contemporary, lifestyle, on-location animal photography

welcome to the new scruffy dog logo! ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

January 24, 2012

after teasing you all on the scruffy dog facebook page for the past week or so, at last we are ready to reveal the new SDP logo! this has been in the works for over a couple of months now, even though it’s been well over a year that i’ve been ready to give the business a new logo. i have always been in love with the image below, of merrick goobernuts mcscruffy jumping for his ball … it symbolizes so much about scruffy dog and the impetus and passion behind this business … the love of dogs, the love of rescue, and making sure everyone has the opportunity to have fabulous photos and artwork of their beloved 4-legger to cherish for a lifetime.

even though all of my rescues have been scruffy, merrick — the rescue coming from the worst circumstances and requiring the most rehabilitation — simply had to be the inspiration behind the new logo. with a vision in hand, i approached client Don Straus — dad to the incomparable Memphis — to help me design and work this logo. yeah, i’ve got a fine arts degree, and in my day i wielded a pretty wicked pencil … but my drawing days are over, and unable to capture merrick in the absolute perfect, air-borne pose by camera, it was up to Don to combine several photos of the goober. and after many hours and days niggling over every last line in Don’s drawing and then hours and days of searching for and stressing over fonts, the final SDP logo has come to life.

there are a lot of connections and meaning behind the various elements of the new logo besides the drawing of our own goober.

the ball is a no-brainer … balls have been merrick’s doorway to rehabilitation and his method of dealing with any terrifying aspects of the new world around him. it speaks to his amazing recovery, his joy and new freedom, as well as my years of working with dogs in training and rehab.

the extra large shadow is probably a truer representation of just how big this boy really is — in heart, in spirit, and in courage … well, and his big-dog attitude, of course.

the bones (which you will see in the “seal” below) were drawn by me and have been an element of SDP for years now, and certainly speak of the other huge passion in my doggy world, and that is canine health and nutrition, and feeding raw for almost 10 years.

and finally, the font … yes, i know a number of you have already voiced your dismay over the loss of our former “scruffy” font. the problem is, that the scruffy font didn’t work with the graphics of the new logo. and to be honest, as a novelist for twenty-some-odd years, a good typewriter font has always struck a chord with me.

i have no doubt that there will be variations of this logo over the next few years, but my little flying boy will remain. he is now the “seal” and watermark on every photo that will be posted on the blog or facebook … even though I’m not sure Indy entirely approves …

and not sure about young Bosco either …

here’s the actual scruffy dog seal that you will see as part of the new SDP branding:

… used as a watermark or in other occurrences of branding …

i hope you all enjoy this new and much more personal SDP logo … and to celebrate its launch, as promised on the SDP facebook page, we’re going to have a contest! so if you don’t already follow us on facebook, now might be a good time to start!

Facebook Comments

9 comments

Kirstenworth all the work you put in…the shadow is an inspired choice…great energy and fun!ReplyCancel
KarenI think the watermark works very well. The meanings you have tried to encapsulate in your logo would be recognised and understood by any true canine admirer.ReplyCancel
Holly Garner-JacksonLooks awesome illona! Your hard work and perseverence has paid off once again!ReplyCancel
TatyanaI LOVE the seal. It really is something very different 🙂ReplyCancel
michelle bradshawWell…what can I say….the logo is beautiful right down to the font!!!ReplyCancel
bublynskiBravo, illona! I love the new logo – it captures so much scruffiness and joy!ReplyCancel
TailsI love it 🙂 The only thing I’ll need to get used to is the round watermark. On a rectangle image, the roundness of the wmark is very …. different to what my eye is used to seeing.
But well done on your new logo! 🙂ReplyCancel
- illonathanks so much, Tails. i decided on the round seal/watermark because it was different than anything else i was seeing out there. also, when adding a watermark with an image, especially a little jumping dog, onto a photo, i have found that the watermark’s more organic image (whether a drawing or a silhouette) often ends up competing with the photo … thus the decision to put it in a “seal”, so that it’s contained.ReplyCancel
A Knox-DostaleLove it – fits right in ! Good work ….ReplyCancel

another facebook recap ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

January 21, 2012

once again, the following images come to you care of the scruffy dog facebook page … if you’re not currently following SDP on facebook, you might want to reconsider! … loads of fun, daily photos, client sneak peeks, before-and-after captures showing some of the work going on around here at SDP headquarters … yeah, and scruffies … lots of scruffies.

first up, some feet … a few people thought these were vizsla feet, which makes me realize that although we’ve shot hundreds upon hundreds of dogs, we haven’t had a vizsla client in the past couple of years! but these particular feet belong to big, Rhodesian Ridgeback James …

James is a repeat client, so some of you might remember him from his shoot last year …

then there was my girl matea. people are always asking me what kind of dog she is; if you want to learn more about this gorgeous girl of mine you can find her fuller story here. she had to visit the vet this past week with the intention of having a tumor removed from her hind leg/foot. however, as suspected, it was infected, so we have to give her time for the infection to go down before we have it removed at the beginning of February.

merrick gave his own opinion in regards to the computer issues we went through here at SDP headquarters … a complete overhaul and upgrades of all the studio software. what an ordeal …

and little Indy and her big brother Thor.

here’s a shot of my boy from earlier this summer when fellow photographer, Brian Douglas, and were checking out some possible locations …

and while on the subject of resident scruffy merrick, here’s a little video clip of this boy overcoming his fears of the new LG laundry machines. these new appliances (along with some other new appliances in the house), with all of their new beeps and trills and songs, had taken the goober to a level of anxiety that caused him to shut down. in spite of turning off all of the alarms and indicators on every appliance, the damage had been done … if we so much as opened the laundry room door, this boy would fly upstairs and not come down again.

