Drenched! A Dog photo shoot in Revelstoke with Joey.
When Kerry reached out to book a photo shoot with her rescue pup, Joey, I knew there was something special about their bond. I’ve been lucky enough to photograph Kerry and her beloved pups before and Joey is such a wonderful edition to the crew.
She had driven all the way from the Rockies to meet me in Revelstoke – testament to how much Joey means to her. What we didn’t anticipate was just how wildly memorable the day would become! The forecast hadn’t looked great. Grey skies loomed and mist clung to the mountains as we met. But we both remained optimistic; weather can be unpredictable in the mountains, after all. As soon as I raised my camera to begin, the heavens opened. It poured with such force that we were all completely soaked!
Joey, however, couldn’t have cared less. He’s young, full of beans, and bursting with personality. Staying still was not on his agenda – and really, who could blame him? While I was quietly wondering how my gear would cope with the combination of relentless rain, fast movement, and flying water, Kerry calmly worked her magic. Her energy grounded him. There’s something incredibly moving about watching a rescue dog respond to the steady presence of someone who truly sees them.
And then came Joey’s happy place: the lake. Already soaked to the bone, we all got just a little bit wetter! Joey splashed, leapt, and bounded with wild joy, and I followed, camera in hand, not expecting miracles – but hoping for them.
And this is where I have to hand it to the Nikon Z8. Shooting wide open at 1.8 in a downpour with a constantly moving subject should’ve been a recipe for a lot of missed moments. But image after image hit focus, perfectly sharp and full of life. It kept up with Joey’s energy and the chaos of the rain, capturing not just the action but the emotion of the day.
What we walked away with wasn’t just a collection of images. It was a story: of trust, freedom, wild weather, and the joy that can only come from seeing a dog utterly alive in his element.
So yes, we were drenched. Yes, my pants were dripping where I’d layed down on the soaking, muddy ground. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
