Fynn's 1st Birthday!

Last February I had little Fynn the frenchie in for puppy session. Here he is (cute lil gaffer!). Well recently he turned one, so he came back for a first birthday cake smash session!

Big difference, eh? But he’s still adorable, especially with a bow tie.

Here is a shot of the special doggie cake I made for him, complete with greek yogurt icing and sprinkles!

I wasn’t sure how he’d respond to his birthday cake but he was a perfect gentleman! I don’t think he could believe that the cake was actually for him.

Good boy Fynn, and happy birthday!

Does your dog have a special birthday coming up? Maybe you’d like to try a cake smash session. They aren’t just for babies! Contact me if you’d like all the details. (250) 650-7389.

A New Chapter - Comox Valley Photographer

In my last blog post I wrote a tribute to Maggie, my little Shih Tzu that passed away last October. Well, after we took some time to be "dogless" over the winter, we decided it was time to start entertaining the idea of a new dog (I should say, I decided it was time: the rest of the family was ready for this long before I was).

The next difficult part was figuring out what breed of dog to get. We've always liked big dogs, but little ones tend to be less maintenance (at least in our experience). My husband wanted one that he could take out on hikes, while I am content with one that will cuddle on my lap while I drink my morning coffee. We kept an eye out but decided that we would let the dog "find" us... I had a feeling that the answer would be revealed in due time. And that's exactly what happened!

Meet Josie:

Our friends told us that they were getting a new labradoodle puppy from a local family, and thought we might be interested in one as well. There were 6 in the litter and 2 hadn't been spoken for yet. I hesitated. We had never had a puppy so young before. Was I ready for that? I waited (of course the rest of the family was all set to forge ahead into this great unknown).

To make a longer story shorter, we went to see the puppies and fell in love. The puppies had two healthy parents, mom a cream standard poodle and dad a chocolate lab (I had actually photographed the dad last year!). They were in a loving home with a great family and this was it! We found our puppy!

We are now 3 weeks into this adventure. Josie (or Jojo) is a real sweetheart. She is a little tentative, and takes some time to warm up to people, but that is coming. She came to us mostly housetrained (thanks, MC and Jean), and she is very smart and mostly compliant (still working on the puppy biting). I am reliving the newborn days with the sleep deprivation of having a new baby in the house.

A huge bonus with Josie is that so far she is a great model for my pet photography! No doubt we will have lots of fun together creating images. Here are some of my favourites so far: 

I look forward to many adventures with Josie (except for the ones that involve emergency trips to the vet after eating something she shouldn't - yep that happened this week).

I'll leave you with a photo of her with her brother and sisters that I took just before they all got adopted (Josie's in the centre). Have a great day!

My Tribute to Maggie

It has been 5 months since I lost my little buddy, Maggie. Last night I realized that I had not done a proper tribute to her, so here it goes. I think enough time has passed that I can do this without crying. Pet grief is so strange. On the one hand you realize that they are animals and it's not like losing a human, yet at the same time they are members of the family, and you grieve the hole they leave in your heart.

2005

I went back to the first pictures I could find of her and this is Christmas 2005 (we had just gotten a digital camera!). Look how small those kidlets were! 

Maggie was a rescue, literally. Relatives of one of my co-workers at the time found her wandering the streets and they took her in. Unable to find the owners (the info on her microchip was outdated), we ended up giving her a permanent home.  

2008

To be honest, it took a while for us to get used to each other. Many rescue dogs have quirks and insecurities, and Maggie was no different. She did not like to be picked up or hugged, and loved to wander away if we ever accidentally left the gate open (perhaps the reason she was a stray in the first place). She liked her space, and Dave often remarked that she was more like a cat.

2012

Life went on and we all changed, especially the kids. As I got more and more into photography, Maggie became my #1 model. No complaining from her, as long as I had treats nearby. She was usually happy to do it:

2014

But sometimes she got tired:

2014

In her later years, Maggie warmed up to us more and more. Although she wasn't allowed on the furniture (except "her" chair), I would often pick her up onto my lap for a little cuddle. And, like most dogs, she loved to go for walks in the woods.

And the beach

A week before Thanksgiving 2017, Maggie started refusing her food, so we knew something had to be wrong. We took her to the vet and after the blood tests it was revealed that she had pancreatitis ("treatable, but no guarantees", said the vet). Seeing as she was 15 we prepared ourselves for the worst. 

A pet's death is hard enough, but having to make the decision about euthanasia was excruciating. At a certain point, though, it was pretty clear that Maggie was not going to get better and it was time to end her suffering. It was a pretty quiet Thanksgiving around our house. This is one of my favourite "later years" shots of her, taken a few months before she died.

