Jan 6, 2016
Celebrating the life, love and legacy of your pet.™
There are probably few things worse than knowing you are running out of time, especially when it involves someone that you love dearly. Sadly, we are often caught by surprise when we are told that our pet is seriously ill. In a moment, all that time we thought we had, suddenly disappears, and we realize that we need to preserve the memories of our relationship with that furry family member. Knowing just how important it is to remember and celebrate your relationship is the reason behind the Posh Pets Heritage™ Session.
When I first spoke with Olivia about her Bella, she told me that she was her 11 year old black labrador, that she had had her she had her since she was a puppy. These two had grown up together. She also shared that Bella had only just been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and that the prognosis was not good. Could I create a session that would celebrate their relationship?, she asked. Of course., I assured her.
We made arrangements quickly and Olivia chose the park where she and Bella regularly went for walks. We took our time since Bella did not have the energy she had once had. Although, the sight of a ball still brought a light to her eyes and she chased it once or twice. Treats were, of course, graciously accepted. So, we walked and talked, stopping here and there to photograph Bella in her element with Olivia.
Olivia wanted me to be sure to capture the white muzzle and beautiful eyes of her dear Bella in a portrait. The dried reeds provided a beautiful backdrop against her black coat.
Even though some would consider the weather less than ideal, we were able to capture absolutely gorgeous images!
We then went on to document some sweet portraits of Olivia and Bella together.
We even got in a few kisses! Olivia was Bella’s world (and vice versa), so this was no surprise.
Inky, Bella’s older brother, also came along so he could be photographed along with her. He may only have a few months on Bella, but he practically dwarfs her in size.
I’ve said it before, but I will say it again: I am always amazed at how a dog will rise to the occasion. Despite the fact that the medication and her illness left her fatigued, Bella showed us that she could still chase a ball.
And, she still had the ability provide the loveliest of expressions for a portrait.
We ended the session with a few more images of Bella and Olivia together on a forest path.
The final portrait was of lovely Bella herself. In her park. The way Olivia wanted to remember her.
A week later, I received the e-mail I dread to receive: Bella had said her final good-bye, surrounded by the family she loved. I had already edited Bella’s images and ordered her folio box as well as her wall art, and Olivia was understandably eager to receive them. While they will never replace having Bella at her side, the images from our session will ensure that the memory of Bella stays alive in her heart.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, please do not hesitate to contact me and arrange a Posh Pets Heritage™ Session.
Nov 6, 2015
Nothing like a day of playing with Posh Puppies! This little bit of fluff is absolutely adorable. His name is Niko and he is my entry into this month’s I Heart Faces photo challenge. Usually those challenges are strictly for human faces, but let’s be real – who could not want to see this little face! Let’s hope he wins the judges over 🙂
Oct 22, 2015
I love these two gorgeous golden retriever boys! Jake and Mack are an uncle-nephew dog duo who make their home in Toronto. Mack is a 4 year old bundle of excitement who loves his family, loves to get to know you and find out what you are doing, and loves his treats (he’s the slightly more portly of the two). So, when I showed up with treats in hand, needless to say, I was a hit. Jake is the more quiet and serious one. At 7 years of age, he has definitely calmed down, and now, he is facing some serious health issues. Which is why his family called Pets Photography – they wanted some lovely images of their boys while they were still together.
This gorgeous portrait of them on their family’s front porch was lots of fun to create. One of the first things clients will often tell me is that their dog is not reliable must remain on leash. I always assure them that is perfectly fine. It was the same with Jake and Mack. We were quite obviously at the front of their house without any fencing or other barriers to keep them safe. It necessitated using their leashes and those leashes needed to be held by Mom and Dad. In fact, the humans are actually hiding in the alcove to either side of that front door. The magic of post-editing removed any trace of them and the leashes in the final image. Which leaves everyone to stare and admire the amazing smiles on the *obedient* doggies.
There’s something wonderful about a dog’s smile, usually shown by them opening their mouth and letting their tongue come out. But, Mack’s tongue is epic. It certainly suits his goofy, fun-loving personality.
Every Posh Pets‘ session is a relaxed, fun affair and, if the dogs enjoy it, some running around and playing. It is wonderful to have images of your dog’s unbridled enthusiasm for a ball and the feeling of the grass between their paws. Capturing these two boys larking about with each other in their backyard was such a joy for me and them!
