Three of the same, but also different… and all round super cute! Gah!
Joni, Gavin and Felix, along with their lovely humans ended up in front of my 📸 in the wilds of Sooke recently. For the dogs, there was romping in the grass, barking at birds and time to sit and “act cute” for treats! For the humans… lots of laughs. My face hurt on the drive home from smiling so much with this family! • • Plus… I love photographing dogs.🐾 More of our Sooke Sunset Session soon will be coming soon. Triptych above taken with my phone.
0 Comments
“Meeting Roe: summer edition” a mini book to celebrate the newest addition to a friend’s family. This wee Pyr is growing fast-can’t wait to see how big she is for the next edition 🐾 I love 📸 impromptu and casual visits, turning them into moments in time that can be held and held on to. ✌️ #assenbywendynesbitt #wendynesbittphoto Nothing to see here... just some cute dogs... is there any other kind?
What was to be a short-ish visit to a friends to meet and help socialize the new 10-week old pup (in that critical 12-week window), turned into a bit longer of a visit due to photogenic doggos (again, is there any other kind?), catch up human convos and giant dog cuddles. I'm a DSLR holdout who also uses a camera phone (reluctantly, but sees the value of both), and today, at some point, I got a special "Wilbur Filter" on my camera phone. If you know me, you know I embrace such things because it's real and it's part of being with this gaggle of canines. And really, I think it just adds to the charm of the subjects. Also, how cute is it when a Pyr pup snuggles up to your camera? I guess it makes a good case for having both cameras ;) ! Thanks J+S for the visit! Introducing: Wilbur, the greatest Great Pyrenees Roe, the littlest Great Pyrenees Winnie/Scrappy Do, the littlest bestest big sister, tug-o-war playmate Lola, the watcher and gobbler of treats, also a white-dog-floof magnet xo Imogene.
A 5-year-old squishy face in the care of the Victoria Bulldog Society. After coming into care with some rather hefty vet bills in November 2021, this girl continued to eat away through the VBS's savings while the team of vets and VBS tried to figure out what was going on. But the mystery was solved and after some months in care, she's been given the all clear so Imogene is now ready to interview her potential adopters! Imogene was really fun to photograph. She was inquisitive and very treat motivated... but... she's not a fan of sitting still! The best part though? Probably the bath she gave me at the end. As I sat on the floor and chatted with Mel, she planted both of her front legs on my leg and then that giant bulldog tongue made sure every inch of my bare arms and face were clean and ready for the rest of my day. This squishy face is such a sweetheart and she's going to be a fun addition to an English Bulldog-loving family. 100%. For adoption info, please contact Victoria Bulldog Society: Facebook/Victoria Bulldog Society Instagram/victoriabulldogsociety 'Twas a big day yesterday. I had the privilege to be a pinch hitter for my sister Jill -- who's a very talented photog up in Tofino, BC -- and help out with a palliative session for her friend. One of her two beautiful rescue doggos isn't well and has been going through tests and treatments at a local vet clinic, but there's not much more medicine can do so it's now about enjoying what's left. Of course I accepted... how could I not? It was very last minute, but that's how these are sometimes. So much unknown can make planning hard, but when it needs to work out, it does. We met at a local beach, but with strong winds and pouring rain, it just wasn't going to work. So we took a little drive to find some shelter and hoped that the weather would give us a break... and it did. Two dogs, two humans and one photog (me) found a window of space and time amidst a rain and windstorm where sun shone through the trees onto a magical rock covered with moss under trees covered with lichen. Thank you L, P, K + J. UPDATE: December 14/21: I just found out lovely, little Lily passed away. Much love to her humans for rescuing her and giving her a life of unconditional love. A few hours later I was off to photograph 3 dogs. These would be former sled dogs coming into care of a local rescue. Three more dogs who were now going to be covered until animal protection laws. Bamboo, Meso and Saturn are #s 206, 207 + 208 in my decade-long project advocating for the adoption of former sled dogs. But numbers aside, they were beautiful beings, understandably nervous of all the newness in one day, but whose lives are going to change for the better with the love, care and support of a huge community. I'm no stranger to photographing dogs who aren't feeling well - both mentally and physically. I think most of my work follows that commonality. I try to branch out, but I'm always drawn back to them. "Them" being those who've been discarded, left behind... utterly in need of help. And this year, well I just realized that the bookends of my work this year have been palliative pup sessions - as well as one in the middle too. So when I think back over the year, along with the last 10+ too, it becomes more clear, that this is me. My place. I want to be that person who can be there with a camera, capturing moments that may be otherwise unseen. Being a part of that sadness while being able to see some joy in the memories that are created. To take that pause and hold that space in time. It may take a bit to understand it all, but having lost one of our dogs this summer - not unexpected, but more quickly than expected - I wished I'd had someone there near the end, capturing our little Bella Boo surrounded by us and our love for her.
xo Enid Jupiter at 13.
