Discover the beauty of Cherry Hill Gate through our recent dog photography session with Kasia. Capture stunning portraits in Burlington’s serene natural setting!
As a Niagara based professional pet photographer I have a vast number of go-to-spots I love to use for my photography sessions.
In any potential location I look for several characteristics. And my pet photography session at Cherry Hill Gate in Burlington ticked all the boxes. I like to see interesting structures such as stone walls, waterfalls, bridges, etc. I look for wide open fields for action shots. Trees, shrubs or other foliage that filter late afternoon or early morning light are a definite must. I am always looking to add new locations to my list. Cherry Hill Gate in Burlington is no more than a hop, skip and a jump away. So maybe 30 -40 minute drive which is not bad. It’s a great location for dog photography.
This location doesn’t disappoint when looking to create variety in a photo session
Walking along the natural path when first arriving, there are a variety of turns that shoot off of the beautiful wooded area and lead to different parts of the area/park as a whole. I have actually only followed one of those paths to date. The path we took led us through a walkway surrounded by lovely tall trees, and foliage and plenty of wildlife, birds, chipmunks, etc. I used a log, discovered along the path, to get an image of Kasia with front paws up. Dogs on logs is a favourite for most pet photographers.
Since Kasia is very well trained in agility and a variety of dog sports programs , we then went ahead to try a series of action shots with Kasia jumping over the log. It was tricky timing our shots to align with when people were not walking by. Kasia is a cross between an American Eskimo and Pomeranian ( and a rescue from Korea if you can believe it) . The American Kennel Club describe these pups as a combination of striking good looks with a quick and clever mind in a total brains and beauty package. So very true. Kasia is also an accomplished sport dog as she trains and competes in Sports Agility, Hoopers and Rally Free. She is also a very social pup who seems to draw a crowd where ever she goes.
Action and portrait shots along the path
We were then led to a beautiful long bridge that seemed to go on for quite a long ways. Underneath and surrounding the bridge was gorgeous natural brush and a serene pond. A great, popular spot for birders( whom we passed along the way). I made a note to myself to definitely head back in the Fall when all the beautiful trees would be vibrant with warm colour. The great thing about this location is the seasonal beauty you get to experience.
The bridge offered lots of cool leading lines for highlighting Kasia along with very pretty foliage that framed her beautifully. We were able to get a lot of action shots along the bridge as well as more posed portraits. My Favourites were the running shots on the bridge with the beautiful soft late afternoon sun lighting her from behind.
More action and posed portraits on the bridge
After much walking and chatting along the lovely wooden bridge we veered to the left to find not one or two, but 3 graffiti walls! So of course we captured Kasia in front of these walls. The lovely pops of colour really helped to make Kasia front and centre stage. Kasia’s people really liked the last image in sequence.
Portraits in front of graffiti walls
A few things to keep in mind when having your pup photographed
One of the most important things to keep in mind is how your dog would feel and behave in an area that is frequented by plenty of people and other dogs. Your dog would have to feel at ease and confident in an area such as this. If your dog is unhappy or stressed it would not make for good photos and we definitely want your pup to feel content wherever we decide to shoot. Other things to keep in mind, if your dog has hair that normally covers their eyes its best to have them groomed so that their beautiful eyes are visible for my camera to focus on. If you decide to groom your dog before their session, ideally its best if you do so a week or two before the shoot. Definitely not the day of shoot. Have a collar that you don’t mind seeing in your images. Bring high value treats ( treats they don’t get often). Bring water for you and your pup. If you plan to be included in some of the images ( which I encourage you to do) you might want to coordinate your clothing with a bandanna for your pup, or have your shoes match your dog’s collar. For more in depth information regarding getting ready for your session Click Here !
And if you are really keen to get ideas for coordinating your clothing colours/choices for your session you can find excellent examples for Fall/Winter sessions here and Spring/Summer sessions here.
It’s important to keep in mind the amount of walking either you or your dog is comfortable with. In this particular location we probably walked 1.5 hours, of course taking photos along the route. Finally have fun! If you are enjoying yourself your pup will too and that is exactly what we want. Don’t worry about how your dog is doing, all that is needed is from your dog is to be himself. I assure you the images will be wonderful.
If you think you might like to have your pup photographed at Cherry Hill Gate in Burlington or anywhere throughout the Niagara region, please reach out and lets discuss the possibilities.
