5 Reasons I Photograph Seattle Dogs in Flowers

Some of the most beautiful displays of florals pop up throughout the year here in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been lucky enough to get to photograph quite a few Seattle dogs in flowers whether their sessions take place at home or their favorite local parks. Some of my favorite parks to photograph dogs in have incredible varieties of flowers growing across their trails and fields. If you’ve never thought about including flowers in your dog’s photo session, let me tell you the reasons why I recommend it.

Here are the 5 reasons I like to photograph Seattle dogs in flowers:

1. Blooms can help to create a frame around dogs.

It’s an exciting moment for me during a session when I can use flowers to create a frame around the dog I’m photographing. For Pickles’ session on Whidbey Island, my client had this field of tall grasses and wild daisies for us to play in. We let the dogs run through the field a few times before asking them to pose where the daisies lined the path they had created. The resulting photo of Pickles is my favorite from the session.

2. Opportunities to create depth with foliage and flowers.

One of my favorite things about using foliage and flowers in dog photos is how you can create a sense of depth by shooting through them. When we came upon this wisteria tree during Duchess’ photo session at Point Defiance Park, I could hardly believe our luck. Duchess was wearing her brand new purple harness for her session, and it turned out to be the perfect accessory for this part of the evening. By using the wisteria as the backdrop and shooting through these tall purple flowers, we were able to create this beautiful portrait of Duchess.

3. Colors and textures add interesting elements to dog photos.

The variety of colors and textures found in flowers is endless. I love figuring out how to use those colors and textures in ways that add to the overall feeling of a photo. For Piper’s session in the wild sweet peas at Discovery Park, I knew we would be able to create dramatic portraits. By placing Piper lower to the ground, I was able to capture her big, beautiful eyes peeking through the flowers. Throughout the session, the sun reflected off of the green vines and lit up the hot pink and purple blooms, making it a magical location to be in.

4. Strategic placement of florals can help create more of a story.

Framing, depth, colors and textures all play a part in the story you’re creating in a photo. For Stanley’s session in Volunteer Park, I had a vision that involved this bed of irises. I didn’t know they existed until we arrived at the park. As soon as I saw them, I knew where I wanted to place them in the frame. That placement resulted in the blooms looking like fireworks or confetti far off in the distance. This addded to the feeling of joy I wanted to capture for Stanley’s photo.

5. Flowers help to create variety in the art designed from your dog’s photo session.

Whenever I can incorporate flowers into the photos I’m taking of dogs in Seattle, I know that I’m going to have a lot more variety to show to my clients when it comes time to design their artwork. For Toby’s session at Highline SeaTac Botanical Gardens, we had a lot of beautiful flowers to work with. This incredible, pink rose was the highlight of the night. It was a wonderful backdrop for Toby, and complimented his joyful spirit beautifully.

Photographing your Seattle dogs in flowers.

Has this helped you to see what’s possible when including flowers in your dog’s photo session? If you’d like to learn more about how we can create some beautiful portraits of your dog like the ones in this post, let’s get you set up for a consultation. Check out the video below for a behind-the-scenes look at what a session could be like for you and your dog!

The world of pet photography is blossoming every year, and I’m thrilled to be a part of a community of passionate folks who are doing great things for pets and their people. This post is part of a group of pet photographers who write about topics related to dogs.

To learn more about photographing dogs in flowers, check out Terri J Photography with photography of dogs in the flowers in Toronto and tips for capturing great images of dogs in flowers.