Photographing Doodles in Atlanta Piedmont Park
When Amy reached out about a session, she mentioned wanting a park-like setting for her two miniature bernedoodles — and that as a traveling nurse currently stationed in Atlanta, she wasn't quite sure where to go.
My brain went immediately to Piedmont Park.
It's one of my favorite Atlanta locations for dog photography — and it's personal. I had my own engagement photos done in the park with our whole pack of dogs back in 2010. Since then, I've photographed quite a few of Atlanta's most loved dogs in and around the park, and it consistently delivers.
Here's what made Amy, Benson, and Lily's session work so well.
Doodles on Rocks — Why the Stone Wall Works
We started at the stone wall area near the park's main lawn, and for two specific reasons.
First, I love the way curly doodle fur contrasts with hard stone. The texture plays beautifully against each other — soft and structured, organic and architectural. It's a combination that just works.
Second, Lily's merle coat was made for those grays and browns. The color relationship between her coat and the stone was genuinely striking, and the overcast morning light meant we didn't have to fight harsh shadows along the wall.
I always start multi-dog sessions with the group portrait — after years of photographing multiple dogs, I've learned that the group shot gets easier when all my attention-getting tricks are still fresh. Once we have the group image marked off, everything else becomes icing on the cake. We got a beautiful group portrait of both doodles on the stone wall, then some individual shots, and portraits with Amy before moving on.
The leading lines of the low stone patio wall are another compositional gift in this part of the park — they add depth and visual interest to portraits made there, and keep the eye moving through the frame toward the dogs.
Doodles on the Lawn — When Wet Grass Is Actually Perfect
From the stone wall, we moved down to the main lawn. The day before had been extremely rainy — we'd actually worried about a potential reschedule — which meant the grass was still damp. Damp grass plus two wrestling bernedoodles meant wet, curly doodle fur within minutes.
It was perfect.
One of the things Amy had mentioned loving most about Lily was her baby curls — Lily was only six months old and hadn't had her first real haircut yet. Those curls were at peak floof, and the damp grass made them even more defined and expressive. I made sure to capture them before the morning dried everything out.
The lawn also gave us the open space to photograph movement and action in a way the stone wall area didn't. When doodles play, they play with their whole body — and having room to run and zoom and leap meant we got images that show exactly how joyful and alive these two are together.
We finished up with some “puppy dog eyes” photos which are always on my list of must have photos. There is just something about those big brown puppy eyes looking right up at you that makes everything seem better.
I save these photos for the end because standing above the dogs while holding something to my face can be a little too much at first for some dogs. By the end we’ve usually had time to get to know each other a little and both Benson & Lily were happy to earn a few treats for looking right into the camera.
We even managed a group photo with both doodles looking straight into the camera which is going to be perfect over the mantel!
From the Park to the Walls
When we leave the session all I have is a bunch of data on an SD card (with a backup copy on a dual slot CF card). Lots of pixels that live in a digital world. And no one is framing an SD card and sticking it on their wall. You can’t arrange those strings of 0’s & 1’s into a photo album you can put in your lap either.
So while we all want digital files to put on Instagram and Facebook and the lock screens of our phones, our images also deserve to live in the real world.
This is one of my favorite parts of a session (other than petting all the dogs). Once we all go home, I go through all the images and find the best of the best. Leashes are removed in post processing, color corrections are made, and I clean up any eye boogers that don’t belong in a final portrait. And then, we make art.
For Benson & Lily, it’s this gorgeous midnight leather album with a metal cameo cut out cover. The pages are gilded in black and we have their names debossed on the back inside cover.
We couldn’t stop with just the album though, remember we have that perfect image for over the mantel, and those group photos of Benson, Lily, & Amy together. We created a beautiful 3 piece gallery over the bed and a perfect framed image over the mantel.
Amy is leaving her post in Atlanta for her next traveling nursing gig and these images of her precious bernedoodles in Piedmont Park will be such a great memory to have of her time in the city.
Why Piedmont Park Works for Dog Photography
Variety is the main reason I return to Piedmont Park as often as I do. Within a short walk you have architectural backdrops, stone walls, open lawn, tree-lined paths, and beautiful bridges. No two sessions here look identical because the park itself offers so many different looks.
Early morning sessions are essential — by mid-morning the park gets busy with foot traffic, dogs, cyclists, and children. Arriving at sunrise means we have the space mostly to ourselves, and the light on the stone and tree canopy is genuinely beautiful in the early hours.
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