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more big canvases ~ {Ontario premium pet photographer}

22 July 2011 – 9:25 am

thought i’d quickly share a few images of the latest two canvases before i have to head out to help a friend/client with some training with their pooch this morning.

what can i say?  i love the big canvases … and i love clients who love the biggies too.

it’s a fact: scruffy dog is quickly becoming known for these big ones.  when i pick up at the lab and run into other photographers, they already know me because of the big doggie canvases that frequent the place.  and more and more, clients are booking with big canvases in mind … whether repeat clients or first timers.

because there’s a little work involved with hanging these pieces and shooting them, i don’t have the opportunity to share every canvas that comes through scruffy dog, but the other day i took some time out to document the latest two.

first up, Miles in the train tunnel …

this canvas is 30×54, and finished with our gorgeous satin-finished, black, oak float-frame.   i always recommend for couch pieces or over-the-bed pieces, that 52″ is a minimum, with 60″ being a great length, especially over queen-sized beds.

as you’ll see from this closeup, the detail and sharpness that is maintained even on a piece this large and on the subtle texture of the canvas, is still stunning.

this is achieved first, by using only a superior image and second, by taking the time and care that is required to upsize.

Miles is a repeat client whose mom — upon seeing the shoots we’ve been doing in the train tunnel — booked a second shoot for her gorgeous boy with this exact canvas in mind.  Miles is a rescue from Tennessee, picked up as a stray, and Ingrid has always imagined him surviving on his own, on the streets, and perhaps in train tunnels such as this.  so this canvas means a lot to her.  you can see more images from this second session with Miles in his blog entry.

i should note that if i were hanging this piece permanently, i would have hung it a little lower, but i’m trying to minimize the holes in my own walls!

next up is egghead Memphis … and of course, i use “egghead” as an endearment, since i deeply adore both of these wonderful models.  Memphis’s blog entry is here, if you want to see more images from his session and read about how dad Don was instrumental to the shoot by providing his own graffiti!

i’m looking forward to Memphis’s fuller shoot this fall where we intend to take the Badlands by storm.  i can’t wait!

of course, Merrick — who knows Memphis from our monthly walks with Waterloo Dog (ah, Memphis was just a wee little spud back then!) — thinks this is all a little ho-hum.

Memphis’s canvas is 28×48″, not including the float frame.  i just thank dog i drive a Matrix where i can flip down the seats, including the passenger seat, if need be, and transport a full 8′ spread or more (should anyone decide to go that big!)

(again, if were hanging this permanently, I’d hang it a bit lower … and that bracket you see peeking out at the top left of the frame is the bracket that normally holds my girl Matea’s canvas in place.  of course, Matea wasn’t overly impressed with the artwork switch, however brief.

have a great Friday, everyone.  i have a TON of wiener dog images to share with you and was going to bring you the first installment today, but have no time.  perhaps tomorrow.   stay cool!

By illona | Posted in products and promos | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

more big canvases ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

6 July 2011 – 10:48 am

as some of you blog-followers already know, scruffy dog is rapidly becoming known for our big, framed canvases.  it thrills me to no end when a client goes big because, from the beginning of scruffy dog, shooting for ‘artwork’ and albums full of memories has always been the goal … and nothing defines ‘artwork’ more than these gallery wrap canvases, set into a deep, contemporary float-frame.

for those of you who stopped by to see us at Woofstock, you’ll remember the above piece … now you can see in a home setting.

this canvas is 22×52″ … at that length, it’s a good fit over a standard-sized couch.

we always recommend anything from 52 – 60″ length for couch size … and quite often a lot of extra work goes into these pieces to gain that extra length.

for over the bed, you’re looking at 52 -60″ as well …

this is a queen-sized bed with a 22×52″ canvas (the frame adds another inch all around) … and again, i prefer developing the image so that we get more length and span across the wall …

… not to mention that the length gives a much more dramatic effect than standard sizes.  (and yes, the scruffies — ms fartypants and goobernuts mcscruffy — do follow me everywhere.)

