This old dog has learned some new tricks and so it was time to move on. Follow this link to the NEW Urban dog photog blog

NEW Studio sessions available soon!
Done! It took a while, but we are almost Done! The new home studio/gallery space creates a whole new feeling for us. I have been inspired by so many great magazines of artistic spaces and as well by fellow photographers and colleagues' spaces! So before the grand unveiling I need to plaster the walls with photos, so no sneak peak photos of the space yet.....(Sorry Jamie, I promise soon) HA!

UPCOMING ~ Limited edition sessions
So lots going on and coming up and I would need a full page to update you. But I'll keep it quick for you, Throughout the year I will be holding Limited Edition sessions around the city, including two of my favorite boutiques in town.

Be sure to wander in soon to WAG Doggin It Cafe on Bank Street and sign up your mom for a very special soulful session with her "fur-mate". What a wonderful Mother's day present, celebrating the family bond. Sessions will take place on April 25th, the sitting fee is $100 with a 20 minute urban session, the results are going to be stunning! Be sure to sign up soon there are only 11 spaces available, these sessions are going to be very intimiate and soulful, creating a piece of art for that special mom.

Coming in MAY is "Fur in the Family" was this your last official family photo? I am shaking it up a bit and going a little Urban with this one. A huge thank-you to friend and great photographer Deb Dekoke who loaned me this great vintage image of her family growing up on the Dekoke Berry Farm in kanata!

This two day event is a fundraiser for Ottawa Therapy Dogs being held at both Bark and Fitz Locations in Westboro and Kanata. Details for signing up are available at each Bark and Fitz location. Be sure to book your space soon. As soon as you are pre-booked and have paid your deposit with the Bark and Fitz location, I will be calling you to have a pre-session consultation so that we can go over some of the ideas and concepts behind your session time.

Just a quick note: It has been a great pleasure working with one of Canada's top Dog magazines Dogs in Canada over the past three years, and recently it was an honor to receive a letter from Dogs in Canada Editor Kelly Caldwell announcing that a photo of mine had been nominated for a Dog Writer's Association Award. Back in February Ms. Caldwell confirmed that the photo won top prize! This is a great honor to be recognized along side of some of the top photographers and magazines. Cheers to Dogs in Canada!

To the newest Ottawa Couple!


Last but not least ~ A huge applause for the lovely marriage of a great friend of mine. Dr. Mark de Gruchy to his lovely bride Karen. I had the grand pleasure of photographing their day last weekend and it was one of the most incredible days. I can only show you what they have seen or I am sure Mark would hunt me down! HA! Love you guys! Thanks for letting me be a part of your wedding.

Keep posted for more updates!
cheers
Sue

HELLOOOOO!

yikes, been a couple of weeks. I think I went back into the hole with Willy Wiarton the groundhog when he saw 6 more weeks of winter! HA!

I have a great excuse, one that has kept me very busy and like a little kid opening a present on Christmas morning! My new space! Wahoo, we are on the final couple of days of renovation before I can start to retro-fit my new ikea furniture into my new studio/office/client viewing/kid zone/husband office/cool basement/........basically let's say "multifunctional" space. I'll post some shots of the new space, but hopefully I can have you come over for a little open house down the road. See the space for your own eyes.


But as I had hoped to do a Year in review when we were actually celebrating 2009......I got delayed so to start off this idea, here is a a great photo taken by Artists Kellie Oliphant Burns.
This was posted on her blog a while back, but I wanted to show off this cute little guy...this is Leeroy and he is an IGGY. He was the perfect model for my shoot for an article in Dogs in Canada magazine about renting out dogs. I know crazy! People actually rent out dogs now.

Recenty, I was invited to speak at a local Ottawa Kennel Club meeting and I want to thank everyone for a great night. I had a great time meeting all of you and look forward to coming back in the future. I hope you all are enjoying the perPETual calendars!

And A Huge Congrats out to one of my clients, local Ottawa PUG Breeder Lorna Sale! She recently attended Westminster with one of her Canadian champion pugs Nessa and received the first honorable mention! What a fantastic accomplishment! Her pugs are truly beautiful! Check these guys out in "the" chair!



Keep tuned for some more updates....there's a little award announcement!

Sue

Chilly Dogs New Space!




