Deluxe Session ~ Mia and Ella in Brisbane

It was third time lucky for my shoot with Mia and Ella who had come all the way from Eidsvold (about 5 hours from Brisbane) for their session with their mum and dad – Sarah and Daniel. Our first session was rained out, then on the second try the skies were shrouded in heavy cloud. On the third attempt we were blessed with clear blue skies and sunshine – the absolute perfect weather for me to create my sunlit style!

Sarah and Daniel chose Sweeney Reserve for the session location. Since it’s located in north Brisbane, this meant they didn’t have to come all the way into the city – just a bit less driving for them! This extensive parkland area sports a huge fenced off-leash dog park right on the river. There’s heaps of space for dogs to run, play, swim and explore and in the afternoons the light is just gorgeous. You’ll see proof of this in the images to come!

Little Ella here made me work hard for her model shots, preferring to explore this fantastic new doggy paradise we’d brought her to.

Her big sister Mia on the other hand, posed beautifully for me!

I love candid shots though and it pays to be prepared to capture whatever happens. Oh how I love photographing Border Collies! Mia was no exception, what a gorgeous girl and all GO when there was a ball or toy to chase!

Not to be outdone, Ella also showed us how little dogs can really move when they want to!

Since she was 10 years of age, Sarah’s dream dog was a tan and white Border Collie – she even had her name picked out and a list of tricks she was going to teach her!

When she first saw Mia, along with her brothers and sisters, she was roughly 3 weeks old. The owner of the dogs lived and worked on a dairy farm nearby. The owner mentioned that she needed to find a home for them asap as their mother had stopped feeding them. Less than a week later, Sarah was knocking on her door. The choice wasn’t easy, but Sarah eventually decided on the pup who kept coming over to her. And called her Mia.

Sarah previously had another Jack Russell whose life was tragically cut short when attacked by another dog. She welcomed Ella into the family a couple of years ago and says, “Ella is very special to me”.

I think Mia and Ella make the perfect doggy duo, don’t you think? They have a whole “mini me” thing going on there!

After exploring the banks of the river, we headed down to the water’s edge for some wet, splashy fun times. The girls were keen to get down there!

My favourite time of day, the golden hour, was in full swing and the super clear day made the light even more beautiful.

Totally ready to dive in!

Mia and Ella had the time of their lives, chasing sticks and generally running amok.

On our way back from the river, we stopped for just a few more portraits in the foliage. Often this can be the best time for these kinds of shots, as all that excess energy has gone and dogs are usually more cooperative when it come to standing still for a few seconds!