Three Secret Flower Mini Sessions in Cape Town | A Day of Dogs, Family & Spring Magic 🌸
There are some days behind the camera that are simply good for the soul, and this was one of them.
I spent a full day photographing my Secret Flower Mini Sessions in Cape Town, and somehow managed to pack three completely different stories into one beautiful stretch of pink blooms.
There were two couples with their beloved dogs, a mother and daughter session, a pocket bully with enough personality for an entire photoshoot, two incredibly well-behaved big dogs, outfit changes, lots of laughter and, of course, an absolutely ridiculous amount of flowers.
It was exactly the kind of day that reminds me why I love being a Cape Town photographer.
Every session was different. Every family brought their own energy. And every gallery told a completely different story.
So let's take a little walk through the day. 🌸📸
The Secret Flower Mini Sessions 🌸
If you've been following my recent work, you'll know that I recently introduced something a little different: Secret Flower Mini Sessions.
These weren't your typical full-length photoshoots.
The idea was simple.
I had found one of my favourite seasonal flower locations in Cape Town starting to bloom, and I knew we had an incredibly short window to photograph amongst them. The flowers only put on this incredible display for a few weeks before they're gone again.
So I opened a limited number of 20-minute mini sessions for families and people wanting to include their pets.
And they sold out.
Quickly. 😂
What I loved most was seeing how completely different each session became despite everyone having the same beautiful backdrop.
That's the magic of photography.
You can give three families the same Cape Town location, the same flowers and the same beautiful light, and you'll still end up with three completely different stories.
Session One: Imtithaal, Her Partner, Kygo & Selena 🐾🌸
The first session of the day was with Imtithaal and her partner, who arrived with their gorgeous Rottweiler, Kygo, and Ridgeback, Selena.
And I have to admit, there was a little bit of excitement for me going into this session.
I'd already seen Kygo and Selena through their pet Instagram account, so it was so lovely to finally put actual faces, personalities and wagging tails to the account I'd been following.
It's always funny when you've seen someone's pets online and then finally meet them in person.
And yes, they were just as gorgeous in real life.
Even better, actually.
Kygo & Selena absolutely nailed it.
Both dogs behaved so beautifully throughout their session, which meant we could focus on capturing the connection between the four of them rather than constantly trying to organise the dogs.
There were beautiful family portraits, gorgeous individual moments with the dogs and those little interactions between Imtithaal and her partner that made the photographs feel genuinely natural.
The flowers created such a beautiful frame around them, but what I loved most was how connected they all looked.
This is exactly what I want from pet photography.
Not simply a photograph of a dog sitting in a pretty location.
I want to photograph the relationship.
The way you look at your dog.
The way they look at you.
The way they fit into your family.
And the little moments that show just how loved they are.
Getting to photograph Kygo and Selena in this setting was such a pleasure, and I'm so glad I finally got to meet the faces behind their Instagram account!
Session Two: Finola, Her Partner, Ella & Lola 🐶🌸
Then came Finola and her partner, along with their two beautiful bullies, Ella and Lola.
And let's just say...
Ella understood the assignment.
😂
Ella, their pocket bully, arrived with a personality that could probably have filled the entire flower field by herself.
She was energetic, expressive, curious and absolutely hilarious.
And I loved every second of it.
Then there was Lola, their older girl, who brought her own completely different energy to the session.
Together, these two made the most wonderful pair.
This is one of the things I love about Pet Photography. Every dog has a completely different personality, and you never quite know what you're going to get when they arrive in front of the camera.
Sometimes you have the calm, serious dog.
Sometimes you have the dog who thinks every blade of grass needs investigating.
And sometimes you get Ella. 😂
The combination of Ella's chaos and personality with Lola's more mature presence made the session so much fun to photograph.
And then there were the smiles.
SO. MANY. SMILES.
Looking through these photographs, I think that is what stands out the most.
You can see how happy these dogs are.
You can see how much their humans adore them.
And you can feel the joy in the photographs.
The pink flowers were the perfect backdrop for their family, but honestly, I think their personalities were what made the images.
Session Three: Nastassia & Her Daughter 🌸🤍
By the time the third session rolled around, I was already having the best day.
Then Nastassia arrived with her daughter, and we created something completely different again.
This session wasn't about dogs or family chaos.
It was about the beautiful connection between a mother and daughter.
And the flowers were absolutely perfect for it.
Nastassia brought two different outfits, and I loved how beautifully both looks worked with the location.
One outfit created a softer, delicate feeling amongst the blooms, while the second brought a completely different energy to the photographs.
It's amazing what a simple outfit change can do.
Suddenly, you have an entirely new collection of photographs without even changing the location.
And because we were working with a 20-minute mini session, we had to move quickly.
There was no time for overthinking.
We found the beautiful pockets of light, moved through the flowers, changed outfits and captured the connection between the two of them.
And I think we got some seriously beautiful photographs.
The images of them together amongst the flowers are exactly the kind of photographs I love creating: natural, warm and full of emotion.
One Location. Three Completely Different Stories.
This is probably my favourite thing about the entire day.
All three sessions happened at the same secret Cape Town flower location.
But when you look at the galleries, you wouldn't necessarily know it.
Imtithaal and her partner's session was about their little family of four and their two beautiful dogs.
Finola and her partner's session was full of personality, laughter and two very different bully personalities.
Nastassia and her daughter created something softer and more intimate, with their outfit changes adding another layer to the story.
Same flowers. Different people. Completely different photographs.
And that is why I love finding beautiful Cape Town locations for my sessions.
The location is the backdrop.
The people are the story.
Why I Love Including Pets in Family Photography 🐾
One of the biggest things these sessions reminded me of is just how important it is to include our animals in our photographs.
Our dogs aren't simply pets we happen to live with.
They're family.
They're part of our everyday routines, our adventures, our homes and our memories.
So when I'm photographing a family with their dogs, I don't want the dogs to be an afterthought.
I want them right in the middle of the story.
That might mean a perfectly posed family photograph.
It might mean a dog giving me the biggest tongue-out smile imaginable.
It might mean someone cuddling their dog while laughing.
Or it might mean complete chaos.
And honestly?
I'll take the chaos.
Because those are often the photographs that make you smile years later.
A Day I'll Remember 🌸
By the end of the day, my camera was full, my feet were tired and I was probably covered in bits of grass and flowers.
But I was also incredibly happy.
This is why I love being a Cape Town photographer.
I get to meet people I may never otherwise have crossed paths with.
I get to meet their dogs.
I get to hear their stories.
I get to find beautiful little corners of Cape Town and turn them into photographs that people can keep forever.
And I get to spend an entire day surrounded by pink flowers.
Honestly, not a bad way to spend a day. 😂🌸
The Secret Flower Mini Sessions were only 20 minutes each, but every single session proved that you don't need hours to create meaningful photographs.
You just need the right people, the right location, beautiful light and a willingness to have a little fun.
And maybe a pocket bully called Ella to keep things interesting. 😂🐾
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