Meet Newt: A Wet, Muddy, Perfectly Imperfect Puppy Session
Sonia has been part of my world behind the camera for a long time. I first photographed her dogs Wicket and Luna back in 2021, as part of a personal project. A few years later, I got to photograph Obi, the husky who joined her family next. And this July, it was Newt's turn — a klee kai puppy, and the newest addition.
We already have a longer session planned for them together this fall. But puppies grow so fast, and by the time that session rolls around, Newt won't look much like a puppy anymore — he'll look like a little dog. So I wanted the chance to photograph him while he was still tiny.
We met at Indian Creek at sunrise on a Monday morning, and the playground there was completely deserted — just us and one little wet, dirty kid having the time of his life.
It's been a very wet, very humid summer, and I knew that going in. Sonia carried Newt through the grass at first, trying to keep him dry for a few photos. It didn't last — almost the second his paws touched the ground, he was soaked. And honestly? I loved it. Those little wet baby furs, the bits of grass seed and dirt stuck all over him — that mess is so much of what makes a puppy a puppy.
So instead of fighting it, I let him be exactly what he was that morning: wet, muddy, and completely delighted by all of it. He gave us that little baby head tilt. He shook off with his eyeballs going in both directions at once. He sat on the playground's little blue stairs, and that blue against his orange and white fur was so striking.
This is puppyhood — letting it be messy and imperfect and fun. Not every puppy photo needs to be clean and composed. Some of the best ones are the messy, in-between moments that you can't get back once they've grown.
If you have a new puppy, I'd love to do this with you too.
This was a quick, twenty-minute meet in the park — nothing elaborate. It's a fun, low-pressure positive experience for your puppy, and you walk away with a handful of genuinely adorable baby puppy photos. I always recommend pairing it with a larger session planned for when your dog is closer to their adult self, because that baby puppy stage — and the awkward teenager one-year-old stage that follows it — both come and go faster than you'd think.
I want you to have those photos before those moments are gone.
Reach out if you've got a new puppy at home. Let's go get them wet and muddy together.
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