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Tag Archives: your images

our client consults ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

25 January 2012 – 3:39 pm

one of the included features of any scruffy dog session and package is the client consult … some one-on-one time here at the studio to go over your images, see them full size on a properly calibrated monitor, and review the various fine-art products and high-end Signature scruffy dog albums.  clients also have the benefit of our experience and guidance as to which products are best suited to their home decor and which images would work best for the big, framed canvases which have become synonymous with SDP.

of course, it’s also your opportunity to meet the scruffy dog sales team … er … the resident scruffies …

… and while here, clients enjoy a specialty coffee from our new SunCafe single pod brewer.  trust me, when we decided to purchase a coffee machine for our studio guests, we did our homework, and are proud to say that SunCafe is 100% Canadian, like everything else about scruffy dog products … and these Kienna pods are earth-friendly and biodegradable vs. all those plastic and foil “cups” that other single-serve machines throw into the environment (recycled or otherwise).

of course, we have cold drinks as well … we’re stocked.

yup, here at SDP we aim to please …

NOTE: we do not allow the sales team to serve hot beverages.

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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)

a peek at image development ~ {Ontario pet-exclusive photographer}

2 March 2011 – 1:35 pm

i was going to post a sneak peek of sweet man Barkley, whom i met this past weekend, but while working through his gallery, i took a little extra time on a particular image (as i often do), and thought i’d share a bit of the process here since i always receive so many inquiries and interest in regards to the processing i do.

suffice it to say, shooting a super-fluffy, black dog in a snowstorm is something of a challenge.  and with dog photography, the added challenge of your subject moving in and out of different lighting situations, different backdrops, all within seconds, means that you’re up and down with the exposure value like a jack russel with his first SuperBall.  so, sure, you’re going to get a few images that are perhaps a little over- or under-exposed.  but shooting RAW allows for some rather significant salvage jobs when an image really speaks to you.

so here’s the – literally- blasted original.

what i liked about this image that was so different from the others in the shoot was that Barkley was finally hunting.  he’d caught an air scent of something under some cedars … probably a rabbit … so the moment was fleeting and the grab was fast … thus the overexposure and blown highlights of the snow.  but this kind of thing can often be remedied.  here is the same image worked in Lightroom …

now, most people would think this was fine.  but for me, the image is a little unbalanced.  see, the thing is, with dog shoots, a portion of your shooting is really up to the dog.  unlike couples at an engagement shoot who can be coached into a pose or wee babies that can be propped into the desired positions, with dogs, well, you’ve gotta just know their rhythm, read their energy, and, of course, pray a little.

in this case, everything had pretty much aligned … i knew i could deal with the burned out highlights (as seen in the work above), but how cool would it have been to see Barkley’s tail raised with excitement as he moved forward on the scent, right?  so, i looked to the previous image, shot a mere 1/10 of a second before this.  there’s Barkley’s tail up … the first alert to the scent.

what i don’t like about this image, however, is that his eye isn’t visible, his hunting intensity is not as great as in the first image, and since he’s not yet started to move forward, there’s no motion noted in the snow around his front legs.  but that tail!!!

so, while some photographers might just stop there and offer up the first image, sans tail, i took a few careful moments within Photoshop to do a little extra work on sweet Barkley.

of course, this wasn’t a simple cut and paste.  some rotation was required, then some cloning to clean up the edges, and more cloning to extend the weeds that crossed that poof of a tail.   and in fact, i think this final version carries even more intensity than the original.

but don’t worry, i’ll still share a couple more images as a sneak peek of Barkley tomorrow.

By illona | Posted in your images | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (9)

going big ~ {Ontario fine art pet photographer}

14 January 2011 – 10:40 am

a scruffy dog photo shoot is about more than capturing memorable photos of your 4-legger.  it’s more than action shots, lazy home shots and those expressive moments that have your loved one jumping out of the image at you.  a scruffy dog photo shoot is truly is an investment in artwork of your loved one.

of course, although the SDP collections include a full range of prints, digital images, proofs and luxurious coffeetable photobooks, it’s the “wallmounts” that make the biggest statement in your home.  canvas is the Cadillac … put a floatframe on it, and you’ve got yourself a Maserati.  of course, if canvas isn’t your cup of tea, there are other options like floatmounts and standouts which also give you significant wall coverage … and the sky is the limit as far as variety of size. whatever the “mount”, i always advise clients to go for the look they prefer, since each does have their own unique appeal.

still, canvas is the overall, paws-down favorite.  and in the case of canvas and art, more often than not, well, big is truly better.

i should mention that the above bed is a queen-sized, which makes client, sweet old Cassy pretty much life-size.

the workmanship, as with all SDP products, is top-notch …

although  a lot of clients love the look of a ‘naked’ gallery canvas wrap …

… where you can see the image wrap around the edge …

… i do encourage clients to consider the float frame.  it not only finishes the piece, but with the frame acting as a border, it allows the piece to be hung on almost any coloured wall, anchoring the image without fear of it fading into its surroundings because of similar colours to your paint choices.  this way, throughout the years, you can hang your artwork no matter how often you redecorate.

whatever product you choose, going big truly makes a statement, and it turns your images into artwork as opposed to just “a photo of your 4-legger on the wall”.

this is why, when ordering one of the SDP collections, clients receive their collection-discount on any upgrade and upsizing of wallmounts.

…  big truly is better.  and i’m so grateful that my clients recognize and embrace this sentiment as well.  2010 saw some absolutely stunning wall pieces leaving the SDP studio … it was difficult parting with them!  and currently there are more 4′-plus canvases sitting at the lab waiting for pick-up.  if i get a chance, i’ll share those with you as well.  but in the meantime, if you’re planning your order (now or in the future) think big.  measure your walls and calculate the dimensions you’ll need.

trust me, the only regret you’ll have is going too small.

By illona | Posted in products and promos, your images | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (14)

can i borrow your sky? ~ {Ontario professional pet photographer}

19 July 2010 – 7:46 am

with probably 80% of the scruffy dog images being shot in the great outdoors, throughout all the seasons, Mother Nature definitely plays her hand in the scheduling.  ask any scruffy client who’s anxiously watched first the long-range, then the short-range weather reports … then turned their eyes to the skies, and finally picked up the phone to discuss the logistics of having me drive to Toronto or Hamilton or London.  “So is it raining there right now?” “What direction are the clouds coming from?”

sure, it’s always a gamble, but so far we’ve never gotten wet and it’s always been fun.  and if shoots have to be rebooked, we rebook.  no big deal.  the scruffy dog schedule is laid out specifically to keep room for rain dates.

what we can’t always book for is those perfect skies.  sometimes it’s just flat and overcast.  and quite frankly, that diffused light is the best, but it doesn’t make for a very appealing back drop.  so sometimes i have to get a little crafty to take an image from drab to ‘finished’.

in this case, sweet old man Oswin here was lacking a little zip in his sky …

oswin-346-proof2

so i went to previous client Riley’s shoot and borrowed his sky for a bit … (he didn’t mind. he had lots of sky over those wheat fields)

riley-moore-24-copy1

and voila … the finished piece:

oswin-346-with-sky

and here’s another example:

oswin-325

oswin-325-with-clouds

having said all that, i will admit that i’m something of a purist: although the post work on your finished images is careful and extensive, and i remove leashes and other background clutter on any images that go to print, i generally won’t photoshop in anything that isn’t truly there.  and yes, i’ve had some pretty weird requests, but we won’t go there.  :)

By illona | Posted in your images | Also tagged , | Comments (1)