i don’t typically have make the time to put together proper blog entries anymore.  running a busy photography business pretty-much single-handedly doesn’t leave a lot of time for the luxuries i once i had … so blog entries over the past couple of years have consisted of mashups of the images shared over on the scruffy dog facebook page, which — although entertaining in variety — don’t always tell much of a story.

but today i thought it was time to take the morning and go old-school.  2013 has proven to be an extremely challenging year … in more ways than i would ever dare to sit down and document.  after a particularly rough couple of weeks on the home-front, in between other wonderful client sessions and moments of sunshine and clarity, i had a session on the books with repeat client Katharine and her wonderful wire fox terrier Ryder.  you can see Ryder’s first session when he was a mere 6-month-old pup in his first blog entry.

like the majority of my clients, Katharine knows me.  she was aware of what i was dealing with on the home front, and was more than willing to postpone her boy’s session so that i could tend to family matters and take care of myself.  but i knew that an afternoon spent with a client like Katharine, her amazing mom, and her lovely wire boy was probably exactly what i needed … get away from the studio, away from home, out of my head, and be doing exactly what i’m supposed to be doing.

so, off i set to Toronto to see my boy.

as i drove, in the back of mind the sage words of my friend and colleague Jamie Pflughoeft of Cowbelly Pet Photography in Seattle rang loudly.  we’d spent four hours on the phone only a couple of nights earlier on other matters, and our discussion had encompassed many topics, the least of which was shooting, sessions, and always, “burn out”.  at one point — when i described my efficiency at sessions now that i’ve been doing this for so many years and averaging 100 clients a year — Jamie had asked me pointedly: “…but are you still having fun at sessions?”  i told her how friend and colleague Holly Montgomery of Brindleberry Pet Photography — whom i mentored last summer and who saw me first-hand work with our mock clients — described me as “a well-oiled machine.”   so when Jamie asked if i was still having fun at sessions the question made me pause.

well, yes, photographically speaking, i was having fun.  and yes, i have fun with my clients, engaging with them, sharing and laughing with them, learning about their relationship with their dogs.  and of course,  i certainly enjoy meeting their dogs!  but actually during our sessions, i’m all about efficiency, getting huge variety, getting the best shots, working the light, and setting up both the dog and the client for the greatest success in our session …

understand, my clients come first.  no matter how many years i work in this industry, delivering top-notch images and high-end products will always be my promise and #1 priority.  as such, there is a certain level of personal pressure that comes with this constant self-expectation and self-imposed standard to deliver the absolute, uncompromising best that i can at each and every session.

so, when Jamie described how — 10 years into her career — she will still put down the camera and play with the dog during her sessions, a clear and distinct vision immediately washed over me.  i saw myself setting down my camera in the grass and throwing the stick into the water for my client’s dog, without the overwhelming drive and obligation to capture every moment.

with all of that in mind, i warned Katharine that i’d like to come a little earlier for our session, to take our time at the different locations she had chosen … and especially knowing that she has the scruffy dog Best in Show 12″ album in mind, variety is key.

go figure it was one of the brightest days ever, so how lovely was it to just sit with Katharine and her amazing mother for a while in Katherine’s lovely rowhouse, catching up, sharing ankle surgery war-stories, and letting the shy Ryder reacquaint himself with me … although it took little more than the gift of a toy and a short game of tug to win his scruffy little heart again.

so, after some catching up and then a short drive to our first location, it was time to allow Ryder to let loose … or rather let Ryder loose, as the case may be.a little bit of posing ……but mostly, Ryder being Ryder.and “Ryder being Ryder” pretty much translates to full-steam-ahead …so much fun with this scruffnut …

then it was down to the beach.  although Katharine’s 75-year-old mom was still recovering from ankle surgery and couldn’t join us along every step of the session, having her at the driver’s seat and chauffeuring us from one location to the next was certainly a highlight.  what a rockstar!  i can only hope to possess even half her faculties, stamina and phenomenal energy when i’m her age!now, as for Ryder in the water … let me qualify … while this boy may look at home in the lake … a natural little water dog, he is not!  i think we need to get him together with Merrick to teach this boy how to swim……he will not go in past his tippy-toes. but bury his favorite ball in the sand, he will surely find it.

so … thank you, Katharine … thank you, Katharine’s mom … and thank you, Ryder, for a seriously memorable afternoon and evening … for being so amazing … and for allowing me to remember what’s important.