I remember meeting her the day after she was born. All tiny and wrinkly and oh so cute. Watching her grow over the years into a kind, smart, magical human is pretty cool. Happy birthday Enid! It was almost a year ago when I reached out to Mel and the Victoria Bulldog Society (VBS) to see if they'd be interested in participating in a piece for Wunderdog Magazine. They said yes, so we met up a couple times (in December 2020 & January 2021) for some photos and chats. I've known Mel for years, but this gave me the chance to really hear what her day-to-days are like running a rescue from her home. The piece made it into Issue #5 and is keeping company with the likes of Nowzad Rescue, Wuhan Rescue and sooooo many other like-minded people around the world who are doing their best to help dogs.
Thanks to Tonic for being the star of the piece and to Gerty and Tanker (RIP) for letting me photograph them for this piece. VBS is global! You can get a copy of the magazine through Wunderdog Magazine's website as well as Barnes & Noble stores (in the US only). Since this piece, VBS has taken in so many more bulldogs and they could really use your help! To see what they're up to and to donate, visit them on social media (their website is under construction): facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaBulldogSociety/ instagram: @VictoriaBulldogSociety Here are some photos that didn't make it into the piece. I bought a new camera last week, then returned it the next day because the lens stopped working.
It was smaller and lighter and meant to be easier on my body - the days of lugging heavy cameras and lenses around are numbered for me sadly. Long story short, I decided not to get a replacement, but now I'm second guessing that decision. It ticked a lot of boxes on my wishlist, but it's kind of taking a step backwards in the gear world in some respects. And I didn't fall in love with it when I took that first image like I've done when pressing that shutter release for the first time on my other cameras. As well as the camera tech stuff I take into account when photographing, there's also a connected feeling I get. It may be a wee bit different, depending on which camera I use, but it's always there, no matter what camera I'm using. I didn't feel it during that short visit and I questioned if it will ever come? I know photography isn't just about the camera -- there's knowledge of the gear, the gear itself (camera bodies, lenses, filters), the human behind the lens, their unique perspective to their subject, post processing, etc. - reminding me of a story: "a photographer goes to a friend's house for dinner and the host says 'you're a wonderful photographer, you must have a fantastic camera!'. At the end of the meal, the photographer says to the host 'what a wonderful meal, you must have a fantastic stove'!" For now I'm mired in indecision so am sharing some of my test images, to "put them out there and add them into my work" to see if that changes anything for me. Some of the images have had post processing, some not. Thanks for looking! ~wendy When the chance to go hang with horses one afternoon came up recently, I jumped at it! After all, it was part of an equine assisted learning program developed by family in Saskatchewan and they are now certifying others to teach the program and it's one of the coolest things to participate in. On this afternoon we ran through a couple exercises and although it wasn't my first time taking part, each time seems new and different, and each time I learn something that surprises me and is soooo cool.
In one exercise Feather (the sweetest of horses) was to push a yoga ball forward between two curbs. She wasn't to leave the aisle, but we (my human partner and I) also couldn't touch her. So while my partner walked on one side of her, my dog-knowledge instincts kicked in and I started calling to her like I would my dog friends. And these horse people watched in earnest, along with a healthy dose of confusion as I said "Feather, come on Feather! That's a good girl, Feather" I called in my saccharine-sweet and higher-than-ususal voice. Each time I called her, she moved forward towards me. When she finished the short course everyone laughed and said they couldn't believe she responded to my calls. To me - someone who knows way more about dogs than horses - it seemed natural, but to the horse folks, well, they were pretty surprised by what happened. In the end we agreed that horses can pick up on energies and the energy I was giving out was not one that would be met with anything other than love and praise when she got to me. I'd only known Feather a short while, but that little bond was evident and proved once again that horses can teach us a little something... or two. This program was at Heart Lake Farms in Victoria, but you can learn more about the full program at www.cartierfarms.ca. I can't share photos of the event due to privacy, but here's one of my and my new bestie, Feather. ~wendy |
Categories
All
Archives
|