Tails of the World 2022

Tails of the World 2022

Mar 27, 2023

In April 2022 we embarked on our first fundraising session called Tails of the World. In the end, we raised $1100 for Fetch + Releash and, in conjunction with 65 photographers worldwide, over $25,000!

(See the end of this post to see how you can be a part of 2023.)

But first, let’s look back at the dogs and humans of 2022.

It was a cold, windy day in early April when we met up with all of the hero pups of Toronto who were helping out the less fortunate.

It started out as a misty morning for our first doggies…

Warry

dog in front of CN Tower in Toronto

Lucky

dog in front of Toronto skyline in Ontario

Gnocchi

dog in front of Toronto skyline in Ontario

By the afternoon, the sun started to peak out at times. And we shot until the sun set.

Coyote + Ariel

dogs in front of Toronto skyline

Cheeko

dog in front of Toronto skyline in Ontario

Max

dog in front of Toronto skyline in Ontario

Mister Teddy

dog in front of CN Tower in Toronto

Mishka

dog in front of Toronto skyline in Ontario

Gregorio

dog in front of Toronto skyline in Ontario

Nahani + Sofie

Toronto's Tails of the World pet photography promotion

Rosseau

dog in front of CN Tower in Toronto

We will be launching 2023 soon!

Get on the list and know when the applications go live!

Piper | Photographing Puppies During a Pandemic

Piper | Photographing Puppies During a Pandemic

Feb 2, 2021

Back in November – before the most recent pandemic restrictions in Ontario – I took a walk in the park on a gorgeous late Fall day. There were others who had had the same idea, but there was one huge significant difference between the rest of the people and I. Every single one had a puppy. Not just a dog, but a puppy.

Truth be told, it made me smile. And gave me a chuckle. It seemed that everyone was in some stage of training their new little bundle of fluff with varying level of success. You could hear a lot of sit, stay good boy! or good girl! along with lots of treats being dolled out. Some were trying to walk politely on a leash. And some were just getting belly rubs.

It should not have surprised me. Pet ownership has gone up incredibly in Toronto, the GTA and really, all over the world during this pandemic and multiple lockdowns. But to see it all laid out on the grass in front of me was still a bit of a surprise.

New Puppy Photography Session

Of course, I love it that many would like to document those first few weeks and months when a pup comes into the home. They go by rather quickly and it is one way to hold on to the fleeting moments.

So let me introduce you to Piper, a gorgeous little girl who is bringing her mum such joy as she watches her grow and explore the world. Piper and I went down to one of her favourite spots on the Toronto waterfront to see what kinds of portraits we could create. And right out of the gate, she was a star. Look at her pretty sit and pose – she’s a natural!

corgi puppy at photography session in Toronto

It was Autumn, so we wanted to show off the colours – what was left of them – and a side pose to feature Piper’s girlish figure. 

Side note: I get asked this question a lot, so I’ll answer it here: Piper was on a leash for these photos. Mum was never far off and always held onto the other end of the leash. That’s the beauty of editing and post-production. And this type of retouching of your final portraits is all a part of the service of a professional pet photographer.

beautiful corgi puppy during photography session

When you are a Toronto dog…

…sooner or late you have to get yourself photographed in front of the skyline. So, we searched for the perfect spot where you could clearly see the CN Tower. Piper’s smile says it all!

corgi puppy in front of the Toronto skyline including CN Tower

The timing of a session is also important. We choose the late afternoon to ensure that we would be able to catch the sunset, if we got one. Well, the weather cooperated and we ended up with these 2 gorgeous backgrounds for Piper’s photographs. Look at how the sun lights up her neck fluff on the second one! What a spectacular ending to a wonderful day!

corgi dog poses at sunset
puppy photo session at sunset in Toronto

Thank you Piper for spending a splendid afternoon with me! You are such a cutie and I look foward to seeing all of your adventures on Instagram.

Want your very own session with your new puppy? Here is how you can make it happen…

YEAR IN THE LIFE SESSIONS

A series of Boutique™ Sessions to capture the first year or the seasons.

  • A series of three (3) Posh Pets Boutique™ Sessions throughout the year. Perfect for capturing puppy or kitty’s first year. Or, to document the life your pet leads with the different beautiful seasons we enjoy in Southern Ontario as your backdrop.
  • The result of this series will be a gorgeous life story that you will treasure forever.
  • A Posh Pets Studio™ Session can be substituted for one of your session for a small fee.
  • Please note: The Creative Fee covers time and talent to photograph a maximum of four (4) subjects, which can be any combination of people and up to two (2) pets who live within the same household. Additional subjects may be photographed at a cost of $50 per subject.
  • More information on A Year in the Life Sessions can be found here.
FIND OUT MORE
The Making of a Perfect Morning | Sunrise Session™

The Making of a Perfect Morning | Sunrise Session™

Mar 24, 2017

Would you be willing to get up before dawn to greet the sun?

