Monthly Archives: January 2009

Jukki & Kooza

[caption id="attachment_410" align="alignleft" width="202" caption="Bad Dogs Have More Fun"]Bad Dogs Have More Fun[/caption]

When you photograph pets, all of your clients are special. There is a weird vibe, a kind of joy, that you carry away with you. However, last year I photographed 2 dogs that were particularly special; Jukki and Kooza. I have to say that for them and their owners Astrid and Barry, I have a very special affection. Big lovers of Siberian Huskies, Astrid and Barry were married on a dog sled while their dog Jukki was on the pulling team. Now how cool is that?! They were full of great stories, one of which was about Barry going to the North Pole by dog sled. Very cool! When we went to take outdoor shots, I turned around to see them standing there with matching sledding coats. (I swear I’m going to get me one!) 

Last weekend I was reading John Grogan’s (Marley and Me) latest book; Bad Dogs Have More Fun when much to my surprise I came across the story of Barry going to the North Pole. After Barry’s dog Kunitz passed away, he went to the North Pole by dog sled to release the dog’s ashes. An incredible thing to do. Now you can see why I carry such affection for Astrid and Barry. We share a deep-rooted, intrinsic love for dogs.

The funny part was that I was alone in the house (that NEVER happens) and I was all excited and there was no one to tell! I jumped on the computer and emailed Barry to tell him how freaked out I was when I read his story in John Grogan’s new book. Barry emailed me back immediately from his blackberry saying he and Astrid were shopping in downtown Toronto when they got my message and were even more freaked because they didn’t know his story was in the book! They ran right down to the book store and bought up a bunch of copies. Barry knew Grogan wrote his story in a article in 2006, but being the the book was a complete surprise. So funny.

So here are some photos of Jukki and Kooza I took last year. A couple of very special dogs through whom I met some very special people.

 

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School Trip

What happens when one of my kids asks me to go on a school field trip? It becomes a photo opp! A school bus full of beautiful first graders singing The Bubbly Song is among my favorite places to be! Skiing and toboganning in blizzard-like conditions… but hey… we’re Canadian, eh? I won’t post shots of the kids, but here are some shots of the bus and one of my daughter. 

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Welcome 2009

2008 was an incredible year! I followed my heart and grew my business into something I truly love. I committed to only working with great people. Those of you who know me, know that I am very up front about that. LOL. I have met and worked with so many great people. I am so thankful to my family, friends, clients and colleagues. I cannot belive this is my life. I encourage you all to follow your hearts!

When on vacation last summer I scheduled a meeting to try and pick up a new design client in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. We planned to move to the island in a few years and so I thought I would start building a client base there. Little did I know that they would make me an offer that would change my life. So on our 3 week vacation, and completely unplanned, my husband and I bought a 4.6 acre mini-farm in PEI which was our dream for many years. When we returned home, my husband went to work and resigned after 29 years with Pratt & Whitney Canada. It all felt like a dream until we rounded the new year. Now it feels very real. So I will be here until June but will stop booking photography sessions in the Montreal area in May to make sure I have enough time to process orders before packing up. 

Below are some of the photos of the farm taken by my brother-in-law. I had no idea we were going to buy anything so I didn’t bring my camera with me! I am very excited about living in a farm house again. I lived in one when I met my husband and loved it and my husband lived on a farm in PEI growing up. There is a huge barn that we plan to turn into a photography studio, a chicken barn, a horse barn, a cottage, a playhouse, a campfire pit, vegetable gardens and horse paddocks. The place is a photographer’s dream! 2009 is going to be a big year. A life-changing year. A dream-come-true year… again. 

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