Sometimes people don’t believe me when I tell them that we can create incredible portraits of their pets without having to leave their backyard. Believe me when I say this,
Your yard does not have to be pretty to be beautiful.
It’s about your pet, it’s about the light and it’s about having someone who understands how to capture those things together. To help you see what I’m talking about, I’m going to share with you what my yard actually looks like in all four seasons (I love that Seattle gets four seasons), along with portraits I have created of my dog, Kerouac, in all four seasons.
Winter
This is when Seattle turns to mush. The rain gives us mud and barely enough light in the day. Sometimes, though, we get lucky and it snows. I realize that this first example is kind of cheating because fresh snow makes everything beautiful, but I think that it’s a perfect example of harnessing the opportunity to not care what your yard looks like underneath the blanket of white. I certainly don’t.
As you can see in the first image, there is nothing special about my yard. It’s a nice size, yes, but most of the things look dead most of the time. Covered in snow, they look delicious, but as soon as it melts, they’ll look not so great. I think the best thing about this portrait of Kerouac is knowing how much she loves the snow. She’s a Siberian Husky, so of course she loves it. What matters most to me is knowing my girl is happy, and having portraits of her in her element makes me happy.
Spring
I love Spring. I love the birth of new things, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE WILDNESS of grasses and blooms as the sun rises. Spring is all about the morning light. You can see in the photo of my yard that there’s not much going on from above. The grass is still green (thank you rains of Winter), but there really isn’t much color other than that. The thing that got me out there this particular morning was the way the sunlight was streaming across the grass. I knew there would be magic in those spaces, so I called Kerouac out with me to take advantage of the light while we still had it.
I mentioned that I absolutely love the wildness of grasses. That was probably an understatement. Spring is my favorite because things grow so quickly, and when our yard grows out, I can’t stop taking photos of the dog. My husband hates when the grass gets long, but he knows to let me have it until I’m done with it. This image of Kerouac makes me long for early mornings when it’s not too cold to sit on the deck as the sun rises, but you can still see the steam coming off of your cup of coffee.
Summer
For me, Summer is all about the evenings and the sun’s golden light that kicks up the vibrancy of all things. We have this patch of bamboo in one section of our yard that mostly just hides a pile of junk. I think Kerouac has a secret hole inside the bamboo patch where she hides her treasures, but I haven’t had the courage to go searching. She’s a dog, so there’s probably something gross in there.
This area of the yard is really, not so pretty. And the areas directly around it aren’t that great either. However, when the sun reaches a certain point in the evening, it lights up that bamboo. To the naked eye, it just looks like sun shining directly onto green leaves, but when you understand how light and textures work together with the right tools and placement of your subject, you get something so beautiful, it doesn’t quite look real. This is one of my favorite portraits of Kerouac. Partly because that bamboo is having a moment of glory, but mostly because that tongue is adorable.
Fall
This is the magic time of year for portraits. When you get crisp, misty mornings and foliage turning colors you have the recipe for gorgeous imagery. This was another early morning when I saw the light from my kitchen window, and knew I only had a few minutes to create. I actually think my yard looks quite pretty in the first photo. There’s something about beams of sunlight that makes everything look amazing no matter how simple they are. Even the poorly pruned apple tree looks good with back lighting.
What you can’t tell from either of these photos is that we now have three large garden boxes in our yard and a small trailer for hauling things parked on our concrete slab. The gardens are amazing, but the trailer is not. Despite having lost some of our shooting areas, Kerouac and I still found the right light to capture. I love this image of Kerouac so freaking much. She looks so strong, it kind of makes me wish I had a photo of myself in this same light.
So, whether your yard is professionally maintained, barely touched or someplace in between, we can create beautiful portraits of your pets all year round. Remember, it’s about your pet, it’s about the light and it’s about having someone who understands how to capture those things together.
To learn more about pet portrait sessions with Dirtie Dog Photography, head on over to the CONTACT page or you can give Marika a call at (360) 941-3588