of course, i realize that with my years of efficiency, of being that “well-oiled machine”, that taking twice the time to enjoy Katharine’s and her mother’s and Ryder’s company, also means a much larger gallery of her handsome boy for poor Katharine to sort through!

i hope you’ve enjoyed this actually very small sampling of Ryder’s images as much as i did shooting them.  happy Monday, all.

are you all enjoying the warm sunshine, smell of fresh grass and the colours of the first spring blooms?  well, guess what?  i’m still going to hit you up with a bunch of wintry images!  yes, we’re just that far behind with blogging here at scruffy dog.  but, because i always promise to keep you caught up with the images posted on the scruffy dog facebook page, here is another entry of cold, snowy images!

first up, we have Chase … look at this face!

Chase and her sister Onyx belong to Jean Cote of the Dog Trick Academy … but this girl isn’t a one-trick pony!

it was a phenomenal pleasure to work with these two as it was so clear that Jean works with these dogs … fun-loving and easy-going, but most of all, these dogs are accustomed to learning, so they were eager to please and learn some new tricks …

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.

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!

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.

love those ears.

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?

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!

as i always say, if you want to keep on top of what’s going on here at scruffy dog, see the latest client sessions, and hear the latest news, it’s a good idea to follow us on facebook.  SDP‘s facebook page is where you’ll not only see new photos daily, but catch up on all the latest goings on … like our new contest coming up next week to win your own scruffy session to celebrate Merrick Goobernuts’ re-birthday.  and our call for models for our One-on-One mentoring sessions for visiting photographers from across the US and Canada throughout March and April and into the summer.

yes, all of this and more on the scruffy dog facebook page.  it’s the place to be!  and if you are already following SDP but we’re not showing up in your feed (because facebook is severely throttling business pages’s feeds these days, and we are reaching less than 14% of our followers), here’s what you need to do:

1. hover over the “Liked” button (because we’re assuming you already “Like” SDP!); a drop-down menu will appear;

2. make sure the “Get Notifications” is selected;

3. make sure the “Show in Newsfeed” is selected;

4. if you want to get even fancier, you can create an “Interests Lists” and add SDP to that.

And if we’re STILL not showing up regularly in your feed (as we have received reports from a number of followers who have done the above and are still seeming to miss out) …

5. make a couple of comments under some photos on the SDP wall, and “like” or “share” a couple of photos.  even just a little activity on a business page demonstrates to the FB gearheads that you’re definitely interested in the page, and they will supposedly start filtering that page’s posts more regularly into your feed.

in the meantime, if you’re not following SDP on facebook, we’ll always try to keep you caught up here on the SDP blog … although we might be a few months behind!  and remember, you can always subscribe to the SDP blog and be notified via email whenever a new entry is posted by using the “subscribe” tab over there on the left!

not unlike a lot of very busy photographers, SDP uses the quieter winter months to catch up on archiving.  in so doing, i ran across a number of gems i hadn’t shared before.  … like this gem of sweet Sarah from her scruffy summer session.

… and this one of the very handsome Charlie showing off his Karma collar….

and the super adorable Gus … one of my favorite scruffy clients ever.

of course, i simply had to share this one of the adorable Buster in the Distillery District.

and this is Abby, enjoying the summer grasses …

… the very handsome Duke.

and a little black-and-white conversion of Penny on her porch.

one of the most stunning dogs i’ve had the pleasure to work with is Boots from New York City.  you can see her and her sister Mollie’s full blog entry here.  diagnosed with cancer prior to her Honor Sessions™, Boots’ family had to say goodbye to their sweet rescue girl some months ago.  it was an absolute honor to have been entrusted to capture her images.

and then there is the sweet sweet Mabel … and her pesky brother Murdoch.  one of my favorite sessions ever.

Data came from Toronto to scruffy dog territory for his session …a little fun on the beach …

and in the big woods…

and what about the handsome Domi?

… using his brother as a pillow?

this handsome boy is Bentley and belongs to photographer Katy Brunkard

…and this is Tikka … i have no words.  but you’ll be seeing more of this monkey in the fall.  hopefully she’ll be a little more … um … mature by then.

how handsome is Rocky?

i just love Scout’s wag and happy face…

of course, no facebook mash-up would be complete without at least a couple of contributions from the resident scruffies.  merrick mcscruffy had to show off his new ball.