There is also plenty of time for quiet, reflective portraits. The kind of artwork that you will want to display proudly on your wall.
We often end a session with an image that is a ‘slice of life’. Here, Jake, after a session of playing, posing, sitting, eating treats and just generally being gorgeous, relaxes in his front hallway on the cool floor. Where he has so many times before.
Jake and Mack, thank you for welcoming me into your lives for those few short hours. It was quite honestly a joy to meet you and photograph you. In my memory, you will always be together, romping around and spreading happiness wherever you go.
Aug 24, 2015
This past Saturday was perfect weather! Which was great because Posh Pets was thrilled to be at the annual SwissRidge Kennels Doodleromp event, this year being hosted by the Pine Tree Pet Care Centre in Guelph. Doodles from all around were there for one huge play date with their litter mates, their cousins and distant relatives. And to raise money for Autism Dog Services who do great work in selecting, training and providing service dogs to families. It was a great turnout!
Each year Doodleromp raises money for a worth cause. Last year’s recipient received his service dog, Ollie from Swiss Ridge Kennels. It’s quite apparent that Shay and Ollie have become fast friends 🙂
Shay got to show off some of the tricks he and Ollie have worked on together. Some of the other doodles wanted to come up and personally congratulate them.
Others had tricks to show off as well.
But, many spent the day running and chasing and playing…
…while others found a cool piece of shade to relax in.
Gibbs was one of the stars – he is so petite and cute. I saw more than one person who wanted to tuck him in a bag and carry him off. Look at that pink tongue!
I even had a brush with celebrity in the form of Riggins. He has his own book Golden Boy and his mom is author Sandy Rideout. I was so pleased that he agreed to sit and pose for a casual portrait. And, he turned on the charm when he flashed his awesome smile!
Of course, the amazing Zolo was there, holding court. Her human is Karley Gittens, an awesome graphic designer, who also works tirelessly to organize the DoodleRomp event each year. I photographed this beautiful girl a couple of years ago when she was still a puppy. It was so nice to be able to catch up with her again.
Blizzard is Zolo’s younger brother and a new addition to the family. He easily outweighs her, but is such a loveable boy!
Jax was a tiny 4-month old puppy last time I saw him (which was last year’s Doodleromp). He has grown into a gorgeous boy. His picture then…
…and now.
I also got to meet tiny, petite Basil and her little human who were happy to stop for a quick portrait.
By the end of the day, everyone agreed – it was a great Doodleromp!
Aug 20, 2015
I love it when I get calls from people looking for the perfect gift for a dog lover and they have decided on a Posh Pets Gift Certificate. It’s a double-dose of awesomeness. Firstly, the givers are invariably incredible people who have really searched for a personal, completely customized gift for their family member or friend. And then, I have the opportunity to meet the dog or cat lover themselves and their adorable pet. What more could I ask for! It is in this way that I came to know Dougie (an obvious fan of the Maple Leafs), and one of the cutest, full-of-personality boston terriers I have ever met. His mom is pretty cool too and she loves Dougie dearly.
After some discussion, his mom picked Dougie’s favourite park on an early week-day morning for his session. It’s where he goes rambling almost every day, and given the fact that practically every single person we met during our session knew Dougie by name, I’d say he’s a bit of a celebrity.
Dougie was careful to be out in front showing us the way around. But, as the ever careful leader, he never got too far ahead. If we lagged a little too much, he would stop, turn around and patiently wait for us to catch up.
Often, we saw the back of him. Which gave him an opportunity to show off his great terrier derrière. (Hey, it rhymes!)
Dougie was more than happy to introduce me to ‘his’ lookout. And then he flashed his beautiful smile!
Dougie is a trooper too. Always up for fun, he was willing to stand in grasses that clearly came way, way, way over his head! And produce a head-tilt, no less!
The fence post – the entrance to many awesome smells and trails to explore. Come on guys – what are we waiting for?
We ended the session with some amazing portraits of this beautiful boy in a bed of red needles. This image hangs large in a place of honour in Dougie’s home.
It was such a pleasure photographing this little guy and creating an amazing folio box filled with fine-art matted prints. You can see more of the products Dougie has in his home on the Posh Pets Instagram page (@dogphotographer). I know that I smile whenever I see his charming face.
Has this post got you wanting to design a custom session for your pet? If so, the place to start is here.
