Spencer wanted to surprise Brooke, his girlfriend of six years, with a photo shoot of their three-year-old goldendoodle Pickles. I had just scouted out a particular location in Malibu that I was keen to shoot at when Brooke picked it from my list of locations. This particular place, Charmlee Wilderness Park, is way off the beaten path... high above the hills overlooking the gleaming Pacific. At the right time of year, the meadow is green and the place is lousy with wildflowers in all hues -- orange, yellow, purple, blue, red. It's ridiculous that much gorgeousness would be bestowed upon one place.
Off we went in the middle of April, just as the meadow was turning into a shade of gold of Pickle's curly coat.
It's mostly an easy walk though you could amble there for hours. We picked late in the day to pick up those golden tones and just meandered down the pathways. Since I had walked a lot of the park before, I knew where certain elements were. I knew where I could use my lights and where it would be hard to use them. But it is one of those places where you can see the mountains and the ocean from the entrance and that's where we spent the final minutes of our shoot.
When we were finished, Pickles was exhausted. Or was that me?