salty scruffies ~ part 1 ~ {Canadian pet photographer}

well, for those who haven’t been following the blog or the scruffy dog facebook page (and if you haven’t, why not?), we’re back from the east coast.  our return is a little premature due to the seriously unfavorable weather.  out of the five days we toughed it out — literally — we had a day and a half of no rain … and that didn’t include the five, super soggy days on the road.

so, we spent rainy days scouting locations, and then in that extremely narrow day and a half of no rain, i squeezed in the equivalent of a dozen photo shoots … regrettably, none of which were the several clients we had originally lined up prior to and during the trip.  it is my hope that we will be returning to the southern shores of Nova Scotia in the near future, on our schedule, in a more favorable season, to make good on those east coast sessions we’d arranged … and actually have a bit of a vacation too.

i thought i’d share some random photos from the different beaches and locations we shot … i’d say “visited”, but honestly, it was so cold, it was all about getting the shots and then getting into the car to warm up and get to the next location.

this is just a brief and initial dip into the many photos shot … so you’ll be seeing a lot more …

we shot under dark, dramatic skies, just before more rain hammered down …

… in cold blustery wind …

… and under the boardwalk.

and when the sun shone, well, we grabbed it.  there was no waiting for the soft light of late afternoon because it would only start raining again … so even at high-noon, we were shooting …

when the sun is at its height like this, casting harsh shadows, it’s not the most ideal shooting situation … but hey, it raised the windchill temps above freezing.

other times, down at Carter’s Beach — my favorite spot —  the wind was so strong that the sand coursed across the beach like a mirage … getting into the dogs ears and eyes …

of course, none of these elements slowed down the goober.  show this boy water, and he’s gotta be in it.

out on Hirtles Beach was probably the only long-term sun we got …

dogs are supposed to be on-leash at Hirtles, of course, but merrick, and especially matea, are highly trained.  out of respect, we kept them on-leash until we were far enough away from anyone else, and then stuck to one little area to shoot.

in fact, matea is so well-trained and such a consummate model, that she actually drew a bit of an audience at Hirtles, Carters, in Lunenburg, and then on Sanddollar Beach when part of the shoot entailed getting some shots of me shooting for an upcoming piece in Popular Photography Magazine. we’d put merrick back in the car as he can become a bit of a mouth-piece when he’s not the centre of attention.  at the shore i’d walk matea out a couple hundred feet, quietly ask her to ‘wait’, then walk back along the shoreline and kneel into position.  when everyone was ready, i’d whistle her in …

and here’s the shot …

with a half dozen takes of this run, my partner/assistant shooting from different angles, we attracted a few bystanders before moving to some rocks for some different shots. and fifteen minutes later, when one of the couples wandered by, they couldn’t resist engaging, and i released matea from her ‘place’ on a big boulder, telling her to ‘go say hi’.  this girl loves people, and lapped up the attention before running back to her ‘place’ like a pro.  i love this girl.  such a high work ethic … whether she’s posing or hunting.

and i know, having worked with her for 9 years now, i’m spoiled by how amazing she is.

it’s the goober who keeps me on my toes with his antics and unpredictability …

but my girl … it’s like she just knows what i’m after …

… even when she’s wet and cold and tired.

i have a lot more photos to sort through, from a lot more locations, and i’ll be sharing them on the blog … so stay tuned for more salty scruffies.