Sunrise disc dog photography, featuring Riptide, Sage and Clover.
The gorgeous first light of the day provides some of the most magical colours and dramatic backgrounds for a disc dog big sky session, and then nearby long grass creates luscious texture and depth for portraits.
Riptide
Boom looks incredibly powerful and larger than life in this capture. Body extended, muscles engaged, teeth about to hit plastic. It doesn’t get much better than this.
It started at dawn.
Okay, maybe a little bit before dawn.
Kara and her young Border Collie, Boom, packed into the car and set out for Toronto in the dark. I tip-toed out of my house, careful not to wake my 4-year old daughter on my way out. Both Kara and I arrived at the beach in Toronto with Tims coffees in hand and smiles on our faces. We didn’t have much time. The sun would be rising soon.
The silky smooth and colourful backdrop of a cloudless, sunless sky is a dramatic juxtaposition to the perfectly balanced moment of action. I adore how the sand has been kicked up and is flying everywhere in the scene.
Kara told me that it’s been 20 years since she was last in Toronto.
As for me, I’d been in this exact spot two days before, scoping it out and planning our session against the backdrop of rich fall colours.
The sky was getting brighter. I hurriedly set up the little bit of gear I had brought with me, which included a couple cameras and a strobe. Kara made sure that young Boom was settled in this new area. Boom shouted at the bag that housed her discs - she was ready to play.
A strobe was used here to light Boom’s features. The timing worked perfectly here, as Boom’s form is ideal, plus Kara’s eye is lit by the strobe while Boom’s form keeps the rest of her body shrouded in shadow.
Boom is a 2-year old blue merle Border Collie. She’s petite, speedy and very (very) talented when it comes to disc. Boom qualified for Worlds in disc but unfortunately couldn’t attend this year due to border/covid restrictions. The little collie took everything in stride; she clearly lives for disc and everything else is just details. Lucky me - she was a photographer’s dream.
We started a few minutes before the sun crested the horizon with some easy throws while I sorted out my camera settings. I observed Kara’s throwing technique while she and Boom warmed up and offered suggestions on how to elicit the type of catches that photograph best. Kara was a top-tier student and adjusted her angles and timing as suggested, plus she offered up her own ideas on how best to showcase her dog’s talent. I love when clients do that!
We played disc in the sand for about 45 minutes, taking time to allow Boom to rest in between sets and pausing to allow distractions to pass. The Toronto Beaches are a dog-friendly spot each winter, so there were a lot of people out enjoying the brilliant fall day despite the early morning. Somewhere along the way, a Samoyed stole my hat.
After our disc segment and with the sun rising quickly in the sky, we moved to a nearby area with lots of long grasses. We set up in the shade of a couple trees and took advantage of the soft, filtered morning light for some dreamlike portraits. A photographic session isn’t complete without some timeless glamour images.
Magical morning light and a soft expression makes for a perfect moment captured.
The thing about sunrises is that they don’t last very long. It’s both a blessing and a curse - we’re forced to work quickly to maximize our time. Approximately 75 minutes into our sunrise session, the light had become a bit too harsh to continue our portraits to my satisfaction.
I decided that this bright, somewhat harsh light would be ideal for a few final disc shots against the fall foliage that was now brightly lit by the sun. We set up amongst the long grass and set up our final disc session, capturing one of my favourite photographs from the day - Boom sailing after a disc in full extension while the fall colours shone behind her. Happy and all probably a little tired, we decided to wrap everything up for the day.
Total time: 90 minutes, and wrapped up by 8:30 a.m..
Result: hopefully a lifetime of photographs and memories.
Notes on sunrise sessions:
A 90-minute portrait session results in a highly varied and artistic series of photographs that are perfectly suited for display in an album or folio box. These multi-image pieces of art have quickly become my preferred products to showcase these amazing photographs simply because it’s impossible to choose just one or two!
During these private events, I focus on capturing dynamic action, portrait shots that showcase an animal’s inner beauty, as well as relationship shots that highlight the bond between a person and their pet. Artwork is created as both a story of our day plus a timeless testament to the love that is shared between a person and their pup.
You were a pleasure to work with and gave me easy directions to follow to get the best images of what I wanted. Your pictures by far exceeded even my expectations and I have been an avid fan of yours for years. I absolutely love every one and there are so many!! The lighting that you helped create was original and so beautiful. I am ecstatic about them because they are all so original and incredible. What an amazing experience and I am so grateful that I will have these memories forever.
- Kara Fitzgerald
This is a somewhat unconventional image, but I love how Boom is looking up at her person, and the long grass on the right somewhat balances the harsh silhouettes on the left.
Boom has an earnest expression here, and this image was selected as one of Kara’s favourites.
There are few things as classy as an understated black and white photograph. The trick is to ensure that the subject isn’t lost within the scene when no colour is present. I always try to include a handful of black and white options of emotive portraits for clients.
The leading lines in this image are delightful.
Thanks for reading!
Drop me a note to let me know what you think about this session, or if you have any questions regarding me and my work.
