contemporary, lifestyle, on-location animal photography

our client consults ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

January 25, 2012

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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3 comments

michelle bradshawStill laughing looking at Matea with that huge bottle of water….love it!ReplyCancel
Randi HeimertNot only are you an incredible photographer, your hilarious too!ReplyCancel
Jackie Phahaha…that last one is awesome! love your images, studio, and personality! Thanks for sharing!ReplyCancel

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!

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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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