contemporary, lifestyle, on-location animal photography

a wintry facebook mashup ~ {Waterloo, Ontario pet exclusive photographer}

May 6, 2013

while we listen to the sounds of robins and the first spring flowers are already in full bloom, i thought it was high time to catch you all up on all of the winter images that have been shared over on the scruffy dog facebook page over the past few months. yes, sadly, we’re that far behind. but the hope is to put on a big push and get you blog-followers all up to speed.

still, it won’t be possible to share all of the images from the SDP facebook page here on the blog … the FB page is simply too full of fun and frivolity, updates and sneak peeks, it’s impossible to rehash everything here. but we’ll give you the highlights.

…starting with one of the very first shots i took of my girl this year. this was taken for her first shot in her 52 Weeks for Dogs project on flickr.

when i woke up in the morning and saw the snow coming down, i simply couldn’t resist a quick shot in the back yard. of course, it’s almost impossible now to get a shot of matea without the goober sneaking in there.he’s become such a camera hog.

it’s rare that i get one of the cameras out on the trails with the dogs … my matea, at 11 yrs old, still has the moves.and this is matea’s bestie, Macy … 11 yrs old as well, she’s still as wild and crazy as the day they met as 7 month old pups.nothing beats the picture of my own pack though…

over on the scruffy dog facebook page, we are always sharing public service announcements … this ones comes to you from merrick goobernuts mcscruffy himself.of course, it’s not all about the mcscruffies over on the SDP facebook page … in fact, it’s mostly about client dogs. here is the very handsome Zeppelin …

and Sheena from a session last year.and as someone had been asking me about horse session, i shared this handsome Fresian stallion from a couple of winters ago… then we had Daisy…

…and her baby sister Charley, who promises to grow up to be even more of a giant than Daisy.

but i do like to end every blog entry with the mcscruffies … even if it’s them taking themselves for a walk.

…and matea, being miserable, sporting yet another hat in a winter storm.

i hope you enjoyed this wintry mashup of images of the mcscruffies and some clients. as always, if you’d like to keep up with the with more immediate updates and client sneak peeks, join all the fun over on the scruffy dog facebook page. i promise, you won’t regret it!

Facebook Comments

6 comments

The Barking LensSuch great photos! Love Matea’s hat’s and the Goober’s advice ;).ReplyCancel
Tracey LackaMy friend Kim Teichroeb and her dog Sasha got me interested in your photos and your website. Your photos are truly amazing!ReplyCancel
Tracey LackaMy friend Lisa and her dog Sasha got me interested in your website and photos. They are absolutely amazing!ReplyCancel
Donna IcelandicOh my how I loooove you , your scruffies & your marvellous shots!ReplyCancel
Donna PedlarLove,love,love the things you do!ReplyCancel
Brenda Griffiths NanacsikI love your Scruffy Dog photos!ReplyCancel

another autumn facebook mashup ~ {Waterloo, Ontario pet photographer}

April 10, 2013

yes, we’re this far behind in blogging … showing beautiful fall colours in the dreary early months of spring … but, hey, i just want to get us all caught up. and i figure if i can throw a few winter blog entries up here on the scruffy dog blog, that should inspire Mother Nature to finally warm up our days so that those poor robins aren’t so cold!

so … back in those glorious days of autumn — always our busiest season where we are typically quadruple booked — we had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing scruffies … some were high-energy, crazy scruffnuts, and others shared with us the wisdom of their years during their Honor Sessions™.

Cosmo had a lot of fun at his Honor Session™…

of course, like any respectable vizsla, Cosmo’s age hardly slowed him down.

look at that smile!and speaking of smiles … how about this one on Bozley?Bozley’s was one of those extremely memorable Honor Sessions™.his giddy-up — in spite of his arthritis, three legs, and cancer — just never quit and he ended up waiting for us a lot of the time along the trail!i also had the pleasure of meeting the very handsome, ball-crazy Charlie for a short session down by the river…

love those ears.

and then these two! Jemma and Tohben — two Welsh springers — came from Oakville for their session, and they had one thing on their mind: hunting!

they could hardly sit still … and even if they did sit for a moment, their noses were still taking in all the new smells here in scruffy dog territory … we’ve got fabulously good smells here, apparently.“birds!”