If you have not discovered the best coats on the market.....visit Chilly Dogs to get a glance at their colors and sizes. Located in Ottawa Canada, these coats are designed by Chilly Dogs owner Julie Kelly who knows a lot about cold weather!

Julie is a great friend and colleague and over the years I have had the pleasure of photographing her coats and dogs. It was on the trip down to Dewey Beach in 2007, that the dream for this room was put into action. The ten hour drive was all chit chat about the space and what it would look like! SO I was really excited to watch this room come together.

So Voila! The year has started off fresh and new for Chillydogs, moving into their new space that is bright and very funky! With a blend of furniture and storage solutions from IKEA, Julie has created an ultimate creative space for her company~ I am partial to the photography on the walls! HA ha! ( yes those are my shots of Julie's dogs Bizmark & Mari)



Oh ya! And those bags in the basket above are her Sock monkey bags! Great for the beach....no sand!

Enjoy,
Sue

Maybe next time Victoria!




Well, after a small crisis with our little Chilly-dog, it has come to pass that the Victoria trip will be canceled at this time. Chilli has been on medication for a sist and now she needs it to have removed, so the air fare goes to chilli's butt surgery! The sist is just beside her tail.
She is doing well though and we are looking forward to her being healed following the surgery. I'll be anticipating some funny cone head shots following her surgery.

But hey....psst....we are heading to Newfoundland in March......
Sue

Facebook Fan Page



I have many clients that want to be kept posted about upcoming events and great fundraisers. A newsletter is great, however sometimes they get sent to spam and really with blogs and facebook, there are new ways to keep posted on what's going on.

So here is the Facebook Fan Page for the URBAN dog photog, follow the link and become a fan and you will be given updates on new posts about events and fundraisers. You can also follow this blog by clicking on the RSS at the top corner.

Keeping in touch and clients up to date is a little resolution for me this year! So keep me on my toes and by all means, poke me through face book when you don't see a post for a while! HA!

Sue

Lil' Flirt




Ahh, William William.....look at those eyes. This little guy brightened up my weekend. I started with Williams mom & dad over a year ago as we started to document William's journey here. And look at him now! 1 year old!

This is a great package I offer as well called 4 one year, Starting with a Maternity session, followed by a newborn, 6 months and 1 year session, we bring the photos together to create an incredible book on your babies first year of life! I think William has become quite savvy with the camera! Cannot wait to see the reaction of Williams mom and dad when I place the book in their hands!

It's best to book in at 7 months to begin this journey. Although much of my clientele knows about my dog photography, I was originally trained as a newspaper photographer, so I offer packages for portrait sessions with people as well.

Looking forward to starting some new baby sessions this year! 2009...crazy!
Sue

Happy New Year.....
Oh okay so it's really late! But hey I'll blame it on the freezing weather! I was frozen and couldn't move....oh ya and the dog ate my homework! HA!

So 2009! wOw and January is already half gone. crazy.

I am pretty excited about 2009, there are some great events happening! Starting in February, I'll be traveling to Victoria Island B.C. for some great weather & to meet some cool west coast dogs. Session spaces are available, so book soon or let your long distance friends know how to get in touch soon.

Spring will be action packed as usual with some great events supporting some awesome groups who work with incredible dogs. Keep posted for the details on how to reserve your session for a two day event of photography at your local Bark & Fitz, "Fur in the family". This will be your chance to get an Urban hip family portrait done of the whole furamily. Details to come to Bark & Fitz Westboro and Kanata soon.

Be sure to look for me at the Annual BARK walkathon in May. For those who support BARK and raise money, this is the day I salute you with a free portrait in the park! As well win a great photo package as one of the "top fundraisers" prizes. Each year I have donated the popular Dog Eared Book package which includes a 2 hour session at your home & local park. In the end you will receive a book that tells the story of the bond between you and your dog. This is a prize valued over $800. BARK was Established in September 2001,The Bytown Association for Rescued Kanines (B.A.R.K.) is an all breed "no kill" rescue organization.They are a registered charity comprised solely of dedicated and experienced volunteers who go to the ends of the earth to help dogs who are found in horrific conditions.

