Pet photography, on-location, is not for the feint of heart, nor the Winter Wuss.

Who is MacLean’s Magazine calling a Wuss? Well, okay, probably me. I’m not much of a “freeze my butt off” girl at the best of times. Going for a walk and losing all feeling in my thighs isn’t exactly my favourite thing to do. That being said, my specialty is pet photography, on-location, and I will suck it up for the sake of a spectacular session.

Last week we got some snow, so it seemed the ideal time to get out and play. I have coats for my boys but they usually don’t come out until the windchill makes it a less that -10° excursion. For Indy maybe a little sooner. Lucca, my little Texan rescue, has taken to the Canadian Winter like a duck to water.

After the first real snowfall he walked tentatively out the door and took it all in like he was analyzing the situation. His assessment must have been good because in the next moment he was dashing through the snow like the proverbial one horse open sleigh. So, as soon as I could ask Siri what the wind chill was and we both didn’t freak out, I bundled myself up, left the boys’ coats at home and off we went for a snowy photographic romp in the gorgeous setting of Cave Spring Vineyard.

Pet photography: shooting from the hip

Shooting pet photography on-location like this, telling a visual story of four-legged adventures in a natural, whimsical way. I have to work fast and at their level for much of the time. But the proof is in the pudding – it allows me to deliver fun, fresh images that translate to gorgeous wall art or spectacular keepsake albums.

We may not have a lot more snow than Toronto, but here in Niagara, it’s easier to find vast pristine areas of the white stuff … and watching a dog play in fresh snow is way better than anything HBO can throw at you!

If you would like to book a Winter session I promise not to be a wuss, and I will wear my long johns. Please send me an email or give me a call and we’ll set something up with the weather man in mind!

Here are my top 5 from last week!