Aug 31, 2012
It is Friday, which means it must be Project 52 day! This week, we were invited to showcase some “personal work”. In other words, to photograph something just for ourselves without the motivation of a paying client. Two things that I love are travel and photography and this week I got to do both! Instead of my usual DSLR when I am working, I grabbed my Fuji x100 with its set focal length and got to play tourist for a day…
If I had to choose a city to live in the United States, it would be New York. (Although my husband loving reminds me that one only loves to live in New York if one is also wealthy…which we are not. He might have a point.) I love the hustle and bustle, the noise, the fact that the city truly “never sleeps”, and the people who I have always found to be loud, but friendly. Photographically, I love the skyline. Especially when the sun goes down.
Fortunately, I was in New York this past weekend. So, here is shot of that famous Manhattan skyline, taken at about 10:00 p.m. on a rooftop across the East River in Brooklyn. The very prominent lighted building is the tower that has been built on the site of Ground Zero. It is not quite finished, but it is definitely getting there.
Playing a little with my settings and I was able to create an abstract version. I find the bokeh of the lights very pretty.
Some day time shots of…
…Wall Street
… as well as the grand lady herself.
And, because when I travel, I always take note of how a city treats its animals, here are a few I captured this weekend…
A mobile spay/neuter clinic that also offer on-site vaccinations. How cool!
Dogs can do banking in New York City! Interestingly enough, the bank that offers this is TD Bank. For those who do not know, the TD stands for “Toronto-Dominion”. which was its name before all of the Canadian banks rebranded to acronyms (BMO was “Bank of Montreal”, RBC was “Royal Bank of Canada” etc.). So, it is a little “home away from home” and they treat dogs special to boot!
Thanks for following along! Next, is Ann Kearns, Hamilton Ontario Pet Photographer. Please check out her personal work this week and go all the way around until you end up back here with Posh Pets!
Aug 17, 2012
I know that I have missed a couple of weeks of Project 52, but I am really excited to get back at it! This week’s theme challenged us to use windows in our image which you can see here. This image is a bit of a tribute to one of the pet photographers that helped me start down the path of pet photography, the very talented Bev Hollis. This is Bev’s dog, Lily, in front of Bev’s house in Virginia and was taken during a photography workshop I attended there. I look at it now and smile, for on this fourth day of the workshop, I had such joy in my belly! Doing something you love will do that to you. Thanks Bev!
Next in our blog circle is Central Coast Pet Photographer, Sharon Stokes. Please check out her work and the rest of the Beautiful Beasties gang’s this week!
Jul 20, 2012
When you hear of kisses and pets, most people think of lovely, sloppy, doggie kisses. Cats, with their little rough tongues, are not often considered as likely candidates. However, I meet many potential pets as I volunteer each week to take pictures of the adoptables at the local shelter, and it is obvious that each furry face has their own special personality. The odds of me finding a furry someone who likes to kiss increases dramatically every time I step through those doors. Case in point was Carrie, who is pictured here. This little girls is a fantastic kisser…especially if you have treats in your hand. Just look at that little tongue go!
Unbelievably, this 2 year old affectionate girl is still waiting patiently for her forever home, so please share her image far and wide. She is all packed and ready to go at Toronto Animal Services (ID#621755).
Next in the blog ring is fantastic Winston-Salem Steph Skardal Photography. Please check out who kissed her and the rest of the Beautiful Beasties gang this week!
Jul 13, 2012
Ever heard of selective hearing? Apparently, it was an ailment I suffered from all through my teenage years…I listened to what I wanted, and simply “did not hear” the rest. (Of course, the parts that I did not hear were usually the good advice from my parents or anything else that would have been beneficial…)
Selective focus is similar, except it is done very deliberately. It is a technique to have the viewer focus on a particular area of the image, without the photographer having to say a word. This way the viewer can more easily hone in on the parts that are important and disregard the rest.
