I love dogs so it was a lot of fun to photograph the new puppy in our family, as well as, her sister, 12 year old Annie. These are my son’s family dogs in Calgary. Chili Bean, the puppy is a 6 months old goden doodle and is full of energy. Annie is 12 and although she has slowed down, she still likes walks and is very affectionate.
I love these dogs!
The Victoria Beach Dog Show, which occurred today, is like no other. For this dog show, dogs just need to be cute and show up; so every dog is a winner. It helps if the dogs have a special talent, which many of the dogs had. One dog’s special talent was of returning waves when waved at. My dog, Zara’s, special talent was shedding and my step daugher’s dog, Kassidy’s talent is her spotted tongue. These unique talents got them awards, which included a dog mask (I assume for their owners), some treats and some poop bags.
The dogs had a great time wresting with each other, sniffing each other’s butts and just hanging out. My goal was to capture the dog being dogs; doing their own thing.
I did 2 more fundraising sessions this week for Spirit of Hope Rescue. I’m really enjoying meeting and photographing these dogs and their owners.
Yesterday, I had the 3 dogs shown below come with their owners. Each dog had a different personality. The black dog would bark and bay in response to my woofs and the big white dog would wander around the studio checking things out and happily accepting treats. The little white girl is blind, quite quiet and very cooperative. She even managed the stairs with no problem. BTW: I had to do one head switch for this picture. Can you tell which dog?
These 2 had just gotten engaged so we did a few pictures without the dogs. Actually, the dogs were under foot but it didn’t matter!
Today I met this lovely girl named Lady and she really was a lady! Lady didn’t want to be still for pictures and found the smells in the studio very interesting. The only way to get her to stay still was to give her treats or get her to shake a paw.
This is the beautiful Lady:
Spirit of Hope Rescue is an amazing organization that rescues dogs from 38 Northern Manitoba Indigenous communities and finds them forever homes. In 2020, these hard working, dedicated people rescued 546 dogs and processed 1395 adoption applications. They have rescued over 3500 dogs in the last 9 years! We’ve adopted 2 of their dogs and it both cases it was a wonderful experience.
I started a photography fundraiser to help with SOHR’s vet costs and other expenses that occur when you have as many as 115 dogs in foster care at one time. These expenses include blankets, kennels, leashes, collars, food and large vet bills as many of the dogs are not well.
Here are some of the dogs that have come for a photography session with their owners for this fundraiser.
I love dogs and I really enjoyed meeting these dogs and their owners. Plus I want to continue to help this organization, so I am continuing this fundraiser for the next month.
Contact me if you are interested in booking a photography session for your dog. All you have to do is call or message me at 204.962.3424 or email me at christina@chrismcwilliamsphotography.com and we can set up a time for you and your best friend. The cost is only $50 ($150 value), which is paid directly to SOHR (https://spiritofhoperescue.ca). There is no obligation to buy any more than the one 8×10, which is included with this cost.
I hope to hear from you.
These 3 dogs came for pictures last night and kept us hopping, but it was a ton of fun. I loved every minute of it.
I had photographed this first dog a few years ago so it was great to see him again. This is Murphy, who is 9 years old and is a German Shepherd, Husky cross. Murphy was the best behaved dog last night and was easy to manage.
This is gracious, elegant Murphy.
Rocksy is a Boxer, Bulldog cross and is 11 years old. Rocksy had a few issues being with the other dogs and reminded me of my Zara with all of his snarling. It took us a while to get him to sit like this but he actually sat and left the hat on long enough for me to get this great picture of him.
Doesn’t he look gentlemanly with this hat on?
I love retrievers and this 4 year old was as handsome as they come. Buster has a beautiful coat and lovely eyes. He was very excited to be in the studio and it took a while for him to settle down but look at him! He’s gorgeous.
I’m having a blast editing these dog pictures and I have 3 more dogs coming today! Here are 3 more of the dog portraits that I’ve done.
My first dog today is a mix of St. Bernard and Italian Greyhound named Opoho. Opoho (usually called Opi) is 8 and came to his forever home from The Humane Society. Opi was nervous in the studio and kept going to the door to show that he had had enough. But treats won him over and we got some cute pictures of him. I love his gorgeous coat!
Presenting Opi!
This is our dog, Fergus. Fergus is 13 years old and is mostly Lab. Fergus was not happy to be in the studio and was anxious to leave but I got this one image that I like.
He is our biggest dog but he is the most gentle of our 3 beasts. He is laid back and doesn’t get too excited about anything. He lets Zara, my dog, do whatever she wants but when he’s had enough he only has to look at her and Zara backs off. Zara has a healthy respect for Fergus.
Isn’t he adorable!
I took Zara down to the studio again and this time I took her dog bed and it went a lot better. She actually lay down and relaxed, although she was none too pleased. The interesting thing was that the other 2 dogs howled while she was down there. I’m sure they thought that Zara was in grave danger.