2017

As spring approaches, I am starting to think about getting another dog, although I'm not rushing it. It's a little lonely walking by myself out at Kye Bay or Seal Bay Park, and I could use another model! :) 

Whatever we decide as a family, I will still have the memories of Maggie and the good times we shared. And, of course, the photographs. Always the photographs.

Otto - Courtenay Pet Photography

I got a call before Christmas from Bob, who asked to have a portrait made of his wife's dog Otto. He wanted to give it to her as a Christmas gift. I said sure, of course, and he brought Otto over that day for his portrait.

Otto was an older dog, a spaniel mix, who still had the sweetness of a puppy. He did a great job at this photo shoot, giving me a mix of those soulful spaniel eyes as well as some fun, happy looks.   

Bob and his wife Margaret came the following week to pick out their portrait, and it was nice to get to know them a little and hear about their life with Otto.

Sadly, I got an email this week from Margaret that Otto had unexpectedly passed away on Christmas morning. Having just grieved the death of my own dog I was so sad to get the news. It is always so hard to lose a friend. 

Life is precious, folks. Enjoy your pets for this short time that you have them. You were a good boy, Otto.

Lara and her dogs - Courtenay photographer

Just before the holidays I got the chance to photograph Lara and her 3 lovable dogs. We chose a "woodsy" location down near the Puntledge River to match the west-coast style of her home. 

Chai, Diesel and Jack were all very cooperative and listened to Lara intently. It is clear that they have a special bond.

With my software I am able to take your room photo or a stock photo and create examples of how your artwork will look on your walls. Lara chose 3 16x20s in 20x24 mats.

Hope you had a very merry Christmas and all the best in 2018! 

Bosley's Halloween Photo Shoot

This past Saturday I did a special Halloween-themed photo shoot at Bosley's Pet Food in Courtenay. Here are some of my favourite photos from the day:

Trudy

Oliver and Tripp

Bain and Mia

Jango

Tucker

Ivy

Watch for a Christmas-themed shoot coming up in the next month! Want to get reminded? Join my mailing list here

Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!

Buster - Comox Valley Photography

The other night I had the pleasure of photographing Buster out at Nymph Falls in Courtenay. Nymph Falls is a popular swimming hole along the Puntledge River and has some spectacular waterfalls. Buster just turned 11, but he looks like a puppy.

And of course we had to get one with his family. Happy Birthday, Buster!

Ella - Courtenay Pet Photography

Recently I got to do a fun portrait session with Ella, a lovable 11-year-old black lab. Ella was described by her owners as "somewhat neurotic", especially when she is around other dogs, but she did great out at Kye Bay beach on a beautiful summer evening.

Hope you are enjoying lots of summer sunsets with your dog this year! 

Pet Mini-Sessions - Courtenay Photographer

Last Saturday I did my first ever pet mini-session event at my home studio here in Courtenay! It was great to meet 5 adorable dogs and their proud owners. 

Here are some of my favourite shots from the day:

Piper

Cosmo

Hayley

Fiona

Angus

I hope to do another mini-session event in the fall so if you would like to get in on the next one please shoot me a message and I'll add you to my mailing list and notify you when the next one is coming up. In the meantime, check out my Instagram account @ssniderdogphotography if you would like to see more shots from these sessions. 

Lewis - Comox Photographer

It is just so amazing to feel summer coming back to the Comox Valley. The warmth, the long days, and the sunsets are some of the things I love about this time of year. Recently I went out to Kye Bay to do some sunset shots of Lewis and his family. Lewis is a two year old Chocolate Lab who loves the beach and chasing balls (and ripping them to shreds)! He loves his family too.

I hope you get lots of chances to experience some amazing sunsets with your dog this summer! Thank you Justin for sharing Lewis with me for an evening. He is a fantastic dog!

Foxy

Foxy's just the cutest little thing. She is part chihuahua and part pomeranian and was rescued and brought to Courtenay by her owner Terri.  

Foxy was one of the easiest dogs I've worked with in a while.  And look at that face! She actually does look like a fox, especially when she lays down.

I love producing wall art for my clients. I have software that will help you envision what your prints will look like on your wall in different sizes and configurations.

For a complimentary consultation, give me a call at (250) 650-7389. I would love to hear about your pet and style a photo shoot just for them!