In honour of this theme, the Posh Pets‘ image was taken on Monday at the shelter. Here is little Kirby, who likes to play hide and seek with the photographer. He wasn’t particularly fond of the camera, so I had to use a long lens so that he would have his personal space. You can see though, that he always had his eyes on me, even as he took refuge in amongst the plants. Focusing on tiny, little Kirby threw the greenery out of focus and now you can clearly see his cute little expression, completely and utterly focused on me.
Kirby is also focused on finding his forever family. You are most welcome to come meet him and his shelter pals at Toronto Animal Services (North Region)!
Next in the blog ring is San Diego Pet Photographer, Karla Ogilvie. Please click through to see what she and the rest of the Beautiful Beasties gang came up with this week!
Jul 6, 2012
Often, when we photograph dogs, we focus on them and crop quite tightly. This week our theme was meant to encourage us to highlight the surroundings and give a sense of place.
This image is from a time when I was just beginning my career in pet photography, at a workshop in beautiful Virginia, USA. That workshop opened my eyes to the possibilities and to look at pet photography in such a different way – it truly started me down the path to where I am today. I love this image, even though there are things that, now with a couple of years under my belt, I would tweak. But it still remains significant to me because of that moment in time. Enjoy!
Next in the blog roll is Sweet Potato Pet Photos in Los Angeles. Let’s head to sunny California and see what locations she found!
Jun 22, 2012
Our theme for this week was to show how angles play a part in our photographic style. For me, I really enjoy the look of shooting from a height down on my furry subjects. I also love it when they “cock” their head at a cute little angle. This image, incorporate both of those favourites, makes my day! Jet is one of the adoptables available at the Toronto Animal Services, if you would like to see him strike this pose in person…
Next in the blog roll is Fort McMurray Pet Photographer KLAD Photography. Hi Kelly!
Jun 15, 2012
This week’s theme was blur. I remembered this same theme from April 2011, but what a difference a year makes! This time, I wanted to try something different. Something painterly. Something abstract. But done completely in-camera. So, I took out my camera and played around with settings until I got something I liked. This is what I love about Project 52 – the opportunity to shoot for yourself and try new things!
With that, please enjoy “blur”..the 2012 edition!
PS: If you are wondering what the subject matter was, it was some beautiful, colourful spring flowers that my husband brought home for me earlier this week. What a sweetheart he is :)!
Next in the blog ring is Fort McMurray Pet Photographer, KLAD Photography. Please check out blurred her vision this week…
Jun 1, 2012
This week’s theme was “rescue” and we were free to interpret that in any way we felt. As many already know, this was an especially emotional week for the Posh Pets family as we said good-bye to Ripley, our 17.5 year old orange tabby. For those who follow this blog, you have ‘met’ Ripley many times as he was often the subject of my camera as we worked through our weekly challenges. To suddenly not have him around anymore is a huge shock, but my husband, Lady Jane (our other cat) and I are learning a new routine and slowly getting past the initial heartbreak.
I’ve spent some time this week going through old photos of Ripley. As you can imagine, I started photographing him almost immediately from the day he came home and into our lives. Going through these images has been wonderful. We have laughed and we have cried, but they have brought back such wonderful memories that I am so glad I spent the money I did on film. (As a side point, I have also been astounded at how horrible a photographer I was 16+ years ago!) In doing so however, I came across two images that made me gasp just a little, for I had forgotten about them.
They were taken in December 2009 and January 2010 (my metadata tells me so) as I was starting to toss an idea around that I wanted to photograph pets exclusively. I remember thinking that that was probably not possible, but that there was no harm in dreaming. And playing in photoshop. And so, without any intention of ever showing this to the world, I pretended that I had a gallery show, complete with fine art prints, and came up with this:
Looking at them now, I do not think that either of these two photographs are particularly any good. My style has developed since then and has actually changed quite a bit. But what does startle me are the two little words below my Karen Weiler Photography business name. Posh Pets.