…it pretty much tuckered him out.

and an older shot of my me and my old girl matea

…and who doesn’t love a bath shot?

we hope you’ve enjoyed this latest facebook mash-up!  as i always say, if you want to keep your paw on the pulse, join the super-active scruffy dog facebook page!

well, they’ve finally arrived!  yes, our groovy, fun, conversation-sparking, scruffy dog caps are here!  matea mcscruffy’s already got hers … she chose the red cap and is prancing around SDP headquarters looking like a rapper.  and now it’s your chance to grab your own piece of scruffy dog by getting a cap of your very own!

we’ve got five exciting colors which should satisfy most tastes.  as pictured below they come in: chocolate, red, scruffy dog gold, scruffy dog charcoal, and brown. 

these high-quality caps are made of garment-washed, 100% cotton chino twill, and are an unstructured, low-profile, relaxed fit that is an adult, one-size-fits-all.  let me tell you, these caps are not only super comfy, but they are highly durable.  in fact, they are the same brand and style cap as one i’ve worn for over six years, without a single loose stitch.

of course, all caps carry the embroidered SDP logo based on the goober jumping for his ball.… as well as the scruffy dog photography name, in smaller font on the back.

but best of all … to create a little fun conversation while wearing your SDP cap out and about … our new trademarked tag line!!  merrick goobernuts mcscruffy wears it best …

let me tell you, a lot went into finding the right style of cap for our scruffy dog clients, followers and supporters.  in spite of the heavy but soft cotton, these caps have a relaxed fit with a cloth back-strap that sports a silver snap button and silver grommet.  this makes them easy to adjust and close, but more important, this is the only answer for those of us with ponytails!

and the cost of these super fun, high-quality caps?  we’re keeping them at a very low $23 (tax included).

but now the bad news … shipping costs.  we’ve investigated a number of different options, but trust me, shipping is just super expensive these days.  the following are the absolute lowest shipping rates we can get in order to ship these caps in a small box, with tracking … and we can honor these prices for up to three hats in one box:

• within Ontario: $11  (includes tracking)
• elsewhere in Canada: $15  (includes tracking)
• US – USPS – $11  (no tracking – NOT recommended as we cannot insure or guarantee delivery)
• US – USPS – $17  (includes tracking – RECOMMENDED)
• and of course PICK UP at the studio – $0 – (although a small fee in scruffy scritches may apply)

**(for shipments more than three hats, please add $3/hat)

to order your cap(s), simply follow this link to the cap order form.

since there are only a limited number of each of the five colors available, please be sure to get your order in soon in order to guarantee the color you want most.  as we did order a few caps to actually see the different colors from the supplier, we have one burgundy and one “bright red” available as well … but these are one-offs, and could go quickly.

and once you’ve received your SDP cap(s), we’d love you to share a photo on the SDP facebook page of you wearing it!  … or maybe of your scruffy wearing it!

in celebration of Merrick’s 3rd re-birthday with us — the day we ended his six-year stint of breeding for a puppymill situation — we’re having another scruffy dog session giveaway!  well, actually, it’s much more than just one session giveaway; there are many prizes to be won to celebrate the goober’s re-birthday!

the contest is taking place right now on the scruffy dog facebook page, and anyone, yes anyone, can be a winner.  this isn’t just about the dog with the most votes wins!

there will also be:

- an artist’s choice, winning $100 towards a session of their choice!

- anyone with 100 votes or more receives 20% off any SDP session!

- anyone with 50 votes receives 10% off any SDP session!

how’s that for prizes!?

the full contest details and rules can be found on the contest page.   the contest is already well under way, but don’t let that stop you!  this kind of contest is really about the individual … and you have plenty of time before the contest ends at NOON on March 21st to get those votes in!!   voting can start as soon as you enter!

in regards to voting: the contest is set up for one vote per person per individual animal, so make ‘em count!

make sure to share your entry on your FB page … the contest platform is also set up for you to share via Twitter and email as well, if you like!

it should be noted that when entering the contest or when voting with mobile devices, the contest app (which — by facebook regulations — we are required to use) will ask you to “Register Using Facebook,” and then request permission to access your FB account.  DON’T PANIC!  this is only to confirm who you are!  the app does not access your friends or personal data, nor is SDP able to access this.  it is merely to keep track of who is who, and to make sure that everything is fair.

have fun!  enjoy!  i look forward to seeing all of your scruffies on the SDP contest page, and hopefully meeting them in the near future!

