I've known Zoe and her family for years. Photographed her parents' bulldogs more times than I can count. So when she reached out about a session with Chevy and her partner Skylar, it didn't feel like a booking. It felt like catching up with with an old friend.
This was my third time photographing Chevy, I've gotten to watch him grow, session by session. The first time, he was an insecure rescue who velcroed himself to Zoe's leg and didn't have much interest in the rest of the world. The dog who showed up on Lookout Mountain that morning was downright silly. Curious about everything. Absolutely convinced every wildflower on that trail needed his personal attention.
He still keeps Zoe close. He's just got more room in him now for everything else too.
We got there early... before the road had even officially opened for the day. Which meant scrapping the plan and starting where we'd meant to finish. Turned out fine. Better than fine, really.
Zoe and Skylar are one of those couples that's just easy to be around. Warm, funny, completely relaxed in front of the camera (a rare combination, in my experience). Skylar mentioned that Zoe's dad had invited him to a knife-making class, and I joked that I guess that's one way to find out if her parents approve. Spoiler: they do. But really, Skylar had already won over the only opinion that counts: Chevy's.
He spent most of the morning planted between them, which feels about right for a dog who started life clinging to one person and has since decided his person's person counts too.
There's one moment from this session that still feels almost surreal. Skylar leaned down to give Chevy some love, and the sunbeams came through the trees at exactly the right angle. Photography is all about reading the light... but sometimes it still surprises you. I didn't do anything clever to make that happen. I just happened to see the magic as it happened.
Then there was the belly rub. Chevy made some kind of face that cracked Zoe up, like an inside joke that only the two of them could know. Having successfully amused his favorite person, Chevy immediately requested the appropriate compensation of belly rubs. Classic.
And the bridge. We were posing there toward the end, and Chevy, who had perhaps reached his limit with the whole photography enterprise, started slowly backing himself around Zoe's legs. Nobody noticed until he'd wound her feet together like a cartoon villain just missing the train tracks. Skylar played the hero to help to untangle her. I got photos of that too, of course.
The wildflowers weren't everywhere, just scattered here and there, so we went hunting for them. Chevy treated every little cluster like a discovery worth sniffing thoroughly. The forest gave us shade and texture. The bridge gave us one very determined dog and a minor entanglement situation.
One of my favorite things about this work is watching people's lives unfold in small installments over the years. I knew Zoe back when I was photographing her parents' bulldogs. Now she's here with her own dog and her own person, on a mountain trail before the road's even open, laughing because Chevy just tied her feet together.
That's a good morning. I'm glad I got to be there for it.
If you're interested in pet photography, reach out. I'd love to hear from you.
Location: Lookout Mountain, Golden, Colorado
Note: Furever Photography is based in North Idaho, though travels frequently
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