul 22, 2011
This week’s theme was completely about seeing the light and shooting into the sun. Goes against conventional wisdom in some respects, but the results can be beautiful! So, my goal was to find some amazing sunlight…
Well, Toronto had a heat wave this week and yesterday, there was records broken. As the mercury soared higher and higher, any thought of taking an animal outside to photograph was foolish. In fact, I went about my day singing the Noel Coward song…mad dogs and englishmen go out in the noonday sun! (If you want to hear the original, click here.)
In the midst of all that heat, Ripley asked to go outside. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. So…I opened the patio door. He put one paw outside and then, as animals are wont to do, looked at me like I was a mad woman for having turned on the heat outside. He spent the rest of the day in this position in front of the air-conditioning.
Outside, it looked like this. How I love some gorgeous flare!
As for me, I did what any self-respecting person living in Canada would do. I went out and got an Ice Cap from Tim Hortons. It seemed the right thing to do, as I needed something to backlight!
So, how are you beating the heat?