have you seen the newest page here on the scruffy dog site?  yes, we’re always changing content and adding new stuff, housecleaning and moving around the furniture … and a page which has been a long time coming is finally here: a page devoted to the various scruffy locations available to scruffy clients who make the trek to SDP territory for their sessions.over the years, more and more scruffy clients are coming to the Waterloo region for their sessions to take advantage of the locations they see on the SDP facebook page and here on the blog.  years of scouting have resulted in some pretty great locations, and we never stop looking!

whether natural locations or urban, we’re always searching for locations that provide not only amazing backdrops for your scruffies and offer huge variety for your sessions, but are also safe and fun.winter, summer, fall and spring … different locations have their best seasons as well … and here in scruffyland, we’ve got it all.  well, okay, we don’t have wide open sandy beaches and palm trees, but you get the idea.

so to help make it a little easier for our many far-flung clients — from the GTA, Hamilton, Burlington, London and beyond, from outside of the province, and those from the US — we’ve put together a number of slideshows featuring the various locations to assist you in visualizing the possibilities!  of course, with the scruffy dog Standard Session, travel is still included in your session feel (up to 100kms from Waterloo), but if you choose to come to scruffyland for your session, remember, there is a $75 courtesy print credit applied to your file!

you can find the full scruffy locations page here, along with its array of slideshows.  enjoy! ]]> http://scruffydogphotography.com/index.php/2013/03/15/new-site-about-scruffy-locations-waterloo-ontario-pet-photographer/feed/ 0 http://scruffydogphotography.com/index.php/2013/03/13/matea-does-toronto-toronto-pet-photographer/ http://scruffydogphotography.com/index.php/2013/03/13/matea-does-toronto-toronto-pet-photographer/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:15:22 +0000 illona http://scruffydogphotography.com/?p=10139 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

last fall i was contacted by an agency to see if i had any leads on some trained dog models … in particular a smooth-coated, solid-coloured hunting breed like a ridgeback or a weimaraner … for a photoshoot for Toronto Tourism magazine.  apparently there is a lack of agencies handling skilled dog models in this province … but always anxious to help in this area, i immediately put a call out on the scruffy dog facebook page for models.  although this job had nothing to do with SDP and was not a scruffy dog photo session, i knew there had to be at least a few avid followers who should fit the bill.

in our initial phone conversation, prior to my posting the model call, Gord from the agency had asked about my own dogs.  i knew that the goober would be a wash for the kind of job Gord had in mind — walking with a model, away from me, in downtown Toronto, with a location crew and lights, etc. — but matea could potentially be a pretty good fit.  still, she’s not a solid colour, and we were in the midst of our extremely busy fall season.  i told Gord, though, that if he was in an absolute bind, i would do what i could to make her available.

the response from the facebook model call was, as expected, superb … however, everyone at the agency apparently wanted matea, and it had been decided.

so early that Saturday morning, my girl and i headed into Toronto.  matea was so warmly welcomed by everyone involved with the shoot, and is always something of a hit wherever she goes anyway … but being the only dog on the set meant she could prance around from person to person offleash and feel like a queen.  of course, this girl is the quintessential model … i’m able to walk her up to any spot or mark, unleash her, and ask for a ‘wait’ … walk away, and — with my back turned — get out my gear, change lenses, and when i turn back to start working, she is always standing stock still in the same position i left her … head swinging from side to side catching the sights, or nose lifted to the breeze carrying the scent of a rabbit or fox, or in the case of Toronto, perhaps breakfast from the diner around the corner.  whether pedestrian or vehicular, traffic can flow around her and she won’t move.  i gotta say, it’s taken years of working with this girl to get to this point, but i definitely give her a lot of the credit.  she just knows what it is i need from her …

i wish i’d taken more shots in front of Massey Hall’s fabulous doors.  i have to admit, i felt a little self conscious horning in on another photographer’s set, even though Christopher Dew was still setting up, when i introduced myself and explained that i was taking a few photos only to warm matea up.  i needed her to know she was here to work, and that the area in front of Massey Hall’s three doors was her ‘stage’.  so a few quick shots to set the tone …like i said, i really wish i’d taken more time…of course, the hardest part of the ‘job’ for matea was walking away from me.  this girl wants to work … and work for me.  she also has always needed a firm hand, and this lovely model adored matea and was so sweet and soft with her.  it took a few passes before matea was finally walking with her and not always turning her head to see where i was.

and here is the 2013 cover for Toronto’s tourism magazine…you can see more of the 2013 edition here.