Those two words were the beginning of a little idea that I never dreamed would become the reality of Posh Pets Photography today. Looking at them now, I laugh as I know that the name came to me quite by accident as I was simply playing around.
More importantly though, these two documents are evidence of how integral both Ripley and Lady Jane were to the start of Posh Pets (even if I did not realize it then) and how much of what I do today is because of them. I volunteer once a week to photograph shelter animals because I know what joy and happiness giving a homeless animal a home can bring. Ripley and Lady Jane have taught me personally how much these little creatures give and how little they ask for in return. And I offer custom photography sessions for pets because I know that there are families everywhere who treasure their pets like a member of their family. And because, when these lovely souls eventually leave us, we want images to hold on to.
So, yes, Ripley and Lady Jane both originally came to us from shelters and therefore fit the classic definition of a rescue. But the paw prints they have left in my life and the huge influence they have had on my work has shaped me. They made me realize what it was I wanted to do. I may have ‘rescued’ them from a shelter many years ago, but they have spent the many years since that day taking care of me…
PS: Forgive me for not taking a new image this week…this is a story I wanted to tell.
Who else was rescued this week? Next in our blog ring is Unleashed! Pet Portraits in Victoria, British Columbia. Let’s go visit her!
May 18, 2012
Project 52 is back this week with a fun challenge! And by that, I mean a challenge. We were to produce an image that would showcase more than one animal. As you can imagine, this can be a little daunting – trying to get multiple pets within one frame, all looking cute, takes time and imagination and sometimes, a little bit of serendipity. Well, just to make things a little more challenging, I decided to photograph 3 dogs that were currently awaiting forever homes at Toronto Animal Services. Imagine…three dogs, running free within in a shelter environment, with absolutely no one to assist me. Was that crazy? Probably, yes. But, I think you will agree that the final Posh Pets image is a keeper!
I would like to take a moment to tell you a a little more about this cute boy trio. Toby, on the left, has a wee bit of an issue – his tongue is always hanging out like that due to the fact that he has no teeth on that side and a probable neurological issue. It gives him a perpetual goofy expression. Maxie, the Shih Tzu in the middle, was surrendered by his previous owner with a badly ulcerated eye that, unfortunately, needed to be removed. He is doing remarkably well adjusting to having just one eye. Hubert, the cutie on the right, is a lovely boy, but will need a bit of a strong lead to have him trained properly. However, they all got along with each other famously. Which just goes to show…if you look past the imperfections, you can find friends anywhere!
Now, adoption photos tend to be one animal per image so that prospective human parents can see who they are asking about. So, here are their final images. Enjoy!
Next in the blog circle is Boston Dog Photographer, Kaylee Greer. Please see what groups of animals she and the rest of the Beautiful Beasties gang photographed this week! And don’t forget to have a nice, long weekend (if you live in Canada)!
May 4, 2012
This is a chance to go behind the scenes at the Posh Pets studio to see some of the post-processing that goes into every Posh Pets image.
It used to be that a photo could be taken as evidence, even in a court room, simply because what was displayed in the image could not be altered. These days, however, with the vast array of tools at our disposal, images can be changed to such an extent that what is portrayed can be complete fiction. My style of pet photography is such that I like as much realism as possible and so, like a lot of photographers, I aim to get as much of it right “in camera” rather than relying on fixing it afterwards in photoshop. But there are certain things and situations that call for a little more manipulation. So, I let my clients know that, for example, while their dogs are always on leash during our session, leashes will be cloned out later on.
Every week, I volunteer my time to photograph the adoptables at Toronto Animal Services. In that environment, animals can be a little unsure of themselves and some do not necessarily want to meet the new person with the big black box (my camera) in hand, no matter what treats I offer. That was the case this week with this little guy, Bailey. Sure, he would take the treats and the little pats on his head, but turn the camera on him…and he took off. He really was the cutest thing though! So, I gave him his space and took out my 70-200 zoom lens. That way I could sit back and take images across the room. However, I couldn’t get close enough, so this is what I ended up with.
