Bennet's First Session: A New Puppy, A New Corner of UGA
Golden retriever puppy Bennet sitting on a raised stone wall backlit with hydrangeas at UGA's Amos Hall in Athens, GA
Afton posted photos of Bennet the day she got her. The moment I saw them, I messaged her to set up a session. If I'm honest, it wasn't really the puppy photos that got me — it was Afton getting a puppy at all. She'd mentioned back in December that she might get one around February. When Bennet actually arrived in July, I was thrilled for her. And really, who doesn't want to spend an evening with a puppy? What dog photographer doesn't jump at the chance to photograph a baby dog?
I'm chronically early to everything, so I was already waiting at the brick arches when Afton and Bennet pulled up. The one downside of this new spot: there's no super convenient parking nearby, so Bennet needed a water break after the walk over. Once she'd had her drink, she was every bit what you'd expect from a golden retriever puppy — outgoing, gregarious, curious about everything. She'd only been with Afton about two weeks, but you could already tell Afton had been putting in the work on positive training.
Finding Amos Hall
I found this location by accident. A few weeks earlier I'd driven past it on my way to photograph Moon & Mars for an Embark challenge, and something about the combination — brick arches, backlight, hydrangeas just starting to bloom — pulled my attention hard enough that I went home and dug through Google Maps until I figured out exactly which building I'd spotted.
It did not disappoint in person. A brick archway leads into the building and repeats itself two, three arches deep, each one framing the next. A row of black bike racks nearby loops into its own kind of graphic frame, almost sculptural. And along the walkways, big hydrangea blooms — soft and papery — spill over raised stone walls with that rough-cut, uneven edge that catches evening light so well.
The Session
We started on the far side of the columns, but the light was still too harsh there. Even so, it told me something useful — Bennet already knew "sit," just not for very long. With puppies I usually shoot in burst mode, firing off a lot of frames quickly, because I'm chasing that split second when the expression, the pose, and the gaze all line up at once. You don't get much warning before it happens, and you don't always get it twice.
From the columns we moved to the repeating brick arches that had drawn me to the location in the first place. Once I had what I needed there, we let Bennet spend a little time in the hydrangeas — she mostly wanted to chomp on them. Then we tried the bike rack arch, which Bennet wasn't totally sure about at first. A little patience, a few treats, some positive reinforcement, and she was willing — but I didn't want to ask more of her than she had to give, so as soon as I had the shot, we moved on. We let her burn off some puppy energy chasing a ball before settling in for one more.
That last one is my favorite from the whole night: Bennet sitting on the raised stone wall next to a hydrangea, backlit, soft evening light filtering through the greenery behind her like a little halo. There's a depth and a layering to that image I keep coming back to.
Opening the Door Wider
Bennet's registered name is Jazzin's May Elizabeth's Legacy — a nod to her late older sister, Lizzie. Not a replacement. Not an ending. Just Afton's heart, open again, a little wider than before.
→ Read next:
