Golden Season: Priority Fall Sessions for Senior Dogs
This one’s for the senior dogs. And for the dogs managing something hard right now, a diagnosis, a slowdown, a harder season of life than they used to have.
I’m holding a small number of priority spots this fall specifically for them. Not because anything needs to feel urgent or scary, but because I know these sessions sometimes get put off. Life gets busy, or it just doesn’t feel like the right week, and then somehow a year has gone by. I’d rather make space now than have it wait for a “someday” that life keeps pushing further away.
Why fall, specifically
There’s a practical reason this season works especially well for an older dog. Cooler temperatures instead of July heat. Less walking needed to find a good spot, since we don’t have to go far to find beautiful light this time of year. No one panting through a session or needing to stop every few minutes to rest in the shade in the heat of summer.
It’s also, honestly, some of my favorite light to work in all year. Soft, warm, a little golden around the edges. Turns out that same light is especially kind to gray muzzles and slower joints too.
The dog who’s earned every gray hair
Let’s face it, we all love them. The dog who’s slower on the stairs these days. The one who takes a beat longer to get up from the couch, who naps a little harder in the sun, who’s been there through more of your life than almost anyone else has.
That dog deserves a portrait taken with real care, but especially our senior dogs. Not squeezed in as an afterthought, not “we’ll get to it eventually.” A portrait that actually sees them, right now, exactly as they are.
Why Senior Dogs have a special place in my heart
A few years ago, I photographed a Golden Retriever named Carly, in her last months. Some time later, her mom told me, through tears, that she still sees Carly’s portrait every single morning when she wakes up, and that it makes her happy.
That’s the whole reason I do this work. Not because a portrait can stop time, but because it can hold onto a piece of it, something real and present on a wall instead of buried a few thousand photos deep on a phone.
If this is you
If you’re loved by a senior pup, or a dog going through something hard right now and you’d love to capture memories as they are now, I’d love to talk. These are exactly the dogs I want in front of my camera this fall. Fall sessions are limited this year, and I want to make sure the dogs who need this most get a spot before the season turns and the snow flies.
The best next step is to fill out my inquiry form at DonnaKelliher.com. I’ll be in touch within 24 hours and we’ll figure out together if we’re a good fit.
DonnaKelliher.com ~ Pet Photography for the best loved dogs of Greater Boston, the North Shore and beyond.
Because YOUR dog isn’t “just” a dog.