Bailey really is very cute in this image, but you wouldn’t know it because he is so small in the picture and his is surrounded by beige! So, it was off to a software program called Lightroom for a few tweaks. The first order of business was to check Bailey’s eyes by magnifying them. They have to be sharp or I essentially ignore the image. In rare instances, where I was purposely throwing the eyes out of focus (maybe focusing on the nose or a paw), then I am happy to see out-of-focus eyes. Otherwise, for my style of pet photography, the eyes are where it is at and they have to be in focus.
Second, I fixed the grey haze that all digital images seem to have. Truthfully, I never noticed it when I first started in photography until someone pointed it out to me. Now, I see it everywhere.
Third, I croped and straightened. Now, in this image, I cropped in a lot. In this situation, I felt confident to do so because I knew where this image would end up – as a very small picture on the web. I also photograph with a camera that has a large number of megapixels, so it can handle being cropped in quite a bit. However, please understand that I purposely used this image because it is rather extreme example of cropping and it demonstrates what is possible. But, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone routinely take images this far back and try to crop them in afterwards. In any case, it is amazing what a little crop and straighten will do for any image!
Lastly, I throw a little light on my cute subject. And, because I like the backgrounds a little darker, I often choose to do a little vignette. Not always, but quite often.
Then the image gets transferred into Photoshop where I will do any other heavy duty post-processing. This is where I will remove leashes on dogs, remove dandruff and fly away hairs if necessary. I might also choose to convert an image to black and white if I think it works.
After that, for every image, I look at the eyes and give them a slight pop (again, this is my style and not everyone will want to do that). Finally, every image gets sharpened and prepared for output depending on how it will be displayed.
Whew! Here is Bailey’s final image…what do you think?
So, that is about it for the Posh Pets workflow! I don’t use a lot of textures or actions (although I do like to experiment with my personal work) because I like to keep it as real and simple as possible. Hope you have enjoyed this sneak peak at the work done long after a Posh Pets Session has ended!
Next in the blog circle is San Diego Pet Photographer, Terran Bayer of Westway Studio. Please check out her work and the rest of the Beautiful Beasties gang this week. And please leave comments – everyone loves to receive feedback. Have a great weekend!
Apr 27, 2012
After a fairly mild winter, it seems that spring has been slow to really get started. The grass is green, the trees are budding and the little animals are scurrying too and fro…and then last Monday we had snow! Not to mention that I was nursing a bad flu this week, and therefore spent hours inside, in bed. So, for this week, Posh Pets went with something very different from the normal subject matter to capture the colours of spring.
My husband brought home these lovely tulips the other day and seeing as I was in no shape to be traipsing outside, they became the focus of my camera. Please enjoy!
Next in our blog roll is the talented Charleston Pet Photographer, Dana Cubbage and see what spring looks like in the south!
Apr 20, 2012
Our Project 52 challenge this week was entitled “from the ground up”. In other words, try a new perspective and angle by photographing animals from the ground and aiming your lens UP at them. It sounded like fun, until you realize that I have two cats. Two senior cats who spend their days sleeping and lounging with the occasional water and food snack. Ever tried to get under a cat and photograph them? When they are laying down? Well, that is what Ripley and Lady Jane had to contend with this week and I probably need some kind of chiropractic assistance after all of the positions I contorted my body into!
This first image is Ripley looking down on me from the bed. I knew the image I wanted – just his little face with lots of negative space. The lens flare was just a bonus!
And then there is Lady Jane who lazes around all day. Literally. I’ve watched her for the past week like a hawk trying to see her in some kind of action and she really just has a chill, zen feeling about her. So, this is her shot. I am on the ground. My camera is on the ground. But then, so is Lady Jane…
Now, please take a look at what California Pet Photographer, Karla Ogilvie as she looked UP this week!