so, the other day, when he seemed to be in a more daring mood, actually stepping into the laundry room briefly before trying to take off again, i decided to do a little work with him. it was a major step in the right direction. (and let me qualify, i do not endorse putting pets in your dryer! this was a much-needed exercise to help a formerly abused dog conquer his fears.)

what an amazing boy this goober is. we’ve all learned so much from him and his rehabilitation.

also on the facebook page, we shared a before-and-after, which a lot of SDP facebook followers seem to love. here is monster boy, Thor…

this was Thor’s second shoot with SDP. he was one of our clients very early on in SDP’s history. we find him with a few more white whiskers, but with the same awesome spirit, joy for life, and … well … same flappy jowls and drool.

i just love these two together … big Thor and his wee little sister Indy …

and finally, another shot of the goober … this one taken with the Nikon V1 … a new addition to the SDP lineup of cameras. although not intended for client sessions, it’s a fun little camera to carry in one’s purse.

hope you all have a great weekend!

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rosie, ebony and champ ~ {Waterloo, Ontario pet photographer}

January 20, 2012

as i settle in to start work on a couple of large canvases and a 12×12 Best in Show album for three fabulous scruffy models, i thought it high time to share a blog entry about these guys.

for those of you who follow the scruffy dog facebook page, you’ll have already met Rosie, Ebony and Champ.

first up: little Rosie … as someone whose own life has been touched with a senior jack russell, i might be just a little biased … but i love this girl. even before arriving, i was told that this 12-year-old madam doesn’t always do well with new people coming into her house and can get a little nippy. all i can think is that Janice has been inviting the wrong guests over for coffee. 😉 handling the situation the way it should be handled, working with the dog’s energy, working at her timing, and generally letting her choose the pace, this amazing little girl was posing within minutes and pawing at me for attention.

then there’s four-year-old Champ …

this stunning tripod hails from death row in a shelter in Kentucky.

and then there is the lovely 10-year-old Ebony …

both Ebby and Rosie were adopted from the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane society. and like my former old man Morley — adopted at 9 yrs of age and almost making it to 17 — little Rosie was adopted at 6 years and is going strong. gotta love those JRTs.

but at 10 years of age Ebby is no slouch either!

i had a lot of fun with these three on the beach in spite of the heavily overcast conditions …

and what can i say about Janice’s boots? as soon as she grabbed them at the house, i already knew they were going to feature in a few shots. i think i might need to find me a pair of those!

but even before we got the beach, we had some fun in the field. and one of the main reasons that November is one of my favorite months to shoot in is the long grasses. and of course, any shoot is extra special when the model brings her own mascara and eye-liner. good girl, Rosie.

and that eye-liner didn’t even smudge or fade during our session … even with all the running!

and just because he’s a tripod, don’t underestimate Champ’s athleticism!

… or his abilities to search out a vole in the long grass.

like a lot of scruffy dog clients, Janice had fallen in love with the tunnel-of-trees location. she had visions of this location featuring in a large canvas, and the first image in this blog entry is just one of the big canvases Janice has ordered at a 24×51 dimension. i can’t wait to see it.

even though i have photographed Ebony in the past, and Champ was new to the family and still learning a lot of commands, and Rosie was an admitted nipper, it was Ebby who posed the biggest challenge in this session. this girl always looks sad. coupled with slight camera-shyness, it’s almost impossible to get Ebby’s ears up. but we did!

thank you, Janice, for sharing your three awesome scruffies with me … more than that, thank you for adopting!

Facebook Comments

10 comments

Cindy ThompsonThank You Illona for these beautiful photoes of my niece and nephews. I live a long way from these Scruffies so have not even met Champ yet. Great to meet him and see them again here ….. I know some ” crazy about our pets ” people, who once, they see, this pictures, will be moving …. yes I said moving …. they are that devoted …. from the mountains of Alberta to the Land of Scruffy Dog Photography, CindyReplyCancel
A Knox-DostaleAgain, amazing “wonderfulness.” You know how to capture all the spirit in the scruffies ! ( Also, where does one find the paw-print wellies ? )ReplyCancel
Tucker's MomWhat amazing dogs these are … I really enjoyed these photos. Your photos are always awesome, but there is just something about this trio of dogs that really touches me and makes the photos just that much more special.ReplyCancel
Janice ThompsonThank you Illona for such a wonderful blog and tribute to my very special “scruffies”. I know I will treasure these pictures forever 🙂ReplyCancel
BethThese are beautiful images!ReplyCancel
KarenEvery single one of these is canvas worthy! I could never decide. Just stunning. Thank you for sharing. (And let us know about her boots. Super cute!)ReplyCancel
Shelley CastleI just can’t tell you how much delight I get seeing your photographs. I love how you see light, capture an animals soul and present their “scruffiness”. As mom of an aging Jack Russell (10 yrs), I loved you showing us Rosie’s spirt and beauty as an “older” gal. Those Jacks sure know how to age gracefully…and playfully.ReplyCancel
michelle bradshawThat first shot is magic. The canvas will be gorgeous! These three scruffies melt my heart, they are all adorable!!! Awesome shoot illona!!!!ReplyCancel
Kathryn SchauerFabulous photos, all of them! I love your work!
(Great looking pooches as well!)ReplyCancel
ShonaLove your photography. Of course, your subjects are the draw! If you were closer, I’d have you photograph my furry kids, one of whom is a rescue dog who was supposed to have been euthanized. Having no kids, our pooches are spoiled. Thanks again for sharing your photos.ReplyCancel