Zara is mostly Corgi but she has a lab head and body. Zara is a very nervous dog and will sometimes act aggressively when she is afraid. Zara loves walks and toys. She will sometimes carry 2 toys around and will always choose one to bring to bed with her at night.
This is Zara, my heart-dog and the best friend a girl could have.
Today I am featuring 3 more of the dogs that were my models for the book I want to do featuring dogs. I am thrilled with how these images turned out and how much fun these dogs were.
This is Sadie, a dalmation/whippet cross, who is 15.5 years old. Sadie is an active, busy dog who hasn’t slowed down very much. She has a lot of personality and is very expressive. Her eyes tell you everything. We got some amazing images of Sadie and her human person Kim, who have an incredible bond that shows in the pictures. Kim describes Sadie as her heart-dog and anyone watching these 2 can tell what an beautiful bond there is between them.
Sadie even obliged me by sitting on my dog couch! Isn’t she the sweetest?
Winnipeg Dog Photographers
This is Jerry, an 2 year old German Shepherd/Greyhound cross. Jerry was rescued from Spirit of Hope, the same place that I got my Zara from. He has the biggest pointy ears and a huge smile. Jerry loves walks, food and treats. He was bursting with energy when he first came in but cooperated beautifully for his portrait. Jerry is lucky to have 5 people in his family who love him and give him lots of attention.
Isn’t he handsome?
Winnipeg Dog Photographers
My third dog featured today is Roo, an Australian herding dog. Roo is just over a year old and is full of beans. I’ve known Roo since she was adopted and she has calmed down a lot since she was a puppy and is learning to listen and be a good girl. Roo is probably the most affectionate dog I’ve ever known and likes to sleep right beside you at night. There is never a dull moment with Roo around!
I love Roo’s big smile and how her ears go out sideways!
Winnipeg Photography Studios
Yesterday was the first of my dog days. I had 6 amazing dogs come for pictures and I loved them all. It was challenging to get the dogs to pose but with my fantastic assistant Sarah, and the help of the dog owners, we got some stunning pictures. Thank you to all the dog people who brought their special beasts.
Here are the first 3 dogs:
Eli is a golden doodle and possibly the best ball catcher that I’ve ever seen. He loves his frisbee and his ball and will play endlessly. Eli is 8 years old but he isn’t slowing down at all.
This is Eli. Notice that he is actually airborne!
Next up we have Hans, a 15 week old German Shepherd. Hans was full of beans and loved the treats that we had for him. We had some sweet moments with Hans and his 8 month human brother. I loved Hans’s big pointy ears and his large eyes.
This is Hans:
This is Dominick, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Dominick is 2.5 years old and had the biggest dog smile of the day. He loved chewing my dog’s bone. In fact, he would have stayed longer just to keep chewing the bone. I could have photographed this guy for hours. He was that calm!
Isn’t he beautiful!
I did bring my dog, Zara down to the studio for some pictures, but she was terrified. She was so afraid that she was shaking. I had one vet tell me she was the most nervous dog she had ever seen. Zara had never come into the studio and it terrified her to be there.
You can see by her expression that she thought her life was over. Poor girl!!
I will do another dog model call if there is interest. I had a great time and loved meeting all the day, so let me know if you have a dog you would like photographed.
One of the gifts I received for Christmas is the book pictured here. It is called The Year of the Dog by Vincent J. Musi.
I love this book of dog portraits and stories. It got me thinking about creating my own book of dog portraits, so I am doing a dog model call so that I can get a collection of dog portraits to use for a book. All dogs pictures will be taken in my studio on either a white or a black backdrop and will be compiled into a photo book.
If you are interested, please send me an email and I will forward an application to you, or click on the link below for an application
You will need to send a $50 retainer to reserve your appointment. This retainer will be refunded to you or you can use it to purchase additional products (besides the 8×10 print that comes with this offer). Emails can be sent to christina@chrismcwilliamsphotography.com.
I will need to make arrangements for my dog Zara to be out of the house at the time of doing these sessions so appointments will be planned around that. I want to photograph most dog sessions on Feb. 1st, but I am open to doing sessions on another date if you can’t make it on the 1st. Zara is very possessive of her house and would likely bark continually if she is here when another dog comes so we need to make arrangements for her to leave.
Winnipeg Free Dog Photo Session!
I hope to hear from you!
I’ve been away from the computer for a few days as I’m painting the upstairs of my house. It’s taken me a while to get going on this project, but now that it is underway, I am really enjoying it and love the clean look of new paint. I’ve finished the kitchen and living room. The landing is next, followed by the bathroom. My bedroom only needs touch ups. It’s a great way to spend cold winter days but I need to get back to editing, so here I am!
Last Sunday I met and photographed this family of dogs. The temperature wasn’t too bad and even though it was very windy, we were fine in Bunn’s Creek Park. I always love meeting fellow dog lovers and the owner of these 3 beasts is a fantastic dog mom.
Here are 3 wonderful dogs:
We are Wonderful Beasts!
Don’t you love my face?
CM Photography Blog (Winnipeg Newborn, Child, Family, Baby Photography) 