Jul 21, 2015
The hot, sticky, humid days are upon us in Toronto! Even so, the dogs at Toronto Animal Services seems to enjoy getting out and letting their paws enjoy the grass. (The treats and belly rubs may also add to their joy.) It’s such fun to meet and photograph these gorgeous furry faces each week.
Yesterday, we had an abundance of little brown and tan doggies. It’s like they all decided to match the background! Along with a black and white coat or two, and you have one group of great-looking guys and girls. Introducing this week’s group of eager adoptables…
My last little ones were Nigel and Sophia, a sweet natured bonded pair. Sophia is an 8 year old Yorkie mix and Nigel appears to be about 5 years old. TAS would love for them to find a home together. So, if you know anyone looking for a couple of best friends, please pass this on!
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…
We got a family portrait (or two or three)…
No trip to High Park is complete without photograph by the Magnolia tree. With the little princess herself, of course.
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.
A couple of formal portraits of the babies themselves.
And together:
We were literally stopped everywhere we went because of this good-looking brother and sister pair…
And finally, we ended up in front of one of the most iconic skylines in the world.
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
- 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.
Jul 6, 2015
Well, Posh Pets is baaaack! It has been such a long time since I have been to TAS – they were closed for renovations and all of the furry faces had to be housed at other locations. However, it was definitely worth it. The staff and dogs and cats all of have air conditioning now! Given how hot it was today, they are certainly happy to have a new HVAC system in place. And, so am I.
In other ways, it’s almost like I never left. Lots of fresh, smiling faces looking for a forever home and waiting to jump into your heart. I had quite a few of these boys and girls refuse my treats in favour of climbing up to shower me with kisses. It never ceases to amaze me how animals can be so forgiving of humans – even if they have been treated horribly or abandoned.
If you see someone you would like to meet, please contact Toronto Animal Services – North Shelter directly. They’ll be happy to arrange an introduction.
May 6, 2015
This post is going to be HUGE. It is the third, and final, instalment of the Pampered Pooches festival and all of us at Posh Pets were thrilled to meet all of you! If you missed them, you can find Part 1 and Part 2 here.
With this many dogs, names are hard to remember. If you would like me to mention your dog’s name, please let me know in the comments below and I will update the post.
So, with without further ado, here are the rest of the cuties we met…
The sun came out in the afternoon and the dogs loved basking in the sun.
So many soulful, sweet faces!
A gorgeous greyhound!
This little girl was eager to please.
This duo were getting lots of attention wherever they went.
Nothing like a little white dog!
And a sweet poodle girl.
A little terrier with bows in her hair.
Everytime I look at this face, I smile. Samson, you are one cute pooch!
A little scruff nut came to visit.
As did a gorgeous malmute.
A happy Boston!
Tongues were out and smiles were big.
What a cutie!
A little more serious pose. I think he was worried that I might not hand the treat over 🙂
Such soft, clean hair. Not easy when you are white!
This little poodle had the most beautiful coloured coat.
Another dachshund…
Then the puppies came along…this frenchie was sooooo cute.
A beagle with soulful eyes…
A happy beagle boy!
Such a mournful look. Don’t worry…there are more treats.
Even in the chaos, you can still get a head tilt.
This little guy was just happy to be here.
Another frenchie puppy with the most awesome colouring…
Busy figuring out what else was coming…
There were lots of Bostons that came out.
Okay lady, take my picture.
I tell really good jokes 🙂
This fluffy GSD puppy named Dino came to visit us. Those little tufts of hair are just wonderful!
A sleepy customer…
Puppy. What more can I say?
And a wrinkled little brow. Just makes you want to cuddle them, doesn’t it?
Someone looks like they just got groomed for the event! One regal looking schnauzer…
A little shih tzu named Oreo who also looks like he had just gone to the salon…
Well, this guy let me know what he thought of everything!
Whew! I think I got everyone! Again, THANK YOU for coming out and helping to make Pampered Pooches a great success!
Apr 22, 2015
As everyone knows, it was a pretty cold winter here in Toronto this year. That kind of snow and wind and cold can certainly dampen the spirits. Thankfully though, I am a pet photographer, and whenever we at Posh Pets feel down, we have a sure-fire way to cure the blues: photographing gorgeous, wiggly puppies!
This project nurtured the creative spirit for two reasons. One, it meant snuggling with puppies. You simply cannot avoid squealing when two little yorkshire terrier puppies come your way. Two, it allowed me to explore some studio photography, something that I have only started dabbling in.