If you have a dog, the morning walk is almost guaranteed to be a part of your daily routine. Even if it just a quick walk around the block because of the myriad of other things you have to do that day.

But…just for a moment…find beauty in the ordinary routine of life. Think about what it would be like to slow down and just relish that time with your one and only. To engage in conversation that only your dog can truly understand.

To share a moment like this…

Silhouette of dog at sunrise in Toronto, Canada

Start With the Sunrise…

Myca and his mum are two that truly celebrate their morning routine. They amble along the waterfront, taking in the gorgeousness of the city skyline when no one else is around. This is their city, their home and their time together. And on a crisp, fall morning, we got to share it all with the two of them.

Toronto skyline at sunrise with dog
The following scene is one that the two of them witness countless times throughout the year – but how to capture the first kiss of the sun in an image with Myca? Well, it’s all in precise timing (and a little practice on the part of your photographer).

We watched and waited…and waited a little more…until just the right time to have Myca find his place up on his rock. That gave him a moment to settle down into his pose – but not so long that he would become bored – just as the sun peaked up over the horizon.

The result? Exactly what mum wanted!

Bernedoodle at Sunrise

Enjoy Your Morning Run

After our sunrise was complete, we took a little walk and, like many Torontonians, enjoyed our morning run along the waterfront and the Humber bridge.

(The miracle here is the fact that we had the bridge all to ourselves! If you’ve ever been down at the waterfront in the morning, you know how rare that is.)

running dog on humber bridge, Toronto series
bernedoodle dog running on humber bridge in Toronto, Canada
happy running dog on bridge in Toronto, Canada

Take Time to Enjoy the Season

From there we moved on to where I knew there was a beautiful pocket of colour…

Autumn is truly a spectacular time of year in Southern Ontario, and you can enjoy it, even in the city. Mum wanted to capture all of that beauty of her boy and Fall in her gallery.

bernedoodle dog in autumn leaves in Southern Ontario, Canada
Mum also told me that she doesn’t like any pictures of herself. In fact, she hasn’t had a professional photograph of herself in years. Well, she doesn’t say that anymore…!
woman and her dog in Toronto's lakeshore park.

Feel the Sand Between Your Toes

And because no session would be complete without a good swim at the beach for a water-loving dog, we ended with a splash and a nice, big stick!

But, Shhh…let’s keep this our little secret. We don’t want Myca’s groomer see what we let him do…!

dog running on beach with stick and Toronto CN Tower
Myca’s gallery was so large that Mum had a hard time choosing her favourites. She ended up with a gorgeous folio box along with some stunning pieces of wall art. You can read all about the experience in her own words here.
Do you want to share the sunrise with your dog? The place to start is with a Boutique Session, described below.

POSH PETS BOUTIQUE™ SESSIONS

Where it all begins

  • Pre-session Design Consult that ensures we create images you will be thrilled with.
  • The result is gorgeous custom artwork the life your pet shares with your family.
  • A personal Ordering Consultation to ensure you select the right images from the gallery.
  • Please note: The Creative Fee covers time and talent to photograph a maximum of four (4) subjects, which can be any combination of people and up to two (2) pets who live within the same household. Additional subjects may be photographed for a small additional fee.
  • Examples of portraits from Posh Pets Boutique™ Sessions can be found here.
Find out more
Introducing…Posh Pups in the City™ – Toronto Edition!

Introducing…Posh Pups in the City™ – Toronto Edition!

Jan 13, 2016

No doubt about it – Posh Pets® Photography loves our home city, Toronto. It’s a great city full of great dogs, cats, and their people. It’s busy and vibrant and boasts an easily identifiable skyline. And, it simply looks spectacular in photographs!

Toronto skyline in Autumn

To celebrate our home city, we’ve been working on a project for some time now – finding a way to incorporate that awesome cityscape into images with YOUR dogs. We’ve been quietly scoping out locations and enlisting the help of many urban pups and their intrepid humans.

This has not always been easy. As you know, the Toronto skyline boasts one of the tallest buildings in the world, the CN Tower. Finding a perspective that will allow me to place a sitting dog who is about 12 inches high, in the same frame as a 1,815.4 ft building can be a challenge. Even large breeds are not really all that big when you place them beside architecture.

These images celebrate that truly quintessential urban pup. You know the one…they embrace the city lifestyle. They know their neighbourhood…Uptown, downtown, the Annex, The Beach, Cabbage Town, Liberty Village…you get the idea. Toronto is their home. Or, they lived here at one point and haven’t forgotten their roots.

If you are looking to create a Posh Pups in the City™ image(s) in your Boutique Session, then you are in the right place. You might have a location in mind, or we can research and explore an awesome spot together. We will create something that you will be happy to display on your wall for years to come! Let’s do this…

PS: If you have an urban feline that loves the outdoors, does well on a leash, we would absolutely love to meet them too. Posh Cats in the City™…why not? Me-ow!

