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last day to vote! ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

here at scruffy dog, as the last of the Christmas orders have been shipped out, pickups are a flurry, and we find ourselves catching up with post-production on our incredibly busy fall schedule, we’re looking forward to some fabulous snowy winter shoots coming up …

but today’s entry is just a quick reminder that there is only one day left to vote for your favorite pet photographer servicing the GTA.

as a lot of you already know, scruffy dog photography had the honor of being nominated for Best Pet Photography in The Toronto Pet Daily Readers’ Choice “Best of 2010″ Awards.  we’d love for you to head on over to The Toronto Pet Daily’s site, check out the other photographers nominated, and VOTE!   it’s easy, really!  there’s no signing up, no account to create, just a “click”.

but this shouldn’t be a popularity contest, so please do take a look at the other three photographers and vote for your favorite.  (polling is down the right-hand column)

then, get out and enjoy the snow!

buster’s big session ~ {Toronto pet photographer}

this is Buster …

you might remember him from his sneak peek earlier on the blog.

Buster’s Serious session spanned several locations, and — as is typical of scruffy dog’s shoots — we’re often stopping along the way, whenever and wherever we find little patches of light or inspiration … whether it’s a little swath of clover on the side of a busy street …

… or the subway station

even the subway car itself.

when owner Giovanna signed her little man up for his Serious session, i’ll admit i was a little concerned when she admitted that he had no training and wasn’t food-motivated.  knowing we were headed for locations where we’d be needing more poses vs. “wild” natural locations where he could run willy-nilly, i wasn’t certain Buster would be up for it.

i couldn’t have been more wrong.  Buster was the consummate poser, and contrary to Giovanna’s booking form, Buster liked my treats just fine.

of course, Buster did give me his signature “look” more than a few times …

but truly, i think Buster enjoyed every minute.  i certainly did.  Giovanna and her little man were a pleasure to share my day with no matter where we went.

and the Distillery District was just an awesome place to hang out and shoot …

gorgeous colours, lots of textures, and – with Buster – lots of expressions …

but of course, no scruffy dog shoot would be complete without some crazy, dog-being-dog, action shots …

and some great skies …

and back home …

dance, Buster, dance!

and i just love Buster’s expression here …

but by late evening, i think Buster was done as he showed me to the door …

thanks for being such a fantastic model, Buster.  i hope you enjoy your gallery, Giovanna.  talk to you soon!

young at heart riley ~ {Toronto pet-exclusive photographer}

this is Riley …

you met him earlier in a sneak peek, and now i can share his fuller blog entry with a sampling from his finished gallery of images.

owner Shelley and her son Dan and i headed into the Riley’s favorite park for a  great walk with the old man on a glorious fall afternoon.  of course, i was very grateful to have Dan acting as my sherpa, lugging my heavy camera bag.  with such a full schedule this fall and some shoots booked back to back, my shoulders were happy to take a break from the burden of the extra camera and lenses.  thanks again, Dan!

not only is the light glorious in the fall …

… but, of course, so are the colours.

and i loved this bridge, even though the light breaking through the trees presented a challenge, and i had to wait for Riley to be in right position.

if you’re wondering, Riley is 16 years young, and is a spitz-poodle cross.  he’s a little hard of hearing and a little short-sighted, but — as my luck would have it — he loved the natural lamb treats i brought … well, almost every client does.

and what you’ve probably already noticed about Riley is that he’s got the coolest, most expressive ears.

what you should also know is that he is deeply, deeply loved.  in fact, i’d venture to say he’s revered.

and he sure loves his boy Dan.

when you think about it, at sixteen years, they basically grew up together.

whether on our walk or at home, Riley always worked those magical ears of his …

thanks for a lovely afternoon, Riley, and Shelley and Dan.  i hope you enjoy your gallery, and i look forward to seeing you again at your studio consult.

the little man that made my week ~ {Toronto pet photographer}

just had to share this little guy, Koda, whom i met with his brother and amazing parents yesterday afternoon …

you’ll definitely be seeing more of this fabulous guy and his handsome brother soon. happy weekend, everyone.

scruffy dog loves Woofstock

while still wading through the flotsam of our Woofstock booth that slowly drifts in from the garage into the studio, making it difficult for the scruffies to find a place to stretch out these days, i thought i should probably get a few images from the fabulous weekend up on the blog to share.

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due to scheduling commitments in previous years,  this was our first Woofstock experience, and through it i’ve learned a thing or two … the most important is that if i have any hope of getting out to see all the amazing dogs, i have to do so on saturday … leaving the booth in the hands of my trusty staff and take some time to wander.  sunday just gets too crazy with the last minute visitors.  of course, the other thing i learned is that i needn’t have dragged along the folding chairs! with the constant flood of kind admirers there was never a chance to sit down except for a few brief seconds on the top of the cooler.

still, happily bound to the scruffy dog booth and unable to witness the festivities beyond the south-facing vista from our Front Street tent, i loved Woofstock even more than expected … and when we couldn’t get out to the crazy, the crazy came to us.

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my shooting was severely limited by time — often  having only one click per dog — and by the crowds … people barging through your field, or — more often — other pooches vying for their own camera time.

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amid the sea of snorty, adorable pugs (easily the most popular dog in the Sunday crowd) was a veritable wave of scruffies earlier in the day.  another fact i learned at Woofstock, however,  is that apparently a lot of scruffy dogs can’t read, because — sadly — a surprising number of them passed right on by the scruffy dog booth with barely a turn of the head.   and i have to wonder if this girl — Dixie — might have as well if not for me rushing around my table and out of the booth, practically assaulting her owner/rescuer from Calgary and his other rescue dogs Saturday afternoon and again Sunday when i was finally able to take this photo:

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i’m in love with this girl.  i want this girl.  she is my dream dog.  apparently Dixie’s owners (part of a rescue organization) and their pack are thinking of moving to Ontario, and if they do, i’ve promised Dixie her own shoot.  ulterior motives of course … then i’ll have their address!  ;)   all kidding and purple paws aside, Dixie, you have a scruffy dog shoot coming to you … i just can’t make it all the way to Calgary, even though i do have a place to stay there.

some other great faces i met …

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and this little chi … obviously so impressed with the events …. not.

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another scruffie i assaulted … or maybe it’s a wookie?

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and a barky-pants who had a lot to say to me while his/her owner was busy looking through some of the scruffy dog photo books … we had a good conversation.

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and this little monkey doing a quick model of the fabulous dog clothes made by Black Baron Kingdom Apparel — my most awesomest tent neighbors from Winnipeg, who make funky animal clothing from used and vintage people clothes. check ‘em out!

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if i’d had merrick with me, i almost certainly would have subjected him to a Black Barron fitting.

just a few more friendly Woofstock faces …

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and more often than not, the dogs would literally try to come and visit me …

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here’s a quick glimpse of the booth:

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thank you, Woofstock, for a fantastic weekend!  thank you, weather-fairies, for only a little rain.  and thank you to everyone who stopped by with such kind words.  i loved talking to all of you, and loved meeting all of your dogs … even the ones who peed all over our table  cloth.

thank you to Cheryl at The Barkery in Stratford for the tasty, grainless biscuits for our table.

big thanks to my staff: Angie, especially for her sewing abilities and ingenuity, and Andrea, who deserves the biggest thank-you of all for rocking the booth with her enthusiasm, putting pedal to the medal along the 401 Saturday morning, and schlepping more booth-display crap than one woman should ever have to in a lifetime!

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