Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting this beautiful almost 2 year old black lab cross who was rescued from The Winnipeg Humane Society.
Have a look at the lovely doggie! Which colour do you prefer for the backdrop? The options really are endless!
I met this fun 10 month old puppy yesterday. It was challenging to contain her energy and pose her but look at these amazing images!
My husband and I love living with dogs and we share the sentiments in this poem by Ogden Nash.
by Ogden Nash
The truth I do not stretch or shove
When I state that the dog is full of love.
I’ve also found, by actual test,
A wet dog is the lovingest.
There isn’t anything that speaks to my soul the way that walking with my dogs on the beach or in the woods does. Being outdoors while walking our dogs give me a sense of calm and peace that I never feel anywhere else. I love watching our happy dogs sniffing the ground and wagging their tails. That kind of happiness is contagious. It makes me forget the troubles in the world because of joy in being in their presence.
We are lucky to have 4 dogs this week, as we are looking after my step daughter’s dog, Kassidy. All of our dogs are rescues. We know that there are many dogs out there that need homes and we prefer to adopt those dogs.
Here are our beasts:
Kassidy is the youngest of the pack at only 10 months. Kassidy thrives on being petted and hugged. She loves to run and play and never seems to get tired. She is the most affection of the pack and will cuddle up to us while sleeping or watching tv.
This is Kassidy in the field by our house.
I adopted Zara 7 years ago from Spirit of Hope Dog Rescue (where we also got Kassidy). Zara is the leader of the pack at our house. She controls the other dogs but all is well at our house as long as none of the other dogs challenge her. Zara will control them with barks, growls and baring her teeth. Her short little legs mean that she can’t keep up with her younger, faster siblings, but they know that she has is the growl of authority.
Otis is 22 months old and is our newest dog. He was originally a street dog in the Bahamas and was rescued by a group that took him, along with 75 other dogs, to Toronto. From there, he was adopted by a couple in Winnipeg and had a lovely home until health issues forced the couple to give him up. Otis is very shy and slow to make friends but once he is your friend, you have a friend for life. Otis is loving our home as he has so much room to wander and sniff. He also loves the beach and playing with other dogs!
Maddie, at 14 is the elder of the pack and has slowed down a lot. You won’t see her in the running or walking pictures as she doesn’t join us on walks. She has had many health issue; one of which meant she had to lose an eye. She continues to have mobility issue but she does the best she can.
The dogs had so much fun on the beach last night when 3 other dogs showed up. Have a look!
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!
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.
It was my pleasure to photograph this lovely family of 2 boys and their girl dog. It was one of the easiest, most pleasurable sessions ever, as these brothers at a year and 5 years old were so cute and cooperative and their dog was adorable.
Maddie, the dog, is a 10 year old black German shepherd. She was very comfortable coming to visit and went exploring in the house, surprising my husband, who was sitting at his second floor office when she suddenly appeared behind him. Needless to say, he was a bit shocked at first!
Here’s a sneak peek of this family:
Maddie, the adorable dog!
Just Me and My Brother!
The End of Summer Edition
I loved meeting all the dogs that came for my first round of dog portraits.
Here are some of the wonderful dogs that I photographed in the spring.
My goal in doing these model calls is to put together a book similar to one that I received for Christmas last year. I love the book shown below and the adorable dogs in it.
In order to be consistent with the next round of pictures I will use a black or a brown backdrop. The sessions will likely need to be done in the studio. The other option is to hang a backdrop in the yard and do them outside. This may be easier for some dogs that are more timid. Doing sessions outdoors is always weather and shade dependent, so times would be more limited but I think it could work well.
The details of this model call are listed below and are the same as the first round of pictures. I will need a $50 retainer from you in order to book your session. As well, you will need to fill in a form with details about your dog.
I will take reservations immediately, so don’t delay in calling: 204.962.3424.
A while ago, before the pandemic, I offered a little girls dress up special that included a draw for a $600 prize. I am happy to report that this little girl’s mom won the prize. The lucky winner decided that she would like an album. I had done a few previous sessions for this long time client, so I included images from previous sessions and created this lovely album. I know this album will be enjoyed for years to come by this family.
Do you need a new headshot for your business profile or for an online dating site? I can help you and make the process as painless as possible!
You can see what I am offering in the poster below. This price is only for sessions in the studio. I will do sessions in other locations for an additional cost. As well, the digital images for these headshots will be low resolution and sized for online sites. They are not sized for printing.
I will be available during the week for headshots, as well as a few spots on the weekends. This is a limited time offer so don’t delay. You can email me at christina@chrismcwilliamsphotography.com
or call at 204.962.3424 to reserve your spot.
I love this poster which we have up in our cabin. I hope you are all “digging life” right now at this difficult time. I think many of us have given more thought to the things that are most important in life and I think this poster sums it up really well.
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.
CM Photography Blog (Winnipeg Newborn, Child, Family, Baby Photography) 