Here we are again. The time for portraits of dogs zooming through piles of leaves has arrived. The crisp, golden light beaming through trees with brightly colored foliage makes for an incredible backdrop, and the leaves that have fallen to the ground provide endless opportunity for hilarious moments. I love photographing dogs any time of year, but there are not many things more magical than the brilliant colors of Fall. The following sessions are from some of my favorite places in Seattle to capture gorgeous Fall portraits of dogs being their joyful selves.
This session with Riley the Golden Retriever was captured at the Washington Park Arboretum UW Botanic Gardens. The leaves were in the perfect state of changing color, and we even had just enough covering the ground to add beautiful texture to Riley’s portraits. The image of the leaf falling next to him is one of my favorites. In this particular spot in the park, the leaves were dropping randomly, and Riley wasn’t sure what to think about it. This moment was a perfect capture for his parents to remember how surprised he was that these things were floating around him. Riley was still a puppy here, so we were witnessing him experience things he had not yet seen in his life. What a gift!

This session with Sugar Man the terrier mix took place at Green Lake Park. I love Green Lake Park because there are so many wonderful little areas to get lost in. When the leaves have begun to cover the ground, everything is transformed to look like a textured painting. We had a beautifully sunny day, so we were able to capture some of the gorgeous glowing light through the leaves. The green grass created a perfect contrast to the yellow leaves which added variety to Sugar Man’s session. This seriously was such a fun session. The final image in this collection was put together with two separate images (yes, I do those kinds of things!). We had attempted a “tossing the leaves” portrait, but Sugar Man wasn’t a fan of it. Your dog’s comfort and safety are always the most important thing during sessions, so if there is an image we are determined to get, we do our best together to find a way that keeps your pup safe and happy! For this image of Sugar Man, after I captured the portrait of him alone, we asked him to move out of the frame while his mom tossed some leaves in the air for me to capture in the same location. It worked out perfectly.

This session with Pumpkin and Peekaboo the adorable Pug sisters, took place at Discovery Park in Magnolia. I am IN LOVE with the wide variety of options at Discovery Park. There are so many locations within the park that can be turned into magical scenery for portraits (especially with dogs because they’re so full of magic already). For this session, we met at the South Parking Lot, and took advantage of all the color we could find. My absolute favorite image from Pumpkin and Peekaboo’s session is actually a running portrait of Pumpkin. I love it so much that I had it printed on a large canvas to use as a sample to show clients and display at events. It’s a huge hit with everyone who looks at it because of the pure joy in Pumpkin’s expression.

These are only three of the many locations in the Greater Seattle Area that provide gorgeous backdrops for Fall portraits of your dogs. If you’ve been waiting all year for a session like these, the time has come to book your dog’s magical story session with Dirtie Dog Photography.
The best way to get in touch is through the CONTACT page on the website, or email marika@dirtiedogphotography.com for more information about booking your dog’s Fall portrait session.