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the scruffies of SDP ~ {Ontario pet-exclusive photographer}

7 November 2011 – 12:27 pm

especially when it comes to the fall season, when we have quadruple the bookings on the schedule just to fit everyone in, when i’m working the cameras almost every day, and sorting and processing thousands of photos, sometimes the last thing i’m compelled to do is pick up a camera and add more to that seemingly endless backlog. as a result, the scruffies tend to become the shoemaker’s kids who have to run around barefoot.

but yesterday, after five shooting days in a row, we decided to drag the equipment out on a walk to capture a few photos of the scruffies in action. a few have been posted up on the scruffy dog photography facebook page already … but here are some more.

just heading out …

the look i get when i ask her to ‘wait’ at the top of a hill … first i get some awesome, alert stances, and then it’s like: “seriously, take a picture! it’ll last longer, lady. i got places to be!”

merrick always stops when he sees me stop …

and if i’m squatting too long with the camera, he comes flying back …

while matea is all about the hunt … always searching to scare up something … although this hike didn’t turn up anything to chase.

and merrick has become quite an adventurer himself, in spite of his very miserable beginnings … in spite of being at least 7 years old, merrick still acts like a puppy (i have no doubts he was removed from his mother too early) … and as a result, he turns to matea to direct and guide him through this new world of his.

and with matea as has guide, it’s no doubt that his hunt drive has gone from zero to ten … always on the lookout for voles (a much wiser quarry than the coyote he tried to chase down last winter!)

still with his eyes on matea …

a year and a half since his rescue, i think you’d be hardpressed to find a happier dog …

and at ten years of age, matea sill has the moves …

in all the years of photographing my girl, countless running shots, i don’t have a single shot like this one … with he ear fringes flying …

and, as always, matea’s tongue was definitely along for the hike …

and this is why i love shooting in November … all the dried grasses are absolutely beautiful.

weeee!!!!

and near the end of the hike, we had some awesome light to work with …

and no dog … but a spider …

i hope you enjoyed this little break from scruffy clients. i know matea and merrick certainly did! have a great Monday, everyone.

By illona | Tagged "wirehaired pointer", hike, november, PBGV, petite basset griffon vandeen, scruffies, scruffy dog photography, terrier cross | Comments (8)

interview with Black’s Photography ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

7 September 2011 – 9:36 am

when Ryan Visima — social media guru and blogger for Blacks — contacted me regarding an interview for Black’s website about pet photography i could hardly say ‘no’, even though — like a lot of photographers — i prefer to remain on the safe-side of any camera.

hope you enjoy it.

and a special thank you / shout-out to Heather Windsor for recommending scruffy dog to Ryan for the series. if you’re not already familiar with Heather’s stunning wedding and portrait work, do check out her website. when a recommendation comes from someone you’ve never met, it’s an even greater honour. so, thank you, Heather!

By illona | Tagged Black's Photography, video | Comments (15)

the latest FB scruffy dog poll ~ {Ontario pet exclusive photographer}

7 August 2011 – 12:27 pm

if you follow the scruffy dog Facebook page , then you’re already aware of the polls we have over there, asking pet-related questions. some are purely for fun, others are a little educational as we learn more about you and your pet.

this week’s poll is about how you came to be the guardian of your current 4-leggers. we want to know how our followers met their Rovers and Fifis and Fluffys too!

the poll is fun and easy … a few clicks … and if you follow the scruffy dog Facebook page (and why wouldn’t you?) you’ll see the results posted in a week or so!

you can get to the poll through this link.

of course, i can’t possibly do a blog entry without a few photos, so here’s a little before-and-after of our most recent scruffy rescue boy, merrick … rescued at 6 years of age …

his “before photo”, taken by the not-so-nice puppymill/breeder people who wanted rid of him …

and merrick today … with a little love, guidance, training, and no more breeding and abuse.

so go on over to the scruffy dog Facebook page and click the Polls tab on the left, or follow this link. we’d love to hear from you. and if the way by which you became guardian of your 4-legger(s) is not on the list, please drop us a line on the Facebook page, and we’ll rectify it pronto!

