On a recent morning at Juanita Bay Park and already exhausted from the blazing heat, Charlie Brown unfurled his great pink tongue and began to work it for the camera in the shade of a willow tree.
Kirkland photographer Catharine Handfelt snapped some shots of her panting subject – an English Bulldog, along with his owner, Rob Ghrmai of Kirkland.
This summer, Handfelt is on a quest to find Kirkland’s greatest hounds – 100 of them to be exact.
As part of her “100 Hounds of Kirkland” project, she plans to take pictures of at least 100 dogs, and then will put together a calendar, photography book and some cards featuring the pooches to sell to dog enthusiasts. The net proceeds will benefit the Seattle Humane Society.
“The concept is essentially dogs saving dogs through art,” said Handfelt, who shoots on-location, natural light photography of children, families and scenes from nature.
She added her project is entirely pro bono and all of her photo shoots are free. Following the photo shoot, she e-mails several photos – which will be considered for the final project – to participants as a thank you for helping out.
Handfelt came up with the idea for the fundraiser after she had a photography show at Liberty 123 on Park Lane last April. Store owner Susan Taylor asked her to do a photo memory book of her husband, Don, and his beloved dog Boomer, a Golden Retriever.
They kept it a secret that it was a Father’s Day present and the idea went over so well that Handfelt decided it would be fun to do a bigger project with dogs around Kirkland.
“I have two Wheaten Terriers myself, and I love living in a town where there are dogs everywhere,” she said.
One of the things she’s going for in her photos is to feature Kirkland landmarks, scenes and business storefronts to “capture the spirit of Kirkland.”
So far, she has photographed 46 pooches, including Lucky, a Golden Lab puppy she photographed on the dock at Houghton Beach Park. Lucky is owned by Michael Luckenbaugh, co-founder of Kirkland-based Chameleon Technologies, which was awarded one of the most pet-friendly places to work in Seattle.
Another photo shows Bear running in front of the kid sculptures at Marina Park. Bear is owned by Gene and Pam Matthews (Pam works at Simplicity Salon on Park Lane.)
Though Handfelt has several appointments already booked, she is still looking for more interested candidates.
She will be in-store at KOAP Home from 1:30-7:30 p.m. July 1 to photograph dogs. Walk-ins are welcome. The store is located at 120 Central Way in Kirkland.
She is looking for a great variety of breeds and mixes, though she has a list of must-haves, including Portuguese Water Dogs, Great Danes, Samoyed, Newfoundlands, Viszlas, Dobermans, Great Pyrenees, Bloodhounds and more.
“It has been tremendously heartwarming to see up-close the love people have for their dogs, and how much they are interested in helping shelter animals at the Humane Society with this project,” Handfelt said. “It has been a great experience getting to know so many great people and their pets around Kirkland as a result of our collective effort.”
For information
Contact Catharine G. Handfelt, Little Monarch Studios, at cathy@littlemonarchstudios.com or visit www.littlemonarchstudios.com.
Seattle Humane Society is located at 13212 SE Eastgate Way in Bellevue. Visit www.seattlehumane.org
