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Tag Archives: guelph pet photographer

big lug riley ~ {Guelph, Ontario pet photographer}

13 October 2010 – 9:56 am

you met this big boy Riley in his sneak attack … er … peek with his sister Stella, and saw him again in their bedroom series.  i decided to give Riley and Stella each their own blog entry because we had such a fun shoot, with such great settings, and too many photos to share.  so first up is 3-year-old Riley …

we actually started indoors for our shoot … get some home shots in before getting all wet and dirty at the quarry.  and owner Allison did a super job of tiring these two out before our shoot, taking them out for a good hike and then a vigorous visit with 4-legger friends after.  so these two were calm and willing models from the get-go, as you’ll see from their bedroom series.

at the quarry, i was so happy to see an entire hill of this knee-high grass, already dead and dried … the perfect backdrop, especially for a black dog.

also at the quarry is an old abandoned weigh scale … the rusted platform made an awesome backdrop.

but, of course,  the main reason you go to the quarry is for the water …

i’m told Riley’s not as into the water as his lab sister Stella, but he was still willing to get in there and fetch a stick or two.

of course, every high-energy dog needs to cool his engines at some point … flaps up …

back at home we snagged the last few rays of daylight and the brick of the garage wall for Riley’s Scooby-doo impression …

thanks for being such an awesome model, Riley.  you were fab!

and stay tuned for Stella’s fabulous blog entry next …

By illona | Posted in clients & sneak peeks | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (8)

stella and riley ~ the bedroom series ~ {Guelph dog photographer}

7 October 2010 – 1:30 pm

with a full fall schedule, i’m falling behind with sneak peeks and even whole-shoot entries, so i’ve decided to share tidbits as they come up during my post processing, here and there.  and today i thought i’d share the bedroom segment of Stella and Riley’s shoot from last week.

as suggested in the scruffy dog pre-shoot package that is sent to clients, mom Allison took her two super-stars for a good hike earlier in the day and then for a good romp with other 4-legger friends to burn off some energy, so believe it or not, these photos were taken before our outdoor location at the quarry.

and you’d never know it, but Riley is a non-stop energy demon …

in fact, i was worried we weren’t going to be about to rouse them for our shoot!

fortunately we did, and i hope to share the madness of our wild and zany shoot at the quarry soon.

By illona | Posted in clients & sneak peeks | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (8)

happy monday ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

27 September 2010 – 8:32 am

i’m headed up north very shortly … backing up yesterday afternoon’s shoot so maybe i’ll pack up one of the camera’s to take along in case we take the dogs for a run … and as i’m going through Stella and Riley’s shoot just now i was cracking up.  and being as it’s a monday, i figured i shouldn’t be the only one getting a good laugh.

so … follow along here.  as you’ll see from the numbers of the photos (hover your cursor over the images) this is the actual sequence of the photos.  and — as is often the case while i’m shooting — i don’t have time to review all the photos as they’re taken, so a lot of them are a surprise.  well, the last one in this sequence certainly was.  i had no idea it was on the card until i downloaded it.

but … follow along as i did … here’s Riley … one of the first shots when we arrived at the quarry, peacefully surveying … (note: not a lot of post work on these)

and he’s on the move … (not a quality image; only posting for the experience)

the grass is long, so i turn my camera onto Stella … lock focus, compose.   she’s so peaceful and calm …

… serene.  let’s take a couple of frames, just in case she blinks …

hmm … i wonder where Riley went … oh, there he is!  RAWWRRR!!!

have a great monday, everyone.  :)

By illona | Posted in clients & sneak peeks | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (15)

peter the cat ~ {Guelph pet photographer}

7 September 2010 – 10:54 am

meet Peter …

things you should know about Peter is that …

… she’s actually a girl

…  she’s got the most gorgeous eyes

… she’s very loved by owner Lori

… she’s all black except for a few white toes.

but what you should also know about Peter is that she’s not very friendly.

at least, not with newcomers.  in fact, Peter goes down as the very first and only client in scruffy dog history who went through a full three-hour shoot with not so much as a single pat or stroke.  frankly, that was Peter’s choice … and to be honest, i need my hands.

in fact, i worried that  — in spite of having worked with some pretty difficult, fearful, shy, and aggressive pets over the years — Peter was also going to be that first client from whom i got nothing.  within minutes of arriving she was spitting up a storm as Lori tried to coax her from trying to run away to the basement, having a small hissing fit, boxing Lori’s hands with some rather significant seriousness.  but don’t misunderstand …

… there’s love between these two.  it seems that Peter just doesn’t much like hands.  instead, Lori nuzzles her with her face …

… and there is definitely affection shared between them.

but me … i had to speak to the paw for most of the shoot.

… or receive the cold shoulder.

… or the paw again.

but when mom wasn’t looking, i did find this girl’s soft spot when i pulled out one of my cat-nip ‘marinated’ mice.  just look at her whipping that thing around … and then: “oh wait, did mom see me actually having fun? can’t have that!”

moving Peter from one ‘location’ to the next wasn’t always easy with peter … it almost always involved some hissing and yowling, but each time she settled quickly for her next round of photos.

but when Peter was done, she was d-o-n-e … headed to the basement where she’d wanted to go from the beginning.  and with enough photos for her final portfolio, i let her go in peace at last.

thank you, Peter, for putting up with me.  you’re a sport.  hope you enjoy our gallery, Lori.

By illona | Posted in clients & sneak peeks | Also tagged , , | Comments (8)

peter sneak ~ {Guelph pet photographer}

16 August 2010 – 11:38 am

this is peter …

you’ll be seeing more of her shoot soon once i’ve caught up with other client shoots.  this is just a quick sneak for owner Lisa.

By illona | Posted in clients & sneak peeks | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)