ALSO if you have an incredible rescue story, you know we’d love to hear it! you can share it in the comments below and/or share your rescue pup/cat’s photo on the scruffy dog Facebook page! (please keep photo submissions to one-per-pet).

looking forward to seeing the results from the latest poll! have fun!

By illona | Tagged facebook, merrick, rescue, scruffy dog poll | Comments (1)

when ‘stay’ isn’t an option ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

19 July 2011 – 9:58 am

although some photos might make it look easy, not every dog is a natural model and not every dog actually knows ‘stay’. although the essence of any scruffy dog shoot is dogs being dogs (and cats being cats, of course!) … letting them do what they’re going to naturally do, have fun and let loose … a good portion of the shoot requires a certain level of staging, anticipating, planning and setting the dog up. sometimes it’s as simple as throwing their favorite toy in the direction we would prefer they run, other times it’s a little more complicated … and then, there’s the fencepost technique.

i decided to offer this as a blog entry because the following photo receives a lot of attention and questions, especially when we had a 30×40 of it hanging at Woofstock last month. when people see it — besides a rather predictable “aw” — i get a lot of “oh my god!”s, and “how!?”, and “why?” … even, “did he get up there himself?”

that’s Oxford up there, balanced on a 4′ fencepost in the middle of a soybean field. and no, he didn’t get up there on his own … after all, this isn’t scruffy monkey photography. also, don’t worry, dad was inches out of frame, hands at the ready, in case my sweet little model mistakenly believed he was wearing a Superman cape and took flight off that post. safety first. always.

so, why did we put Oxford on a fencepost? well, several reasons …

(1) because it was the only thing to put him on in the middle of that field, and when a young, energetic dog doesn’t have a firm ‘stay’ command and is zipping in and out of the soybean plants, one of the best ways to get them to stay still for even a minute, is to put them on something. granted, it doesn’t have to be something this high or this challenging. a tree stump, a rock, a park bench … all work fine as a ‘place’. with a more defined place or object on which Rover is expected to stay, his boundaries are clearer and the exercise is clearer … and sure, it could take a few tries, but eventually, most dogs figure out that the trick is to stay on the ‘place’. and yes, this works for cats too! of course, rewards follow … as do some awesome photos.

(2) i wanted to get Oxford higher. we had great skies, and a lovely landscape, but there was no way to capture that with such a shorty, and with him zigzagging amongst the soybean plants.

and (3), the owners had seen a recent blog entry featuring Miles — the original fence-post balancing terrier.

Miles was a seasoned pro…

… fence posts are his forte.

and Oxford proved to be a bit of a superstar himself …

to be honest, these little guys rather enjoy the higher vantage point, for a change … and really take the opportunity to check out their surroundings. Oxford seemed to know exactly what we were hoping for …

perhaps he’d seen Miles’ blog entry?

but like i said: safety first. don’t try this at home.

By illona | Tagged dog, how to, ontario dog photographer, ontario pet photography, techniques, working with dogs | Comments (7)

just a little something to get your weekend started ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

16 July 2011 – 10:12 am

i thought i’d share some shots with you to get your weekend started with a smile … if these don’t make you laugh, you might wanna talk to your doctor about some heavy-duty anti-depressants.

last night, after weeks of no rain, we finally buckled and turned on the sprinkler for the first time … and Merrick Goobernuts, whose love for water exceeds almost all else, discovered the joys of self-entertainment. it was pure joy to watch him wander out into the yard with the sprinkler already on, stop with confusion over the sound of the water hitting the leaves of the maple, and then look up at the sudden raindrops. from inside the house, we watched … and for five minutes you could see him gradually putting the pieces together, moving ever closer to the source … so tempted, snapping at a few falling drops, studying the source and then staring at the back patio doors as though to seek approval for what was clearly churning in that scruffy little head of his.

i knew it was going to be good, so i raced down to the studio for one of the cameras, and by the time i came up, he had already figured out his strategy. but bolstered by my presence on the deck, Merrick simply let loose.

what follows is just a very small sampling of the insanity that followed …