MOUNTAIN MATES

stories about dogs and their humans

A photography book project proudly brought to you by

raising funds for

Imagine having beautiful photos of you and your best furry mate that capture your bond forever. And for bonus feels, your participation helps raise money for animals in need.

What is Mountain Mates?

We are looking for 50 dog-owning families or individuals who live in the Blue Mountains region to be part of a photography book!

After we’ve completed photographing you and your furry mates, we will design and publish a hard-cover coffee table book called Mountain Mates featuring the best photo of you and your dog/s alongside a little story about them. The book will be a treasured keepsake for you and your family, not to mention an important piece of social history about the mateship of humans and their dogs in the Blue Mountains!

This project is an amazing opportunity to have beautiful, fun and creative portraits of you and your furry mate/s taken by one of Australia’s best (and internationally awarded) portrait photographers.

Scroll down for more detailed information about cost, inclusions & availability.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE! Once we’ve filled all the pages in the book, we will close applications.

Apply for your spot here

The whole process felt very personalised, from the initial email to the preliminary phone call where Lara, the photographer, talked us through every step of the process. I felt so comfortable about everything right away. Seeing the photos for the first time had me in tears. You can literally feel the love. Each image tells a different story, all with deep honesty and an artist’s eye. I’ve never seen such unique shots, that so captured our family dynamics, come out of a family photography session. I’m absolutely floored by these results. Worth every penny and then some. The prints we received are of beautiful quality – the images are crisp and the colours are perfect. The black and white prints (my favourites) look like they belong on a gallery wall, I just LOVE them. Even the packaging looks and feels luxurious – you can tell that these will last.

All about the Mountain Mates project

Where

Outdoors in the stunning surrounds of the Blue Mountains. We will figure out the specific location with you when we book your session.

When

Session times are currently available on weekdays and selected weekends until the end of November 2026, or until all spots are filled.

What's included

A 60 minute Heartstory outdoors location portrait session, in the Blue Mountains. We encourage you to include your whole family, as it’s a perfect opportunity to update your family photos! (value $200)
A double page spread in the Mountain Mates book, featuring a standout photo of you and your dog and a short story about your furry bestie.
A personal appointment via Zoom (1-2 weeks after your portrait session) with access to exclusive Mountain Mates packages as well as all our regular artwork and products on offer. See more info on pricing & products and ask about the special packages during your phone consult. There’s more info about pricing in the FAQ further down this page.
You can pre-order your own copy of the Mountain Mates book for $90. The book will be designed and published at the conclusion of all the sessions later this year.
The opportunity to include the whole family in the session at no extra cost!

Cost

Your participation fee is $60, due at time of booking. $50 of this will be directly donated to WIRES Blue Mountains.

What's not included

The photos taken at the session are not included. At your purchasing appointment you will see a beautiful collection of photos of you and your pet(s) (and the family if they come along) and can purchase prints, artwork, albums and digital files. Exclusive packages and upgrades are available just for Mountain Mates! It’s not compulsory to purchase photos, but the purchase of photos is how we fund our projects and the art we make, so please bear that in mind!

How to book your spot

Fill out the application form on this page, and we will be in touch to book your session!

About WIRES

For every Mountain Mates booking, we will donate $50 to Wires. Our goal is to raise $2500 in total.

WIRES are dedicated to the rescue, care, rehabilitation and release of native animals back to the wild from Penrith to Lithgow.

They believe with every animal they rescue they will make a huge difference to halting the extinction crisis that is threatening so many of our much-loved animals. Over the last few years, they’ve been heavily impacted by unprecedented weather events. Bushfires, and environmental issues are posing new challenges to wildlife, which are putting more strain on their rescue teams. Raising funds for the local branch will mean that they will go directly to provide vital rescue and care for wildlife in desperate need.

What $2500 can do for Wires:

Answer over 80 phone calls to the Wildlife Rescue Office, connecting wildlife in need of help with a volunteer rescuer.
Help power a lifesaving Wildlife Ambulance for over 20 days
Feed a dozen orphaned joeys with supplementary formula for around six months
Assist in fully restocking 5 specialist Wildlife Ambulances with vital rescue equipment and medical supplies to help administer immediate aid and care.

Please help us help Wires by getting involved in the Mountain Mates project.

Will you join us?

Apply for a spot!

What to expect

All Mountain Mates sessions will be photographed by Lara Wiseman-Daniel, who has been a resident of the Blue Mountains for almost 20 years. Being an animal lover and the owner of a mountain mate herself (her beloved fur-child golden retriever Peggy, pictured), Lara understands the value, joy and bond of having a pet in your family. Lara grew up with pets and has had dogs be part of her family for the majority of her life, so has never not known what life is like without a pet, and she understands how special this connection is.

The sessions will be family-centric, with a focus on the friendship and fun of having furry best friends. As we’ll have an hour allocated for your session, Lara will capture a wide range of images for you to choose from, with one of these images being featured in the book. There will be a mixture of environmental style shots, candid images and classic portraits. You can get an idea of the Heartstory style by looking through the images featured on this page.

FAQ

Why are we doing this project?

Because dogs are the best people (and other animals are too of course!). It’s important to us and our brand and reputation to provide families with amazing and unique opportunities to celebrate their unique bond and friendship. Professional photography is an empowering experience and not only do we love what we do, we embrace connections of all kinds!

In turn, we are able to offer our support for the greater animal world, and raise funds for a cause that we care deeply about; the rescue, care and rehabilitation of native animals. Helping charities and non-profit organisations in this way is an important value we have as individuals and as small business owners.

What's in it for me?

You and your dog(s) get to star in a book! You get amazing, creative and authentic photos that capture your favourite non-human people! You’ll have a collection of stunning portraits made by one Australia’s best family photographers AND you’ll have the opportunity to purchase photographs from this collection and get some amazing art to keep forever. There’s a very high chance you will fall in love with your images and will want to buy some, so it’s a good idea to budget for that, however it’s not compulsory! We can chat more about this at your ‘getting to know you phone consultation’ which is the first step to getting involved.

When can we have our shoot?

We have some weekday and selected weekend times available until the end of November 2026, and you can select the date and time that suits you best. PLEASE NOTE: it’s first in first served, so just jump in, otherwise you might find we’re full.

Can the whole family be in the shoot?

Absolutely! We would love for you to take full advantage of this opportunity and we can photograph the whole family at no extra cost!

How do I purchase photos?

We help you do that following your portrait session in a specialised purchasing appointment over Zoom.

How much are the photos?

You can find detailed info about our products on our pricing and product page. Mountain Mates participants will have access to a set of exclusive packages which have been specially designed to suit these types of shoots, based on our previous experience. The starting package is $1000 (regular price $1340) and this includes a framed fine art canvas & matted prints. We have other packages that include wall art with multiple images and full digital collections. Most Heartstory families spend between $800 and $3000 on photos. Rest assured we do not hard sell, and we’re fully transparent about pricing and are simply here to provide you with an amazing experience and artwork to adorn your home. You can also pre-purchase a copy of the Mountain Mates book for $90. We also offer flexible payment plans.

WIll my pet/family definitely be in the book?

Yes! Every family who pays the $60 participation fee will be photographed and featured in the book!

Do I get to choose the photo that goes in the book?

We will make the final decisions to ensure that the design of the book is balanced.

When will the book be available?

We will be going to print at the conclusion of all the sessions, so we’re anticipating early 2027. All participants will need to pre-order the book prior to completion of the project. We will keep you informed of progress.

How much will the book cost?

The books will be $90 each on pre-order. You may order more than one copy.

Our products

Some of our previously published books

Don't miss out!