Murphy McGuinness, Finn McCool & the People Who Love Them | Dog Portraits in Hoyt Arboretum | Portland, Oregon
There are friendships that start because of a Newfoundland puppy so outrageously adorable that you have absolutely no choice but to walk over and introduce yourself to a stranger. That's how I met Chris and Jessica. We were neighbors in downtown Portland, and one day Jessica came through with Murphy McGuinness on a walk. I introduced myself immediately. It was not optional. Murphy made sure of it.
That was over a decade ago. We've been friends ever since.
Murphy McGuinness is a big, soulful, chocolate-brown Newfoundland with a plaid bandana and amber eyes that look like they've seen things. She's dignified in the way that only very large, very fluffy dogs manage to be. And then there's Finn McCool, the Leonberger who joined the family later — enormous, golden-maned, completely unaware of his own size, tongue perpetually out and celebrating life. Together, they are a lot. Together, they are perfect.
We spent the morning at Hoyt Arboretum, wandering the trails through the fall color. Hoyt is one of my absolute favorite places to shoot in Portland — 190 acres of ridge-top forest just minutes from downtown, home to more than 2,300 species of trees from six continents. It's a living museum that happens to be extraordinarily beautiful in every season, and in the fall, with the maples turning gold and the moss glowing green against the bark, it feels like the whole world has gone soft and warm.
I've photographed weddings, engagements, and family sessions at Hoyt more times than I can count — and it never gets old. If you want to see more sessions from this location, you can browse them here. There's something about those moss-covered trunks and the way the light falls through the canopy that makes every photograph feel quiet and alive at the same time.
Chris and Jessica are the kind of people who are completely at ease with themselves and with each other — the kind of ease that takes years to build, and shows. Jessica crouched down next to Murphy, laughing, and she leaned into her like she always does. Finn sprawled in the leaves like a lion taking a rest. Chris kept his hand on Finn's back and grinned. Nobody was performing anything. It was just them, exactly as they are.
This is what I love most about photographing people I actually know — there's no warm-up period, no awkward first ten minutes. We just walk and talk and I make photographs along the way. And after ten-plus years of friendship, what we got at Hoyt was exactly that: two people, two magnificent dogs, a forest full of fall color, and a morning that felt completely, unhurriedly like themselves.
Murphy McGuinness started it all with one very good walk. I'm glad I said hello.
Hoyt Arboretum is located at 4000 SW Fairview Blvd in Portland, Oregon — free to visit, open daily, with 12 miles of trails through one of the most beautiful urban forests in the Pacific Northwest. Dogs are welcome on leash.
Want to book a session at Hoyt — with or without a Newfoundland? Let's talk.
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