Apr 29, 2015
If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendar for this Saturday, May 2, 2015 and make sure to get yourself down to Liberty Village, Toronto. Why? It’s the first annual Pampered Pooches festival, of course! Posh Pets is going to be there along with other awesome vendors featuring everything to make your pooch feel like the pampered one. This is a dog-friendly event. It’s free. And, the weather is forecast to be gorgeous! So, what more are you waiting for?
Please come by the Posh Pets booth where we will have some treats for you and the furry faces – we can’t wait to meet you!
PS: Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be taking as many photographs of the event as we can…you might find yourself in an image or two 🙂
May 13, 2011
Welcome back to another week of Project 52! This week’s image was to illustrate the theme, “in the garden”. At first glance, that might seem quite easy. And, it is true that there is much room for inspiration in a garden. However, it is much more difficult if one does not actually have a garden. But we, at Posh Pets are resourceful and headed off to a park. Afterall, I reasoned, a park is nothing more than a very large garden that is shared by a lot of people.
So, off we went to High Park in Toronto once again. What a difference a week makes! The Sakura Cherry Blossom trees are now fully open and receiving visitors! And it definitely made a difference that we set off early in the morning to arrive at the park by 7:30 a.m. and see the sun bathe the trees in the lovely morning light.
Our first greeter was this little guy. We found him running around, busy doing what squirrels do in the early morning hours. But then he stopped…and posed for us! Here is his portrait.
Next up, was a beautiful robin. We also found him busy hunting around for worms and such. But he lifted his head to check us out and that was enough time to have his photo taken.
And, finally, this post would not be complete without a glimpse of the real reason we got up early this week – the lovely Sakura Cherry Blossom trees!
Please take a look at the next blog in our circle. This time it is Stephanie Madeline of Chase & Snap Photography. Cannot wait to see who she met in the garden.
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.
