Costa rica is incredible. Never have I been anywhere that you can see toucans, howler monkeys or capuchin monkeys from your shower!
Our instructors spoilt us with 3 fantastic locations for our shoots. The first was at Nahomi Park in Quepos. This is a popular place for wedding photography because of its perfect view of the sunset over the water. We each got our dog models, little Sammy here was our main superstar for the evening. He is a rescue dog from the amazing rescue PAWS (Pets of Aguirre Welfare Shelter) that we worked with for our trip. His owner believes he is a basset hound x labrador, or what she affectionately calls a 'Bassador.' What we do know is that Mr Sammy is personality plus- he loved climbing over rocks and exploring- not letting his little legs slow him down! We let the dog models have a break, gave them a treat to thank them for their work and watched the sun go down. It certainly didn't disappoint!
Our second photoshoot was right at home in our little jungle paradise. Our house was in Manuel Antonio National Park and had so many beautiful views and perfect backdrops for dogs. Here we met the angel Coco, who has unfortunately since left us for the rainbow bridge. His owner had to make the dreadful decision to let him go after fighting a battle with a bone infection due to mistreatment before he was adopted by his loving owners.
And lastly, possibly my favourite shoot was at Matapalo Beach. We got to see the dogs enjoying off-leash freedom- there really isn't much better than watching a dog frolic through the waves. It was a marvellous day, followed by an incredible sunset. The colour of the sky was just incredible- rich, warm and yellow. Take me back any day!
Update 31/03/2017: Here is a video of all the fun we had, thanks to Sam Haddix and Kaylee Greer from Dog Breath Photography.