pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

Perfect Timing

Suzanne Bird thought it was time for a change. After dedicating years of her life to newspaper photography, Bird wanted a new job that gave her more balance between work and family. What she came up with surprised and delighted the artist: for the past two years, Bird had been creating exquisite one-of-a-kind coffee table books for dog lovers.

Bird's love affair with the lens started when she was a teen (in High School, she was the girl clicking away for the yearbook). After completing her formal training in photojournalism from Loyalist College in Ontario, Bird began her decade-long career in newspapers where she earned a solid reputation and numerous photography awards including two National Newspaper nominations.

With a growing family (Bird's daughters are now 5 and 2), the last-minute projects and weekend assignments associated with newspaper work began to wear thin. International travel no longer held an allure for Bird. During her second yearlong maternity leave, Bird decided to investigate her options. The artist painstakingly cataloged her talents and researched new ways to integrate photography into her family-centric schedule.

Bird checked out the work of portrait photographers and decided wedding photography, thought lucrative, just wasn't the right thing. "I wanted to be at home, but I didn't want to be another wedding photographer, I wanted to do something different," says Bird. It was when she poured over the work of well-respected animal portrait artists that something struck a chord.

Bird, a lifelong animal lover, took a leap of faith and quietly left her work at the paper. As Bird tells it, her experience with sports photography and news photography naturally lends itself to shooting dogs. In addition to general news coverage, many of Bird's assignments involved covering sports. A regular at Ottawa Senator's hockey games, Bird learned to squeeze a lot of action into a single shot. "I was trained to walk into a situation and take a front page photo," says Bird. During the transition to dog photography work, Bird came up with the idea utilize her design skills to create books for her clients. In 2005, she launched Urban Dog Photography and began to market her products.

Now a sought-after dog portrait artist, Bird charges $650 (Canadian) for a two-hour photo session that culminates in a professionally bound book of images from the shoot. Bird's completed 7" x 7" books consist of 28 pages, with each page made up of close-ups and action shots of the dog or dogs. In essence, Bird is crafting photo biographies with each new canine commission. But be patient, the binding and publishing process require patience - owners see the finished product in 6-8 weeks (for more information on prices and packages visit www.photobysuebird.com).

Most agree the finished project is worth the wait. Though sleek, slick and polished something different is revealed upon closer inspection of Bird's portraits. Flip through the pages and you'll see the pictures are packed with emotion, movement and energy.

Using her photojournalist skills, Bird documents the small things that make each dog unique, "I want to include little pieces of a dog's life... collars, toys, special places in the home," says Bird. To make sure she's on the right track, Bird performs a mini interview as she's shooting. Gabriele Kamelak hired Bird to photographer her two greyhounds, Tinkerbelle and Doc. Kamelak says, "Suzanne sees more than just people and dogs - she sees them as individual personalities as well as what they become together."

To get the best pictures, Bird prefers to travel to her clients for the two-hour shoot. With careful input from the owner, Bird's goal is to depict a typical day: playing fetch in the yard, going for a car ride, or carousing with canine pals at the park.

Many of Bird's best pictures are shot outdoors. That means dressing for the elements and lots of dirty fun. Bird frequently rolls in the grass to get a great close-up of a dog's worn paw pads. Her action photos are truly exceptional and showcase her exceptional gift of timing. Bird uses high-end digital equipment that can shoot eight frames per second (the same camera she would have used when shooting football games). Having a quick shutter speed seems to make all the difference when photographing the exquisite details of a rambunctious Labrador retrieving a tennis ball with jowls flapping and ears bouncing.

It didn't take long to get noticed. Through word of mouth, Bird has generated enough buzz to complete close to 100 books. Many of these clients have aging dogs and hire Bird to capture memories before it's too late.

Sue Bird

"I know what it's like to lose a dog," says Bird. Perhaps that's why she puts so much of her heart and soul into each new project. According to the artist, she wants the owner to have a visceral reaction to the book.

Kathleen Connelly fondly recalls her dog Luna's March 2006 photo shoot. Connelly says Bird asked about all of Luna's favorite activities - one of which was driving to the park for playtime. Bird made sure to get Luna in the car and then the photographer hung her camera out the window to capture the Labrador's face savoring the fresh air. Connelly's photo investment was incredibly timed: One week after the Luna's photo shoot Connelly's beloved pet passed away.

About two months after Luna's passing the photos arrived. The first shot was a close-up of Luna's face. Connelly calls Bird's work simply astounding. "When I look at the picture it's like Luna's head is life-sized... when we got close to Luna to kiss her this is exactly what I saw," says Connelly.

Again and again, clients mention Bird's compassion - her ability to honor the relationship between pet parent and dog. In addition to her pet portraits, Bird is lending her skills to a project called "Dog Days of Cancer." Bird will be selling a new perpetual calendar featuring her photos of female cancer patients and their faithful canine companions through the Paws for Charity Web site (www.pawsforcharity.blogspot.com).

With her exceptional gift for portraying the life force within each dog, no doubt Bird will flourish in her new field. She hopes to contribute not only to her clients' lives but also to the arts. "In photography your profession is categorized. I'm challenging myself to win the respect of photojournalists with my dog photos," says Bird.

All images © Sue Bird.