Adventure Shoots at Pawparazzi

I very often talk about finding the right photographer that fits your family's vibe, I also feel that a photographer needs to WANT to explore & be pushed out of their boundaries. Often times, we get comfortable creating photos & capturing them in certain ways, and a push or change of scenery can really help change that up & add new flare to our work. This happened to me just last month when I took on a shoot in Coorg!

Pearl (doggo in photo), her mom - Shivani & her dad Cari had wanted to do a shoot for a while now & finally felt like January would be the best time! They actually live in Bangalore, but since they have their own coffee estate in Coorg, they thought that a shoot there would be the best to show how much Pearl loves the outdoors. They were kind enough to fly me down & take care of everything for me while I focussed on telling their story.

Coorg is a 4.5 hour drive from Bangalore & once we reached our Airbnb, we set out for the coffee estate. The sunset was beautiful & I didn't want to miss it! So, Off we went! Pearl cannot sit in the car without her nose pressed against the window waiting in anticipation for it to come down & the breeze to fly through her fur. Our journey started with me capturing this very emotion that she was feeling.

Once we reached the coffee estate, we took photos of Pearl & her family amongst the coffee plants & the vastness of all the crops they grow there. 30 minutes was all we got & we headed back to our Airbnb for the most interesting part of our trip yet. A trek to the top of Pearl Valley to see the sunrise!

The next morning we made the 1 hour drive to Madikeri to start our journey to Pearl Valley. The roads were winding & I think we were all very grateful we hadn't eaten any breakfast. Once we reached there, we climbed into a THAR jeep & made our way up the dirt roads to the base of the mountain. The sky was dark & the chilly breeze challenged us as we walked up 1km to see the view.

Halfway up, we had to stop & take in the beauty, I coulnd't help but ask Pearl to pose for me while I heard "We have an even better view waiting for us, this is nothing! Let's go!" And so, once again, off we went!

(huffing & puffing on our way up I should add)

Now, I know our guide didn't say I TOLD YOU SO, but my god, he should have...

because look!

The hills in the background. The sun on their faces. The breeze flowing through the grass. It was picture perfect. The one hour we spent at the top felt like it flew by in minutes. This was my gold mine. Having only ever worked with so much nature only once before in Italy...

(See this post for those pictures because they DEFINITELY do not disappoint)

I finally had the chance to work in a space where there were no crowds, no security guards telling us that we couldn't have a camera & no time limit. Yes, my clients booked a 2 hour shoot with me for their dog, but they also booked an "experience" & I was determined for them to get one. The photos turned out gorgeous (if I may say so myself) & I just knew that this would be something that the family would look back on & smile at.

Because this experience was unbeatable. For all of us.

It isn't always about sticking to the rules (whether they're you're own or someone else's), sometimes it's about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to see how you can create magic in differet ways. Okay, that's it! Enjoy the photos!