So a couple of weeks ago I decided that since the weather was absolutely great and it was going to snow we should do a photo shoot and create some promo shots. When I contacted Wendy Cotie (Big Picture Studio) she was excited about the idea. So, thus launched, I went to work
I contacted a high school friend, Robb, and asked him to come model for me. Oddly enough, he said he would be honored. So we arranged for he and his wife, Dianne, to come out for the shoot.
So then I thought about it a bit and decided that if his lordship had been out hunting, he would have his loyal hound with him. I briefly thought of using one of our hounds but rejected that idea, and decided that we needed a medieval hound. Hmmm. Where was I going to get one of those?
After thinking about it a bit, I called Kalkinny Kennels, a breeder of champion Wolfhounds based in Metcalfe. The owner of the kennel said no one had ever asked her that before (why not? seemed like a good idea to me) but that she would contact one or two of her owners (people that own her dogs) and see what she could do. The result was Dominique, a lovely brunette with an equally lovely laid back attitude, and her dog Schmidt. Schmidt was an absolute medieval dream come true. 22 months old and only a teenager, he was easily as laid back as his owner, and oh so incredibly beautiful.
I now had a man and a woman (Dianne decided not to dress for the day, but she played an indispensable roll picking spots to shoot and setups for the group). When Wendy arrived, with her multi cameras she brought her daughter Samantha, who thought she might like to dress for this adventure.
And of course, there were the horses. Duke, of course, was his lordship's horse, but Suzy and Shannon were never far away, Mostly because they fussed when Duke would not follow them as Suzy demanded! Duke took it all in stride and was his usual easy self, enjoying the extra attention, and moving away when the dog wanted to sniff, well, what dogs sniff.
The final result was a sort of family grouping, a wife and daughter greeting his lordship home from the hunt. And the best part of all? It snowed. Big fat glorious flakes. Stupendous flakes. And the temperature was only -2.
If it has ever occurred to you that this would be kind of neat, or you think you know someone, or you think these photos are fine, please do share us. Send us a note to tell us what you think. Or best of all, look up Wendy Cotie on Facebook and book an appointment with her to come out and have your photo taken with Duke, Suzy or Shannon. For a family group, and individual portrait, or something else entirely. Tell us what you have in mind. We can't wait to see you.