the workmakship on these professional canvases is impeccable.  they simply can’t be compared with “consumer” canvases.  and the float-frames truly finish your piece, setting it off the wall with that contemporary flair and making it stand out as a piece of art vs. the “naked” look of an unframed, gallery canvas wrap that can often blend into the wall on which it is hanging.

like the canvases, the float-frames are top-quality: solid oak with a stain black finish, and with a unique and truly excellent honeycomb hanging system which allows for a lot of flexibility when hanging.

after these big pieces, the standard sizes almost look small, but not every wall can handle the big ones.  these two are 24×36″ … one with and one without the float-frame …

i’ve had a few clients recently — new and repeat — book sessions specifically with these large canvases in mind, and i’ll share the results of those in the next week or so when i pick up a couple of these pieces from the lab.

By illona | Posted in products and promos, your images | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (11)

scruffy dog Signature albums ~ {Ontario pet-exclusive photographer}

24 June 2011 – 4:31 pm

at long last i’ve set some time aside to take photos of the new scruffy dog Signature albums.  why do we call them “Signature” albums?  because these gorgeous, exclusive albums have been developed with our partner lab — with great love, devotion, and a lot of hard work — for scruffy dog and our awesome clients.  these albums are the result of years of  experience, years of designing and delivering countless books to scruffy dog clients, and knowing what makes the scruffy dog images look their most vibrant and superior.

yes, we’ve exhaustively sampled the top ‘presses’ and book-making companies in Canada and the US over the years, and have ventured into the world of press-printed (magazine style) printing, but frankly, press-printed simply can’t compare to having your images presented on real, archival photographic paper.

scruffy dog is extremely proud to present three stunning, custom-designed albums in which to present the photographic memories of your best friend.  hand-bound, hardcover, flushmount albums, printed on real photographic paper, allowing for every hair to bristle off the page and the eyes to sparkle bright, and always the truest of colours to shine through.

so first up, the Best in Show album … let’s start with the deluxe box this comes in …

and the custom-designed keepsake bag … and when we say “custom-designed”, yes, we mean our own design, working with a local seamstress.

the spine and back is genuine leather, with many colours to choose from, and there is the option for either full leather cover with name embossed, or as you see here, with the partial photo cover (my preference) …

beautiful, flushmount binding …

studio imprinting kept subtle …

and true, lay-flat pages that come with flushmount albums.

yes, these are the same luxury albums that wedding photographers offer their clients, and frankly, there’s no reason our pets don’t deserve this kind of luxury and grand format too, right?

the Best in Show album is 12×12 … that’s why it’s called “Best in Show”!   so with the turn of each lamination-protected page, you’re presented with a full 12×24″ print …

but for other spreads, there’s ample room to have fun with design and multiple photos, of course.

so why all the hullabaloo about albums anyway?  well, face it, unlike a photo shoot of yourself or your family, Rover simply doesn’t have a bad side … even if his nose can be a little long.  and scruffy dog photo sessions are big on variety.  so once presented with their proofing galleries full of variety, more than eighty percent of scruffy dog clients decide that an album is the best way to have the photographic memories of their pet presented.  albums are almost always purchased within one of the scruffy dog packages which also include prints and wall mounts, but over the years, we’ve found that it’s the albums that most clients love and cherish the most … and that’s why we’ve put our own heart into them.

but some clients find that the Best in Show album is a little big … so for them, we have two smaller sizes.  first, the 8×8 scruffy dog Signature album …

a solid, compact, hardcover album presented in a protective box …

beautifully and meticulously hand-bound …

printed on archival, photographic paper, the pages are a heavy stock, not flimsy press-printed paper.

and like the Best in Show, the Signature albums are flushmount as well, which allows your pages to lie flat and your images to be unhindered by the gutters normally found in press-printed books.

and in spite of its smaller size, there are still great design options …

however, having spent several years designing these books, we keep the scruffy dog books clean and simple … uncluttered from extra design flourishes … so that the images can stand out.  and yes, text can be included.  as i put this blog entry together now though, i realize i failed to photograph any of the spreads which incorporated text … so here is one typical spread with text …

