May 28, 2012
What a lovely morning to head down to the Toronto Animal Services (North Region) and meet a fresh group of furry faces! We headed outside before it got too hot to photograph the doggies and then back inside to see the kitties. I loved meeting (and cuddling) all of you!
Here are the doggies!
And here are the kitties!
Thanks so much for checking these guys out. Please feel free to share their images with anyone who would enjoy them and especially for those who are looking for a special pet in their life. As always, they will be featured on the Posh Pets Facebook page throughout the week where you can read a little more about them. If you would like to see them in “person”, please contact Toronto Animal Services (North Region) directly at (416) 338-8723.
See you next week!
May 14, 2012
Happy Monday! And…I just realized that I did not post these from last week – the adoptables available at Toronto Animal Services (North Region)! For those who do not know, Posh Pets heads to the shelter each week and photographs the lovely furry faces awaiting their forever homes. It is truly wonderful to return the next week and find out who has found their new families!
We are heading off again this morning, so there will be a whole new group to look at later! See you then!
Apr 6, 2012
Sometimes an image just speaks to you and you know you “got it”. This week’s theme was to pick a song and illustrate it through an image or a series of images. When I heard the theme, I had a few ideas in mind, but nothing concrete.
As most of you know, I volunteer each week at the Toronto Animal Services, photographing their adoptables. That is when I met Rufus who nailed the images for me.
First of all, Rufus is a beagle and I absolutely adore beagles! I have always said that it must come from being brought up on Snoopy. Rufus is almost 6 years old and is a awesome beagle. He is tri-colour, likes to “speak” and has a tail that doesn’t stop wagging. Even as I photographed him, I could not stop singing,
How much is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggily tail.
Hos much is that doggie in the window? I do hope that doggie’s for sale!
Just look at that tail! The great thing is that Rufus is not for sale – he is available for adoption and would love to find his forever home!
Next in the blog circle is Central Coast Pet Photographer, Sharon Stokes. Please check out what song she is singing this week!
Mar 30, 2012
Here are the lovely adoptables we photographed this week! If you would like to inquire about any individual pet, please contact Toronto Animal Services – North Region and they will be happy to answer your questions. Also, be sure to visit the Posh Pets Facebook page, where you can gather a little more information, including ID numbers, so you can be sure who you are interested in. Thanks to all who share their pictures!
Mar 8, 2012
Introducing this week’s group of furry faces! There was great diversity in shapes, sizes and colours…but all are wonderful future pets! Please check these images out and if you are interested in adopting, contact the Toronto Animal Services – North Region for more details. They will also be featured on the Posh Pets Facebook Page throughout the week, where you can find out some additional information on each of them.
We’ll see you next week!
Mar 2, 2012
This week’s challenge was to keep the words to a minimum and tell a story through an image(s). Photojournalists have mastered the art of letting an image speak for itself, and there exist iconic images that changed the course of world events. Now, I don’t think for one moment that that is the level of storytelling presented here, but I think you will enjoy this funny little series nonetheless.
The Wolf Within Sleeps (The Cost of Domestication)
I am Dog. Master of my own domain. At one with the Great Outdoors.
Though once my fun is done, I like nothing better than to be warm and dry inside.
But, do not fear! I am not conquered! I have learned the power of “puppy dog eyes”. How it makes humans bend to my will.
Open…the…door…
…please?
The next in the blog roll is Tiffany Haulton of Haulton Photography. Please check out what story she has to tell this week! And then click all around the blog roll until you wind up back here. You won’t be disappointed!
Feb 25, 2012
Today, I am really excited to feature something that is a little different for the Posh Pets blog – crazy cartoons! Let me explain…
Daniela Easter is an award winning artist and personal friend of mine. Apart from her private commissions, she founded and, for the past 8 years has run, Progressive Art for Progressive Kids in Brampton. This is 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 weeks, her students, ages 8-12, have been learning how to cartoon!
Daniela approached me to see if I could lend a hand by providing some images of animals, which of course, I was only too happy to do. The students were encouraged to analyze the image and determine the dog’s personality. They could then determine how to draw him in such a way that their cartoon would come to life. And, here are the awesome results:
The original image:
And the cartoon renditions! This one is by Kaitlin:
And this one is by Hemel:
Another original image:
And some awesome cartoon versions of this guy too. (I think he became the antagonist of the story…look at those teeth!)
From Sesa:
And from Nicole:
The students loved the original photos (apparently there were lots of “awwws”) and had a ball turning them into their own creations. I hear that in the next week or so, they will be tackling the kitty photos I sent and I will certainly feature those in a future blog post as well.
Impressed? Well, 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 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 3, 2012
Posh Pets’ Project 52 theme for this week was simply “bridges”.
I love this image because it reminds me that the beautiful warm sun still exists – even though we haven’t seen much of it for the past few weeks in cloudy Toronto. Along with blue sky and green trees. And, oh yeah, it has a bridge! So, even though this technically was taken last summer, I think you will all forgive me if I bent the rules a bit.
Now, please check out Peggy Mundell of DogBreedz and see what bridges she found in sunny California! Over to you, Peggy!
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 5, 2012
Introducing the first Toronto Animal Services Adoptables of 2012! Please note that some of the cats are not yet available for adoption, but they soon will be. If you would like to receive more information or check up on them, please go to the Posh Pets Facebook page or contact TAS directly.
First up is Daphne. At 4 months old, she is a very active little girl who rarely stops for anything or anyone. She absolutely loves to play!
Venus is 3 years old and loves to be picked up and cuddled.
Apalonia is such a sweetie, but very shy. She felt most secure in her little kitty tunnel where she could watch the world go by. But look at those eyes – they are big and beautiful!
This beautiful gentle soul is well-behaved and has gorgeous eyes! Alice is 6 years old and knows her basic commands. Imagine getting to look at that face every day!
This 3 year old girl is a little rambunctious, but that is just because she loves people. And treats!
We will see you all back here next week!
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!