I chose a simple backdrop – grey seamless. I think you will agree that it brings all of the attention on these gorgeous pups. Additionally, a key thing for me to be able to photograph more than one puppy is to find some way to ‘contain’ them and then move fast to catch the right expression. This little basket more than did the trick.
Then some solo portraits of the two babies.
Even at this age, this one could pull of a magnificent head-tilt. No doubt, she has her human family wrapped around her paw.
This is the beautiful Momma, Tess.
Then it came time to get the whole family together! Again, that little basket helped…
I have a few more puppy shoots to share and hope to be able to start offering these to clients soon. Stay tuned for more details!
Mar 18, 2015
I have to be honest, I let out a little squeal after Moses’ mom booked his Posh Pets session. Not only did it sound like he was a superstar, but his mom was more than happy to get up early (and I mean really early) for our session so as to catch the early morning light. On a Sunday, no less. Sometimes, you just know that a session is going to be epic.
Moses, a gorgeous border collie, makes his home in Whitby along the water. We decided during his pre-session design consultation that we would photograph him in his favourite park and beach. It took some doing, but we figured out where we had to be and at what time to take advantage of the first rays of the sun above the horizon. And when we got there, as I had been promised, Moses knew how to pose like a star.
We then headed down to Moses’ beach. The early morning sun along with the spectacular colours of fall made for a stunning backdrop.
Border collies are a high-energy breed, so Moses just had to show me he knew how to run.
At the end of the beach, these maple trees were putting on a full display. (This hangs as a large art piece on his mom’s wall now.)
Now, this is where I have to tell you an intersting little story…like a lot of pets in the world, Moses has a nickname. His proper name may be Moses, but over time he has acquired the nickname Momo. The thing is, you may have heard of another, more famous, border collie named Momo. Also known as “the hiding border collie”, he is an internet sensation and the muse of photographer Andrew Knapp who runs a blog called Find Momo that is – you guessed it – filled with awesome images of his Momo. The twist is that Momo is “hiding” in the photographs and it is your job to see if you can spot him. I can say from personal experience, it can sometimes take a great deal of time to find him! Well, here I was with a border collie named Momo on a glorious morning…we couldn’t let the opportunity pass. So here is our own tribute to Moses’ more famous namesake. Can you find him? Hope we make the real Momo proud!
Back in his park, Moses posed for another set of portraits showing off his winning smile!
After getting up early for a full morning of running, posing and fun, that afternoon I was sent a picture of a sleeping Moses. Apparently he passed out soon after getting home – I guess modelling is hard work. But, the images were worth it…
You know, I would love to meet your furry face in the wee hours of the morning! If that sounds like your kind of session, contact me here. Of course, if you would rather sleep in and book an afternoon session, that is fine too 🙂
Mar 4, 2015
In case you haven’t heard, let me tell you: it has been COLD in Posh Pets land! For most of this year, I have watched heavily-bundled people and lot of bundled up dogs too, go for their daily walk. You can always tell the dogs who would rather be sitting at home, cuddled up on a couch – the slow gait, combined with the frequent stopping and looking up at their human tell me that they are only going for a walk because they think their people need it. However, they are dogs that simply love the snow and cold and cannot wait to get out and have some fun! And, my furry little client, Chubusz (pronounced Chub-oosh), is such a dog.
During our Pre-Session Consultation, Chubusz’ mom shared with me how much he loved the snow and cooler weather. In fact, Summer, with its accompanying heat, rendered Chubusz and almost exclusively indoor dog. So, it made absolute sense that we plan a Winter session.
We started our time together at his gorgeous home where Chubusz showed me all of his favourite ‘spots’. He loves the couch, but where he looks most regal is right here – on the rug in front of the fire place.
After posing like a model (and receiving lots of treats as payment), we all headed outside into the snow! This boy showed me how much he loved to run. And run. And run. Finding a stick to run with, was just the icing on the cake.
We ended up with a snow-covered muzzle and lots of smiles.
Finally, once the humans were cold, we ended up back home where Chubusz settled in for a nice, long sleep…
Chubusz was such a gentleman and an absolute joy to photograph. The weather was perfect, the snow clean and white and the images we created…beautiful! Chubusz’ family now has gorgeous art work to treasure forever.
Are you looking to capture the joy of Winter with your furry face? Contact me here.
