Gussie’s Lakeside Fall Session – Pittsburgh Dog Photography

It was Turkish playwright and novelist Mehmet Murat ildan who said, “In the hearts captivated by innocence, the eternal peace of a quiet lake is experienced!” When I think of the time I spent with Gussie and her mom Randi this past November at gorgeous Peter’s Lake, a spot they frequent for their daily walks, this was the exact feeling they brought to their session: an afternoon of innocence that only a dog can possess, love, and an unspoken peaceful connection.

A friend of Randi’s has adopted Gussie’s mom from a kill shelter in Ohio and took her to a vet where she learned she was pregnant with 11 puppies. While another good friend of Randi’s spent several months with one of them, she soon learned that her bad knees did not lend themselves well to the active lifestyle of a puppy. In her heart, Randi had a pull toward this particular pup, but was recovering from a recent surgery herself, so off went this four-legger to a foster family until Randi was able to happily welcomed Gussie into her home a few months later.

“She was Lefty as a new pup (after she hurt her front left paw) then Gus, so given I was the third home for her, I wanted to make it as easy as possible and just extended her name to Gussie,” says Randi, who adds that Gussie is a very curious and enthusiastic pup who assumes everyone loves her. ” She is a very happy dog and she makes me smile.”

And how could she not?! This sweet girl won me over as quickly as she did Randi. As we strolled through the beautiful leaves that colored the trails around Peter’s Lake, Randi told me how much Gussie loves her morning and nightly belly rubs, and how she adores Gussie’s white tufts on her chest and her soulful brown eyes.

Being that the lake is one of Gussie’s favorite places–and something that Randi recently found Gussie enjoys going into, Randi asked if we could capture some portraits of her girl beneath the bright blue sky, vibrant trees that wrapped around the water’s edge, and the geese that they enjoy watching. By the way, if you’re wondering why Gussie looks like she may have taken a quick dip in the lake, it’s because she did in pursuit of her tennis ball that she insisted on rescuing from the edge of the water despite Randi’s many pleas to stay dry!

Right from the beginning, Randi knew that she wanted to remember her special girl through a fine art album. When we met for her reveal and ordering appointment, Randi was so well-prepared that she simply had to choose her luxury linen cover fabric and the photo she wanted for the cover cut-out. I love the tan luxury linen she selected and how beautifully it pairs with the gold personalization of Gussie’s name and the way it pulls the lighter browns from the cover photo. Several of Randi’s absolute favorites were highlighted large across the page spreads that mixed with sweet detail shots and more playful portraits.

Being that the holidays were quickly approaching, Randi also ended up adding several metal photo ornaments as Christmas surprises for her friends and family and earned a level 1 bonus product, a set of three 3×3 mini-accordion albums, in the process. Mini-accordion albums are very popular among my clients since they also make great gifts and can hold up to 10 images inside them, making it quick and easy to show off their pets. Randi chose a classic black luxury linen cover for hers and had no trouble selecting her very favorites to fill the pages.


If you would like to book a Bark & Gold Photography session for your pet, click here or give me a call at 724-913-BARK (2275). For more information on Bark & Gold Photography sessions, visit “Your Session” in the menu and be sure to share your email on my homepage to join the VIP list.

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