Lisa Godfrey Catches Pups at Play for Adirondack Life

Philadelphia-based photographer Lisa Godfrey has been photographing dogs in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern New York for the last ten years. One of these images — a portrait of dog breeder Bob Kreider with an armful of Siberian husky puppies — caught the eye of the editor at Adirondack Life Magazine, one of Lisa’s regular clients. The result is “Winter Tails,” a feature article on the puppy-loving passion project of Bob and his wife, Deb.

Lisa visits the Kreiders regularly to photograph individual litters from puppyhood to sled-worthiness. (Bob and Deb, both avid sledders, don’t actually sell their dogs; they operate a boarding kennel that keeps their hobby financed.) “I have photographed other sled teams over the years,” says Lisa,

[but] I would not trust many mushers and their dogs enough to lay down in their path. Once sled dogs get moving, it can be hard to stop them quickly. One of the things I love about Deb’s team is I can lay down in their path. She has good control over her team and it becomes a game to see how close they can get to me.

Photographing sled dogs in the mountain cold isn’t all fun and games, however. “Fingers get numb,” says Lisa, “batteries don’t like it.” Luckily, Deb’s expert handling keeps the dogs focused, and Lisa’s own penchant for cold weather — “I’m a mountain girl” — has prepared her to keep up with the huskies and snap stunning shots of them in their native element.

See more of Lisa at lisagodfreyphoto.com!

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