Session Spotlight: Dogs, Woods, and Autumn Light with Pepper & Sanya

It was the kind of fall day with golden light, crisp air, and just enough fall color to make you want to stay outside forever. Marisa and Philip chauffeured their girls, Pepper and Sanya to Hopkinton State Park on this beautiful October afternoon for their portrait session. Pepper and Sanya are both rescues, adopted as puppies, and you can feel how deeply they are loved.

Pepper, a 4-year-old ACD mix, is pure enthusiasm. She’s all about the next adventure, the next trail, and the next person who might be willing to share their lunch. An avid hiker, Pepper is well on her way to conquering all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers with Philip. And if her happy trot is any indication, she wouldn’t complain if a few more adventures found their way onto the list

Sanya, a 4-year-old German Shepherd, brings a softer, thoughtful energy to the pair. She’s tuned in, gentle, and deeply connected to her people. While Pepper is ready to charge ahead, Sanya is happiest knowing everyone is together and things are just as they should be.

The afternoon was filled with exploring the trails, wading in the lake and plenty of breaks for treats and love. Pepper did her thing, Sanya did hers, and Marisa and Philip soaked in the moment with their girls. It was relaxed, playful, and exactly how sessions are meant to feel.

In the end, Marisa and Philip chose a stunning framed portrait of Pepper and Sanya together. This piece will bring the joy of that fall afternoon into their home long after the leaves have fallen.

wall art from a  recent session at Hopkinton State Park

This session was a great reminder that the magic isn’t about perfect poses. It’s about letting dogs be who they are. Celebrating what makes them different, and creating something meaningful that lasts long after the leaves have fallen.

Pepper and Sanya, you were an absolute delight and I loved every minute with you all.

Warmly,

Donna

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”

Donna Kelliher Photography

Website: https://www.DonnaKelliher.com

Donna Kelliher is a fine art pet photographer and Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA, certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) based just outside Boston, serving Greater Boston, the North Shore, and beyond. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and has spent more than twenty years behind the camera, her career beginning in dog sports photography before she shifted her focus to fine art portrait work. Her photography has appeared on the covers of Clean Run, Dog World, and Dog Sport magazines many times over, along with interior features in each, and her images appear in three books: The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book, 2nd Edition, The Science Behind a Happy Dog, and Do More With Your Dog. Her work is also currently on display in a gallery exhibition celebrating dogs in art. What sets Donna apart is a rare combination: a trained fine art photographer who is also a hands on dog trainer with real experience working with every temperament, from timid and fearful dogs to high energy and reactive ones. That expertise was hard won. Donna spent years afraid of dogs herself after being bitten as a child, and worked through that fear so completely that she now trains and rehabilitates dogs with serious behavioral challenges, and competes in agility with her own dogs, Believe and Asher.

2 comments

Marisa Ayvazian

This is delightful and you really can read a dog ! It was our pleasure to work with such an enthusiastic, patient and professional woman ! It surely was a beautiful session and we have an exceptional memory portrait to look at for many years

    Donna Kelliher Photography

    Thank you Marisa, I am so sorry for the delay in responding. I loved working with your girls. I hope that portrait brings you joy for many, many years!

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