Woodland Wolf-Pup Photos // Cincinnati, OH

“She slept with wolves without fear, for the wolves knew a lion was among them.”

—R.M. Drake

Meet: Kristina + Kygo

I met with Kristina and Kygo in Rentschler Forest, outside of Cincinnati in Hamilton, for a pet photography session. I had been seeing images of these gorgeous tall pines that align perfectly and I thought this would be an ideal location for wolf-like, husky, Kygo. I had never been to this location before, but I had directions from a friend, so I didn’t think it would be a problem. After all, they are HUGE pine trees. We started down a gravel trail as my directions told instructed. We walked, and walked, and walked. Poor Kristina hand on heels walking through this gravel. We finally came to a road. Obviously, we had not found the location that we had come for. Kristina was ever too kind about it, and we turned around. Meanwhile, we found a ton of beautiful hidden trails that led to ponds and lush green overgrowth.

Kygo was amazing the whole time. His eyes entrap your very soul when looking into them. I’ve always loved how huskies look, but to be honest, I was nervous about photographing another husky. My only other experience with this dog breed was not a good one. As you may know, I volunteer for Stray Animal Adoption Program. I take “glam shots” of dogs and cats looking for their forever homes. One day, I met up to photograph a husky-mix named Lolita Long-Legs. The name should give it away, but she was huge. I’m not convinced she isn’t part wolf. Well, another volunteer and I took her out for photos, and she twisted her head out of her collar and ran away. For those who don’t know, I am not a runner, but I ran so fast, I still can’t believe it. We jumped over trees and through brush and finally trapped her in some wooded area in someone’s back yard. It took some convincing, but after about two hours we finally got her back. So yeah, not a really a positive experience. However, Kygo was not like this at all. He was very chill and his bond with Kristina was evident.

Although we never found the pines that we went for, we found tons of other magical places. Maybe one day Kristina, Kygo, and I will go back for the trees. For now, I am very happy with what we found along the way.