Toronto skyline with 3 dogs
dog family portrait with Toronto skylineDogs portrait with lake ontario and Toronto skylineDog with CN TowerDog at Cherry Beach in front of CN Towerdog on rock in front of Toronto skyline

Toby – A dog in the City |Toronto Pet Photography

Toby – A dog in the City |Toronto Pet Photography

Nov 17, 2015

So, this is Toby. He’s a downtown dog. He’s the cutest, little Jack Russell Terrier just abounding with energy. He spends most of his days with his girl, Sarah, who he adores fiercely. And, let me tell you, the feeling is mutual.

dog headshot photograph

We wanted to create a custom Posh Pets session that would showcase Toby’s personality, his city, and his relationship with his favourite human.

dog and girl looking at each other

The other requirement was that the final images that would be quite clearly summer-y, with a beautiful blue sky and great sunlight. We rescheduled the session a couple of times before we got the perfect day.

head tilt of a jack russell terrier

Look at that light!

Laughing dog on a rock

Playing on the beach by the water (and in the water) is a past time of Toby’s. We had to get an image of him with his girl by the water. After this, he was in the water…

girl and dog at lake ontarioAnd then there was this image. Often times during the pre-session consultation, a client will reveal that there is one image they really want to have. For Sarah, it was an image of Toby and the CN Tower. There are logistics associated with such a photograph, for a dog is such a small creature and the CN Tower, well…it’s tall. But, we found an angle, a rock and an awesome sunrise to show it all off. Of course, this image got printed big!

dog in front of CN Tower, Toronto

Thanks Toby for all the fun we had that morning. You are a sweetheart. May your years together with Sarah be long and happy!

Bijou & Yoshi – Among the Cherry Blossoms | Toronto High Park Dog Photography

Bijou & Yoshi – Among the Cherry Blossoms | Toronto High Park Dog Photography

Jul 14, 2015

Posh Pets clients are truly dedicated to getting beautiful images. I think Afarin’s first words to me were, “I’d really like to have a photography session amongst the cherry blossoms in High Park.” At least those were the first words I completely processed and, with them, two things crossed my mind: One, the trees were already in full bloom which meant we had a total of about 48 hours to still catch them at their peak. And, two, the park is completely crawling with people that time of year because they too, want to see the blooms at peak. So, getting images without hordes of people in the background can be a formidable challenge.

I took a deep breath and asked her if she was serious. Yes. Yes, she was.

So, we went into super-hero mode and planned the entire session right at that moment (a 7-month old Chow puppy and a 7-year old toy Pomeranian), ensured that we could both move a few prior commitments around and agreed to meet at 6:45 a.m. the following morning. Starting a session at that time of the morning sounds a bit crazy, but it meant that there were less people (although surprisingly, there were quite a few). And, the light was gorgeous.

That morning I met Bijou and Yoshi and fell in love instantly. Don’t let the size of a toy pomeranian fool you – Bijou is quite firmly the ‘girl boss’ of this duo. Yoshi may be 10 times her size and full of drooling, puppy silliness, but Bijou was always waiting patiently for him to realize that photography sessions are serious business. She came dressed in pearls and there was no way she was going home without beautiful images. I’m very happy to say that that is exactly what Bijou got. Here’s a sampling of the some of the images we created that morning…

chow and pomeranian dogs in cherry trees

We got a family portrait (or two or three)…

two dogs in high park

No trip to High Park is complete without photograph by the Magnolia tree. With the little princess herself, of course.

toy pomeranian with magnolia tree

High Park has tons of locations to explore, but this was special to Afarin. That amazing golden morning light is only available to those who wake up early.

high park dog photography

A couple of formal portraits of the babies themselves.

toronto toy pomeranian dog photography

toronto chose dog photography

And together:

dogs laying in the grass

We were literally stopped everywhere we went because of this good-looking brother and sister pair…

two dogs on lake ontario boardwalk

And finally, we ended up in front of one of the most iconic skylines in the world.

CN Tower from Lake Ontario

I loved this session and how it came together! And Afarin was thrilled (you can read her review here).

A custom-designed session is what Posh Pets is all about. Taking the time to plan means creating images that are meaningful to you and truly capture the memories of you and your pets. If you are interested in having your own session, I’d love to hear from you.

POSH PETS BOUTIQUE™ SESSIONS

Where it all begins

  • Pre-session Design Consult that ensures we create images you will be thrilled with.
  • The result is gorgeous custom artwork showcasing the life your pet shares with your family.
  • A personal Ordering Consultation to ensure you select the right images from the gallery.
  • Please note: The Creative Fee covers time and talent to photograph a maximum of four (4) subjects, which can be any combination of people and up to two (2) pets who live within the same household. Additional subjects may be photographed for a small additional fee.
  • Examples of portraits from Posh Pets Boutique™ Sessions can be found here.
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