LondonHouse Wooftop 2024
Dogs, Puppaccinos, and Skyline Views: Photographing the LondonHouse Wooftop Pawty
Twenty-two floors above the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, before most of Chicago was awake, the rooftop at LondonHouse filled up with dogs.
On Saturday, August 24, 2024, I had the joy of being the event photographer for the second annual LH Wooftop Pawty at LH on 22 — a morning rooftop party built entirely around dogs and the people who love them. From 8 to 10 a.m., pups worked the crowd while their humans enjoyed morning beverages and pastries, and the guests of honor got puppaccinos and specially made doggie treats. A portion of every ticket supported the Anti-Cruelty Society and their mission of building a community where pets and people thrive together — a cause that will always get a yes from me.
Photographing dogs 22 stories up
Rooftop portraits come with a challenge I happen to love: the light changes by the minute, the wind has opinions about ears, and every dog handles the excitement differently. Some pups strutted straight up to my camera like they'd booked the venue themselves. Others needed a slower hello and a quiet corner — the same patience that guides my studio sessions with shy and nervous dogs works just as well at a party.
And the backdrop? The early-morning light coming up over the river, with the Chicago skyline stretching out behind every portrait, is about as good as it gets.
Why events like this matter
Beyond the puppaccinos, this event does real good. The Anti-Cruelty Society has been caring for Chicago's animals since 1899, and every ticket helped fund that work. Getting to document a morning where the whole city — hotel, dog parents, and one very happy photographer — showed up for shelter animals is exactly the kind of work I want more of.
Supporting Chicago's rescue community is a core part of my business: I also host monthly studio portrait sessions for adoptable animals, working with local rescues and fosters. If you're part of a rescue that could use portraits, I'd love to hear from you.
Planning a dog event? Let's talk.
If you're organizing a dog-friendly event, meetup, or fundraiser in Chicago — rooftop or otherwise — I offer event photo coverage: a pre-event consultation, coverage at your location, and a full gallery of images delivered within a week. Whether it's a hotel pawty, a rescue fundraiser, or a birthday party for your dog's whole friend group, I'd love to be there to document it.