The Dogs of the Sweet Pea Patch
**It’s Mid-July in the Pacific Northwest. Why I thought shooting at this time of year was a good idea is beyond me, but here we are.**
In the middle of Seattle, nestled between Puget Sound and the bustling city, lies Discovery Park. This 524 acre treasure is the largest park in Seattle. It holds 2 miles of protected tidal beaches (no dogs allowed), open meadows, majestic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets and streams, but, most importantly, several Sweet Pea Patches.
I discovered the Sweet Peas two years ago, while participating in a photo challenge with my friend, Marika. Since then, I have visited the Sweet Peas every year. I don’t think they are intentionally planted, since they seem to pop up in different places each year. These pink, purple and white blooms withstand July temperatures, which reached into the high 80’s last week. With very little humidity to diffuse it, the sun seems to have muderous intentions. (I burn very easily and do not tolerate heat due to previous bouts of heat exhaustion, so I’m not fond of muderous sunlight.)
Now, you may or may not know that I am going to Denali National Park in the fall to work for two weeks in the sled dog kennels. This is a dream come true for me, and I had to find a way to finance the trip.
Since I am so fond of the Sweet Pea Patches, I decided to create an offering that featured these fun flowers. The premise of the offering was simple; clients “pay what they can” for a 45 minute photo session in the flowers. The sessions sold out and I raised enough money for my air fare!
Currently, I am over half way done shooting all of the sessions, and I want to show you what I’ve created so far.
First, I photographed Salryc, an Egyptian Pharoah Hound/Jindu Mix. Sal and I work together several times a year, and she is a pro at posing. Her pointy ears and her deep brown eyes are striking and she is as smart as she looks. I love working with her. (Image at the beginning of the post) She tolerated the heat way better than I did.
Next, was Mossy Wonder. Mossy and I have worked together for years and he is a beautiful Golden Retriever….although he is essentially white. He has a soft, fluffy coat and melted chocolate chip eyes that are for his mom only. His images always turn out with a Doris Day feel to them. Soft and luminous. I can almost hear the angelic music in my head.
Goose was next. Goose is a chocolate lab/weimerainer mix. He is shaped like a baby moose….long legs, slender body, big head. Goose has the work ethic of a Clydesdale and only wanted to please his mom and me. But, he is afraid of flies. Inside of our Sweet Pea Patch were many docile bumblebees with their pollen pants weighing them down. Goose was not happy about this turn of events, so we abandoned the Sweet Peas for safer spaces. (But not before I created this image. Look at his eyes!)
Cosmo was my next model. I will admit, I squealed when I met him. See, his mom and I have been friends since 2018. Her first dog, Leonard, worked with me several times a year. Unfortunately, we lost Leonard in May to cancer. Not only was his mom devastated, but so was I. I loved Leonard. Cosmo meandered into Marion’s life as a foster…which totally failed. Now, at 6-months-old, he has a forever home. I can see Marion is torn, but, as I’ve already told her, she will always be Leonard’s mom. I will admit, we shed some tears during Cosmo’s session, which was the first time I got to meet him…thus the squealing. I see a very bright future for Cosmo!
Ditka was next. When his mom first signed up, I wondered about his name. I’m originally from Michigan and a die hard Lions fan (even during the challenging years), so I wondered why someone in Seattle would name their dog after the former coach of the Chicago Bears! Well, turns out his mom is FROM Chicago so it all made sense. Ditka is a handsome, reddish Golden Retriever and has a thick mane around his neck. He is smart and always taking in his surroundings. This was my first time meeting him, but, but the end of his session, we were very good friends. His mom is a delight too, and I hope I can work with this dynamic duo again.
Yesterday, the weather changed dramatically as some mist and cooler temperatures moved in. It was a perfect day to photograph Sitka, a chocolate lab. Sitka is a sporting dog; participating in obedience, dock diving, barn hunt and other sports. She is unstoppable, even at 10 years of age. Sitka and I are old friends and I’ve learned I have about 5 minutes at the beginning of our session to get her to pose, and then she is off and running. I know this about her, so that’s how I photograph her. It’s who she is. So, instead of head shots, we decided to create some action shots. It's Sitka at her best.
With only a few more sessions left this week, I’m happy to report that I have been enjoying myself immensely. Seems I’d been in a bit of a rut as of late, but spending time with these amazing dogs and their humans has put the spring back in my step. Even though I am physically exhausted (because my other job is dog walking), I feel a delightful sense of accomplishment. I created some beautiful images for my clients, and got to meet some new people and new dogs, who are now friends.
If you have read this far, thanks for sticking with me. I tend to go on and on when it comes to dogs, so I really try to keep things brief. I don’t want to overwhelm my reader.
My trip to Alaska is not yet fully funded, but I will keep working on it. If you want to support my work, please feel free to visit my Ko-Fi page.
Lastly, dear reader, I want you to know that my focus (pardon the pun) is telling the stories of working dogs. That’s where my passion lies. But, sometimes, photographing companion dogs proves to be an amazing, uplifting experience, as this endeavor has proved to be.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my experience with these delightful dogs.
Hugs to your dog!
Holly