Be sure to keep your eyes posted for the Annual Look A Like contest photo sessions at WAG A huge fundraiser success last year raising over $1000 for the Ottawa Humane Society! Keep posted to their web site and hear for more info on how to sign up. Take a peak at some of the winners from last year.

And this is just the first part of the year! But to start off your year right, you need to head over to the new Bark & Fitz store located in the Kanata Centrum. The new beautiful space is huge and offers great products, fantastic nutritious food for your pet, a grooming salon or should I say S-PAW. It was great to see some of my new work up on the walls including the new Loyal Noble True panel.

Also on display is the metallic print of a greyhound framed in beautiful barn board. Be sure to take a spin out their way, tell them I sent you!

wow.....
here and gone, hard to believe that x-mas has already passed. Crazy how fast this year flew by. This leads me to say thank -you to all the wonderful dogs & their people who invited me inn to capture their spirits.

I am creating a little year in review for the blog & updating some galleries on my web site.

AND...very excited to let you know that I will be a little Jet PAWed (jet lagged i know corny) at the end of January. I am flying into Victoria B.C. January 31st for a week, I look forward to meeting some great western dawgs! There is still room for sessions through out the week.

Walking Alone....

I find myself photographing some wonderful old souls over these last few weeks leading up to Christmas. It is with sadness that these last minute sessions come to me, for the the Very same reasons that I decided to turn my camera towards capturing these wide eyed furry friends that grace our daily lives for such short times.

I, like many of my clients, define my life in dog years....each memory I have growing up is attached to a dog. For me there are the "Dillon" years, growing up as a little girl in the west end of Montreal with my very own personal horse, a beautiful fawn "Great Dane". He taught me how to follow the sun spots around the house for that extra warm nap in the afternoons. He also taught me to double bag! HA!

I have the "Lucky" years, which bring back vivid memories of high school, college and my first newspaper job at the Dorchester Signpost in Southern Ontario, where this wonderful collie cross girl shared my trips back home along the 401 in my white Mazda 323. Lucky came to work with me and sat under my desk, she kept me company while my family lived straight across the opposite side of the province. She was a constant while my photography career was just beginning and moving me all over the province every year or so.

She was 14 when we lost her to brain cancer. I had just started my family, my youngest daughter was only a couple of years old and funny enough she remembers Lucky and talks of her. Commenting on how much she misses her.

In salute of those of us who get it, those who know about the loss, I leave you with this excerpt from one of my favorite books, by Ottawa writer Roy MacGregor "The Dog and I ". If you don't have this book, you have to get it, but I do not suggest reading it in public....

Walking Alone Page 157

"I am having to learn to walk all over again. Don't misunderstand. I did not break a leg. There is no apparent brain malfunction, despite all those years of covering hockey. I am learning to walk alone, and is not an easy thing to do. There is no longer a dog around here to walk me
( yes, it was finally "time"; enough said, please), and yet I remain one of those people who must, absolutely must, get out each day and work off excess energy.

For nearly 16 years Bandit walked me. And for 16 years before Bandit came along, Bump walked me. Dogs, in fact have been walking me since I was eleven years old and a family down the river was handing out mutts that were still hanging off their one mother but looked as though they had several different fathers. So it is only in these past few weeks that I have realized that I cannot walk alone.

When I head down the street and over the crosswalk toward the park we always walked in. I now think every driver passing by figures I have a heart condition. I am out here, walking under doctor's orders. Or prehaps I am something never seen before in this suburban neighbourhood - a middle aged man without a car and am therefore immediately under suspicion.

It has all brought home the fact that we are defined by the company we keep. There is not a man alive who has ever pushed a stroller and not noted how , miraculously, women coming in the other direction no longer avoid eye contact but simply smile widely at you. And there is not a dog walker born who has not benefited from the doubt that is erased in the minds of all he passes. If the dog is friendly- and all of ours have been tail wagging, crotch nuzzling, face licking basket cases- then the owner is automatically presumed friendly as well, and the strangers will nod and say hello and often stop to pat a head until they are so soaked in saliva they must head off in search of towels...........But at this time of year it is too cold for biking, too early for skiing, and too often too icy and slushy for running, so there is really nothing to do each day but head out in the dying light and walk. Alone. A suspicious character, up to no good, Someone who had better find another dog soon to walk him. "

Sue