contemporary, lifestyle, on-location animal photography

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

July 19, 2010

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 …

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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)

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and voila … the finished piece:

oswin-346-with-sky

and here’s another example:

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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. 🙂

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1 comment

Holly Garner-JacksonYour work always amazes me. I’ll never forget the time you removed a cow from one of my photos and when I asked you what you did with I because the farmer wanted it back, you said it was in your freezer. And you know what? I believe that you are that good, that it probably was in your freezer! LOL!ReplyCancel

the blur that is my boy ~ {Ontario exclusive pet photographer}

July 17, 2010

as part of the very popular and extremely active 52 Weeks for Dogs group that i created on flickr last year, devoted to one-year projects of weekly photos of your dog, we sometimes present a weekly challenge for members to take part in. challenges have ranged from depth-of-field, selective focus, b&w treatment, pop culture, and this week: action blur.

as I lay in bed last night, an image suddenly formed in my mind which i felt would answer the challenge perfectly. all that was left was to figure out how to execute it with all three scruffies. i shouldn’t have continued setting up the shot beyond the initial click. the first one nailed it …

… my lounging girl, a disdainful aslan looking on, and merrick — a constant blur in our world.

enjoy your weekend, everyone! i hope it’s not a blur!

added note for all you techies: no, there are no special effects or extra photoshopping tricks here. this shot was accomplished through a slow shutter speed and good dog-wranglin’.

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6 comments

andrealove it!!! let me know if your 52 Weeks group ever has a spot open up, illona….i would love to join! 🙂ReplyCancel
JDVery fitting since Merrick is the most active of this trio.ReplyCancel
Emery WayThe best dog photos are from the people who know and love them best. Awesome image!ReplyCancel
Holly Garner-JacksonYou do amaze me woman! This is awesome and such a perfect answer to the challenge!ReplyCancel
StephanieWith a space like this, I would want to chill like Matea!ReplyCancel
emilyAwesome! He looks like a super hero!ReplyCancel

lexus doesn’t mind the bridges ~ {Kitchener dog photographer}

July 16, 2010

just had to share a few images from a shoot a couple of weeks ago with a real trooper. for those of you living in or around Kitchener-Waterloo, you know that unless you’re crossing via a highway, the only way you’re getting over the Grand River is over one of the four multi-span concrete bowstring arch bridges … and you are, no doubt, well familiar with how slow going it can be to get through these areas because of the bridges’ restricted flow, especially at Bridge Street or old King.

so i thought, in spite of most of us Waterloo’ites cursing these heritage bridges during rush hour, why not incorporate their architectural beauty into a photoshoot?

of course, i’d try this only on a weekend, but still, even with minimal traffic, the cars blasted past. i was so proud of big girl Lexus for her bravery.

she wasn’t keen on actually posing, but owner Joyce and I managed to coax her along several passes of the bridge …

actually, i think Lexus thought she was just out for an afternoon walk. thanks, Joyce and Lexus, for the opportunity to show off our lovely bridge in — i hope — a new light.

oh, and absolutely Lexus was wearing her leash!

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3 comments

Holly Garner-JacksonLove the setting and that you were able to incorporate it into a shoot! And safety first and foremost! You’d never know that Lexus was leashed! Great job!ReplyCancel
SylviaThe bridge is pretty, for sure, especially once it was rebuilt, but I think Lexus is still alone in loving it! Getting back and forth my home in Preston to work in Waterloo was always the low point of my day, only matched now by London’s dual set of train tracks on either side of downtown.
Still, lovely photos – bright and sunny and Lexus is certainly having a good day!ReplyCancel
Tatyana“oh, and absolutely Lexus was wearing her leash!”
That was one of the first things that ran through my mind when I heard traffic. Expert editing on your part, I wouldn’t have guessed from the shots.
Quite different from your usual nature shots but gorgeous nonetheless. Love the sun flares.ReplyCancel