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Remembering Transylvania

Oct 31 2026 | By: Terri Jacobson Photography

Four Newfoundland dogs with their people dressed as a vampire and witch around a smoking cauldron, surrounded by floating candles and roses.

A Little Magic, a Little Romance: Remembering Transylvania

Thank you, Katharine and Stephen, and the Floofy Newfie World Tour, for conjuring up and designing a little corner of Transylvania in my Salem studio. Your imagination brought this world to life, and I am so grateful that I got to spend time in it with my camera.

 

Black dog reclining on a dark velvet chair beneath floating candles, with red and purple roses in the background.
Small cream dog wearing a vampire cape atop a cauldron, leaning toward a tan dog seated beside the glowing faux fire.
Small tan dog and larger black dog with tall ears peeking over the rim of a cauldron against a misty rose backdrop.

I loved the magic and romance of this set. The roses, floating candles, moonlight, and velvet furniture gave it the feeling of an old storybook—one with a little mystery and plenty of room for mischief. I could photograph a quiet portrait in the shadows, then turn around and find someone peeking out of a cauldron.

Five orange, calico, and tuxedo kittens sitting together atop a cauldron against a misty backdrop of red and purple roses.
Two women in witch costumes seated with a golden retriever puppy, two adult golden retrievers, and a white dog wearing a black lace cape.
Tabby cat standing atop a smoking cauldron with its tail raised, beneath floating candles and a full moon backdrop.
Boxer and Doberman sitting together on a rose-colored velvet settee beside a smoking cauldron, with floating candles and roses behind them.

And goodness, the visitors.

Dogs settled into velvet chairs as though they had inherited the castle. Kittens gathered at the cauldron, looking entirely too innocent. A cat took a stroll along its rim. Families arrived ready to join the story, bringing their own costumes, affection, and sense of humor.

Fargo the cockatoo tilting his head while wearing a white and pink unicorn costume, perched on a black velvet chair against a moonlit rose backdrop.
Basil the miniature horse wearing a golden unicorn horn and iridescent halter, with a long blond forelock against a backdrop of roses and floating candles.

Then there were the unicorns. A miniature horse and a cockatoo, both dressed for the occasion. I’m still not entirely convinced that part wasn’t a dream.

Two people dressed as Gomez and Morticia Addams seated on a velvet settee, with a brown dog beside them and a prop hand on the backrest.
Woman seated on a rose-colored velvet settee with her German shepherd lying at her feet beside a smoking cauldron.
Woman dressed as a witch holding a potion bottle above a Newfoundland puppy peeking from a cauldron, surrounded by roses and floating candles.

What made this set such a joy to photograph was how differently everyone inhabited it. Some portraits became regal and romantic. Others were delightfully ridiculous. An inquisitive expression, a pair of ears rising above the cauldron, or Fargo spreading his magnificent wings could take the whole scene in a new direction.

Behind those photographs were so many things I’m grateful for: the imagination that started it all, the work that went into bringing the set together, and the people who trusted me to create something a little unusual with the animals they love.

Black witch hat decorated with flowers and a teal bow floating above a smoking cauldron, surrounded by candles and roses beneath a full moon backdrop.
Fargo the cockatoo spreading his wings and tilting his head beneath a black witch hat, perched on a velvet chair against a moonlit backdrop with floating candles.

These are a few of my favorite photographs from our time in Transylvania. Choosing them wasn’t easy. Every session gave me another reason to love this little world.

The next adventure is waiting, but I think I’ll linger in the candlelight just a little longer.

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