into the wild...

This past week, I had the privilege of spending a couple of days with two SUPER COOL people from Tennessee to hike around in the mountains with their lovely and diverse pack of dogs. With Ashton came Chess, a sweet 9 month old Border Collie with a face to die for (and one you might have seen before - she has her own website!), and with Abs came labrador Scully, berger picard Dude, and wolfdog Wildling (who also has his own website). 

Bright-eyed Chess seemed to be just as enamored with the trails and views as any of us; she's been hiking plenty at home in Tennessee, but I think we can all agree that there's no place quite like Colorado. The diverse landscapes, the views, the comfortable temperature (for now...), the fresh mountain air (and altitude that comes with it). I did wonder if these southern pups were feeling the elevation at all the way they were zipping around as if they'd lived here all along. Man, I wish it had been that easy for us bipeds to acclimate.

One of the things I was really looking forward to about Ashton & Abs' visit was the opportunity to meet and photograph a high-content wolfdog. I'd only ever read about them and seen others' photos, and what pet photographer's dream doesn't include a nice set of wolfy photos for the portfolio? 

I sort of feel like I hit the jackpot here. First, the Boulder, CO area affords access to multiple gorgeous locations that we basically had to ourselves (weekdays in the off-season FTW!). The light was gorgeous and even all day. AND as if that wasn't enough, Abs' hard work as a professional dog trainer really made our sessions more seamless than I could have ever hoped for! You never quite know what to expect when you're interacting with a wolfdog; some, like Wildling, are bred and raised specifically for media and film work and have personalities leaning more towards the social end of the spectrum - not to mention experienced and skilled trainer-handlers. Others may be skittish or reactive toward any number of environmental triggers, which, while workable, will undoubtedly cause some delays in the shooting process as we work with that animal on establishing some level of comfort during the session. The latter was not the case with Abs and Wildling, and we came away with some great shots to show for it.

I'm so grateful that Ashton and Abs made time to visit with us and schedule some photo time during their busy trip across the country. What a cool opportunity it was to meet Wildling and the rest of the pack! And just in case you can't get enough of Chess and Wildling, be sure to follow them both on Instagram and Facebook:

Chess on Chairs | Website | Instagram (@chessonchairs) | Facebook
Wildling Wanders | Blog | Instagram (@wildlingwanders) | Facebook

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