i also shared a photo last fall on the scruffy dog facebook page of the new graphics on the scruffy dog mobile. these are just to tide us over for another year as the plan is to get a new vehicle soon … although we’ve been saying that for the last couple of years, but this 2005 Toyota Matrix just keeps on going! best dog car ever!

never underestimate the scruffy dog mobile! it can hold a TON of client artwork … this was just a third of our orders from our fall clients this year … all ready and in time for Christmas … an absolutely Herculean effort by SDP as well as the lab. I think they devoted an entire week or two just to SDP clients this past December! what you see here are several huge pieces — 54″ canvases and large framed storyboard prints — as well as a number of other framed fine-art prints and framed canvases of varying sizes, packed two rows deep! this was not a run where the goober came along as there wasn’t even room in the front seat as it was stacked with albums and smaller prints.

and we’ll sign off with … the smell of Fritos!

hope you enjoyed this little facebook mashup. if you would rather not have waited so long to see these scruffy dog images, join the SDP facebook page and stay up-to-the-minute with all the goings-on. honestly, i don’t think you’ll regret it.

BUT if you’re not a facebooky, no worries. we get it. you can always catch up here on the blog … eventually. but be sure to use the handy slide-out tab over there on the left and “subscribe” to the blog. you will then receive a notification via email whenever a new blog entry is posted! how handy is that?

Facebook Comments

2 comments

Michelle BradshawGreat blog illona. Thank you so much for all the time you spend preparing these. I love them!ReplyCancel
Anne AlterSpectacular!ReplyCancel

an autumn facebook mashup ~ {Toronto, Ontario pet exclusive photographer}

April 8, 2013

can you believe how far behind we are with blogging around here!? still with the fall images? no worries, i’m going to catch you all up with the fall stuff, then hit you with a few winter images … and that oughta give Mother Nature the kick in the a** she needs to finally give us spring! what do you think?

i want to share with you my two favorite sessions from the fall … and i don’t mean my two favorite scruffies from the fall because there is no way that i could possibly choose a favorite! i’m talking about favorite fall days, fall locations, just everything aligning … perfect weather, perfect models, wonderful wonderful wonderful …

first up, there was Rico … LOVE this boy …this was not Rico’s first scruffy session. i had the pleasure of meeting this spunky, bouncy boy when he was still a wild youngster. look for him at the end of this blog entry … yup, he was barking at me even back then!

we had a great time out at Rico’s parents’ chosen location …… enjoying what had to be the absolute best day of the fall season.

and it should go without saying that, yes, Rico loves his ball.and then there was sweet, sweet, sweet little Lily. just look at that face!Lily’s mom drove eight hours from Quebec for their session, and i’m so honored to have been entrusted with capturing Lily’s images.

you all know i’ve got a bit of a soft spot for those wirehaireds … just look at that face.

thanks, Rico and Lily, for being a part of our fabulous fall season. you are both definitely firm and unforgettable fixtures in the scruffy dog family!

Facebook Comments

8 comments

Ted CoveyI really enjoyed your images of these beautiful dogs. Thank you!ReplyCancel
Katy BrunkardIllona, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – your ability to capture these images is mind-blowing AND then what you do to them in post is just magical. Jaw drop-ingly gorgeous.ReplyCancel
Holly Garner-JacksonWow, just when I think you can;t get any better, you prove me so very wrong! These are spectacular!ReplyCancel
Britneye LadnerYou amaze me constantly. Just love everything you post, this included! Oh how I wish Canada was closer so I could mentor. If you ever feel like you need a break from the cold weather, the MS gulf coast would be an awesome place to visit. Just saying… 🙂ReplyCancel
- illonathanks so much, Britneye. most of the photographers who come here for mentoring fly in from all over the US — WA, CA, MS, etc. If it’s something you’d like to explore, feel free to email me for more information! happy shooting!ReplyCancel
AnnaRachelle Luketic Fitzsimmonsthese are absolutely spectacular…your captures exhibit their personalities……. Soooooo beautiful.ReplyCancel
Melody HenkelBoth. Perfection!ReplyCancel
NInawow! these are absolutely adorable!!ReplyCancel