This is the sixth blog post in a series of on location sessions with dogs all over Austin as part of the Tails of the World book project.

Introducing Butters and Charlie!

Can you guess who is who in the images below? :-)

A closeup of a smiling cream-colored dog with floppy ears and gentle eyes.
A close-up of a brown Labrador Retriever mix in an outdoor environment.

Do Butters and Charlie look like they're happy go lucky and just want to have fun and explore? The answer is yes, and they did! They had a bit of a drive to Mt. Bonnell and needed to get the wiggles out before we started their photography session, so we started with a hike up the trail first. Butters is a Black Mouth Cur, while Charlie is a shepherd mix. No matter what their breed, they are busy dogs!


They did stop and rest occasionally, and I took full advantage of that when they did.

Two dogs standing together on a rocky terrain, one tan and one brown, looking alert and attentive at Mt. Bonnell in Austin, Texas.

Pet photography is all about capturing pets in the moment, especially with dogs who are very active like Butters and Charlie. Pet photography is also about teamwork. There is no way that I could have captured any images of these two without their mom's help. If you've been to Mt. Bonnell, you know the terrain is rocky and you must stay on the path -- dogs included. Butters and Charlie's mom was often hiding behind trees and rocks, holding on to their leashes to keep them safe.

Brown Labrador Retriever stands alert on rocky terrain with green foliage in the background, while his sister sniffs the ground.

One dog cooperates while the other . . . doesn't.

A happy brown mixed-breed dog stands on a rocky cliff edge with tall grass and a sunset sky in the background at Mt. Bonnell.

Much better. :-)

Not only is it helpful to have help keeping pets in place during an outdoor session. creative cropping is often necessary. Who cares if Butters was more interested in sniffing the ground in the shot above. We can just focus on Charlie instead.


In the shots below, Butters spotted something interesting but Charlie's mind was elsewhere.

Sorry, Charlie! You're out on this one!

A tan mixed breed dog stands alert on a rocky outcrop against a bright blue sky with her brother in the background.

Butters sees something in the distance. Charlie does not.

A tan dog stands alert on rocky terrain against a bright blue sky background in Austin, Texas.

This is the one!

Even though we were aiming for the quintessential Mt. Bonnell shot of the two dogs with Lake Austin and the 360 bridge in the background, I couldn't pass up photographing these two beautiful dogs against some backlit trees. Gorgeous! Kudos to their mom for her willingness to hide behind the trees while holding them in place. She definitely had the more difficult job of the two of us!

A small dog in a striped sweater looks up while standing on a concrete surface with palm trees in background.

These three images would make a beautiful grouping.

A tan dog stands alertly on rocky terrain against a bright blue sky.
Two dogs, one cream-colored and one brown, stand together on a trail surrounded by lush autumn foliage.
Brown dog stands alert against rocky outcrop with trees and sky in background during golden hour.

We found the perfect spot for the dogs to sit where the light was relatively even on them, but they needed to have a conversation first. It probably went like this:


Butters: Why is mom always hiding behind things out here? Now she's crouched down behind us.

Charlie: I dunno. I just want my next treat.

And finally, we got the shot I was hoping for.

Two dogs sit together on a rocky overlook with a scenic river view in the background during golden hour.

Stay tuned for our next blog post about this project!

We're Lady Bird Lake bound!


The 2025 edition of Tails of the World will be available for purchase on November 1, 2025. The proceeds from the book sales will go to the Geelong Animal Welfare Society in Australia.