How to Photograph a Black Dog - Courtenay Photographer

One thing I hear often from dog owners is how hard it is to get a good photograph of their black dog. And yes, it is tricky, especially if you are using basic equipment like a phone camera. Like most people I love the convenience of my phone for quick snapshots, but it definitely doesn't measure up to my DSLR. For one thing, the ability to manually control the settings makes a big difference in being able to photograph a challenging subject like a black dog. 

Here are a few quick tips that should help you get better results when photographing your black dog, no matter what type of equipment you are using.

1. Even lighting:

Intuitively you might think that to get the best shot of your dog you need really bright light, like the sun. After all, you think, the dog is really dark so that would brighten them right up. That's not actually the best strategy. Soft, even lighting (think clouds or shade), will allow the camera to more accurately record the highlights and shadows, making for a more pleasing image. Too much bright sunlight will cause glare and harsh shadows, which you typically want to avoid. Also try to avoid dappled sunlight on your subject. It's just not very flattering, anytime, anywhere.

2. Have a plain background:

Too much busyness in an image will draw the eye away from your black dog. Also, our eyes tend to be drawn to the brightest part of an image, and that can spell trouble when your subject is dark. So try to keep distractions to a minimum.

If you have a camera that you can adjust the aperture, try opening it up (which means a smaller number), so that you can blur out the background (the image below was taken with an aperture of 2.8). 

3. Fill the frame:

What, all you've got is an automatic setting and you're out in the sunshine? Well, try this: instead of including the environment, fill your camera's frame with your dog as the only subject. What this will do is force your camera to expose for your dog only, instead of a bright scene where there will likely be too much light and throw off the exposure. This will help the camera expose correctly and will help you avoid having your dog end up as a "black blob".

I hope these quick tips help you out the next time you are photographing your black dog! As you can imagine, I love photographing dogs of any colour, so please get in touch if you would like information on a professional portrait session for your pet. My phone number is: (250) 650-7389.

I'll leave you with one of my new favourite images, another black dog, Onyx, who just happens to be my next-door neighbour!

Kya and Maisy - Courtenay Photographer

Last week I had two "seniors" in the studio...Kya and Maisy, a couple of older pugs who were so funny. I find pug faces hilarious, and after seeing these portraits I dare you to disagree.

This is Maisy, who is about 11 years old. Maisy was the more cooperative of the two. All I had to do was pop a couple of treats onto the bench and up she went!

This is Kya, who is 10 years old and blind. She was a little more confused about the whole situation but once she got comfortable she posed for me for a few good shots. I love both the dogs' colouring; they looked great against the grey background.

I also wanted to do some Christmas portraits and that little hat was so cute. Maisy wasn't that amused as you can probably see, but she gladly laid up on the chair for quite a while, and even started falling asleep! Doesn't it feel like she is wondering what the heck is going on with this thing on her head?

Kya wasn't as impressed with the Santa hat but I thought the scarf looked great on her!

To end off, here is one last one that I thought was so funny! Oh Maisy, you're awesome.

Thanks to Karen for bringing in her hilarious dogs.

There's still time to get pet portraits done in time for Christmas! I have a limited time offer from now until Dec.22. Pet portrait sessions are only $99! (Prints sold separately, some exceptions apply). Give me a call if you'd like to book: 250-650-7389. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you!

Pawsitive Dog Walking - Courtenay Dog Photography

Is there a better name for a dog walking service than "Pawsitive Dog Walking"? Last week I met up with Kelly, who is the pawsitive dog walker herself, and she took me to a few of her favourite not-so-secret walking spots here in the valley. 

The 3 J's, Josie, Jack and Jessie, were along with us. They are Kelly's pets, and you could tell they love getting out in the woods with their human! The trail we took is out by the end of Lake Trail Road, towards Comox Lake. Palm Beach was our final destination but I couldn't help but stop at this old mine shaft for some interesting photos. 

After scanning for profanity (I didn't find any), I had lots of fun roaming around this creepy old site. The Comox Valley used to be home to several coal mines, and I assume this is one of them. Jack's white fur showed up great on the dark background.

Kelly said that Josie is a bit of a squirrel-chaser, so we kept her on the leash for the walk. She sure is cute with those big ears.

I think Jessie was the best poser of the three. She had some great head tilts! Jessie was also good at giving me doggie kisses!

Our final destination was Palm Beach, a beautiful location. I'm sure it's going to get even more scenic as the leaves start to change in the next few weeks. 

A big thank-you to Kelly for showing me around! If you have a dog that needs some exercise during the day, check out Pawsitive's Facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/Pawsitivedogwalking101/

And don't forget, fall is a great time for portraits! Get in touch if this is your year for a professional pet portrait session!