“She is your partner, your defender, your dog.  You are her life, her love, her leader.  She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart.  You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion.”  ~ Unknown

but back to the 8×8 Signature album …

and then there is the 10×10 Signature album …

but as with any product, touchy-feely is always the best, and you’ll always get to see these in-person at the time of your shoot.

i hope you’ve enjoyed this peek at the scruffy dog albums.  NOTE:  for those photographers inquiring about product, etc., please understand that we don’t have time to respond to all inquiries, especially as we are currently in our busy season.

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how we hang ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

17 March 2011 – 8:27 am

just thought i’d share a few of the latest scruffy dog canvases picked up at the lab last week.

i didn’t get a chance to take a photo of Macy’s first framed canvas, but after mom Michelle decided to order another canvas to hang over their bed, i simply had to share it …

this big beauty is 24×48″ and furnished with the gorgeous black, satin-finish, oak floatframe.   i love the 4′ canvases we do, especially when finished with these stunning floatframes.  4′ is the minimum length you’d need for an over-the-bed piece, and if you’re looking for a sofa piece, we suggest taking it up another foot to 60″ and really making a statement.

the other fabulous aspect of the floatframe is the unique hanging system …

with one of these heavy-duty brackets at either end, lots of options for fine-tuned adjustments, hanging is easy, secure, and unlike the old-fashioned wire-and-hook style, this system allows canvases — even these big scruffy dog canvases — to hang flush on the wall … from top to bottom.

but some clients have smaller walls … little nooks and corners, or smaller spaces between windows.  if that’s the case, a 16×24 canvas (the smallest canvas we offer) can do the trick.  here is lovely Summer on her 16×24 canvas.

this 16×24 is actually on a narrower stretcher — 3/4″ instead of the usual 2″.  the reason for the narrow stretcher is to offer more options for framing.  deep, 2″ frames are more limited in regards to selection, and much higher in cost, and when a client prefers to frame the canvas themselves — in this case, Summer’s mom wants a more traditional frame — the 3/4″ stretcher makes this easier … more cost effective, and the ultimate selection of frames greater.

and then there’s Carling and Mackelin.  how dang cute are they?

this is a 24×36″ canvas with the floatframe.  i can’t wait for mom Shelley to see it … they simply sparkle off the canvas.

of course, as i was taking these photos, someone was at my feet … no doubt, wondering when his canvas is coming!

not yet, little man.  i do have plans for a big canvas for over our bed, but it’s of my girl matea.  one day, merrick … one day.

if you want to see other samples of the scruffy dog canvases you can see them here and some more here.

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winter canvas sale ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

11 February 2011 – 4:59 pm

who doesn’t need a pick-me-up in the middle of February?  and who can’t benefit from a little shop-therapy?  i know i certainly do, although lately it’s been new equipment, gear and software for scruffy dog … but still, it’s all about making pretty things … and pretty things making us happy.  or as one of my clients would say: making her walls happy.

so after three recent inquiries from clients wanting to add new canvases to their walls, i figured, why not make some walls happy?

and nothing makes walls happier than canvases!  so …

… for the rest of the month of February, scruffy dog is having a sale on canvases!  and don’t let Merrick’s glum-chum face fool you … it’s a good one!

because we always encourage going big with the scruffy dog wallmounts, with this sale the bigger you go, the more you save!

16 x 24   ~   5% off

20 x 30   ~   10% off

24 x 36 +   ~  15% off

and because we also encourage framing, float-frames (as seen on the canvases in this entry)  are further discounted via a group rate.

16 x 24 floatframe  $100

20 x 30 floatframe $125

24 x 36 floatframe $155

30 x 40 floatframe $190

* this special runs only for the month of February, and is open only to SDP clients who have previously ordered one of the SDP collections/packages.  to order yours, contact the studio before the end of the month!

if you would like to read more about the canvases and frames, and see more samples, check out this recent blog entry and the blog entry about going big.

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