Jaime and Finn at Mount Tabor: A Portland Pet Portrait Session
Certain sessions remind me why I love this work, and Jaime and Finn's evening at Mount Tabor was one of them. If you've ever watched someone look at their dog like the rest of the world quiets down for a second, you already know the feeling I'm talking about.
Jaime reached out because she wanted portraits of her and Finn, her scruffy, bright-eyed, heart-on-his-sleeve best friend. Not posed. Not stiff. Just the two of them, the way they actually are. And honestly, that's my favorite kind of session to photograph, because the love between a person and their dog is one of the most unselfconscious things in the world. Finn doesn't know what a camera is. He just knows his person is there, scratching behind his ears, and that's enough.
We met at Mount Tabor Park in Southeast Portland, which is honestly one of my favorite spots for a golden hour session. An extinct volcanic cinder cone tucked inside the city, Mount Tabor has these soft, dreamy light pockets that filter through the Douglas firs, wide open meadows of tall golden grass, and quiet trails that feel a world away from the neighborhoods just a few blocks down the hill. It's the kind of place where you can hear birds and bike bells and nothing else, and the light at the end of a summer evening there is something I'd happily chase forever.
Jaime wore this beautiful floral dress that moved with her through the grass, and Finn, of course, was dressed in his handsome navy harness with his tags jingling the whole time. We started on the trails, Finn trotting ahead like he owned the park, pausing every so often to glance back at Jaime as if to say, coming? We wandered. We stopped for belly rubs. We knelt in the leaves and Finn pressed his whole face into Jaime's shoulder, and she laughed that full, unguarded laugh you only laugh when you're with someone who knows every version of you.
As the sun started to dip, we moved out into the meadow where the grass glowed gold and the wildflowers caught the last of the light. Finn sat patiently, sort of, while Jaime scratched under his chin, and I photographed the two of them the way I always hope to photograph the people I work with: close, quiet, and honest. No stiff posing, no performance. Just two best friends, together in their favorite kind of evening.
These are the sessions I hope people book more often. Pet portraits can feel like a splurge or a novelty, but the truth is your dog is one of the great loves of your life, and the time you have together is shorter than you want it to be. Having real, beautiful photographs of the two of you is one of the most worthwhile things I can imagine putting on a wall.
Jaime, thank you for trusting me with your evening and with Finn. He is the sweetest boy, and the way he looks at you is one of the most beautiful things I've had the chance to photograph this year.
If you're in Portland or anywhere in the Pacific Northwest and you've been thinking about a pet or family session with your dog (or cat, or horse, or chaotic trio of chickens, I am genuinely open to it), I would love to hear from you. These sessions are a joy to photograph, and I promise your best friend will be treated like the celebrity they clearly are.
