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Tank & Petunia, English Bulldogs from Oceanside!

Friday, March 30th, 2018

Some people have a hard time deciding their favorite breed of dog… maybe they’ve adopted several different breeds over the years, or they have no idea what kind of dog they’ll get next. I can understand that dilemma. But Tank & Petunia’s family do not have that problem!! They’re loyal to one of the most faithful, loving breeds of dogs ever created: English bulldogs!

Tank & Petunia are the current 4-legged residents of the family, and their predecessors (also English bulldogs, of course) still have their portraits hanging on the wall. So it was time to capture these dogs’ spirit, and all the love & life they add to their household! We spent our photo session in their gorgeous backyard – and I was totally spoiled, since it’s a gorgeous yard! We let each dog have their time in the spotlight before bringing everyone together for a few family photos, and the whole session was a lot of fun. And although Tank & Petunia aren’t exactly best friends, I absolutely loved documenting each of their distinct personalities with a little 1-on-1 time. Tank is a big, goofy guy who unfortunately doesn’t see or hear very well these days, which gave me a slight challenge to work with – but he’s so happy & good-natured that I couldn’t help but fall in love with him! And Petunia makes up for his general lack of attitude with a double dose of her own; she’s a funny & sassy little lady, and a total daddy’s girl. (Let’s just say I was glad she “allowed” me to photograph her, haha!)

 

This is Tank – such a handsome boy!!

english bulldog in backyard

 

It’s not safe for Tank to run around too much anymore, since his vision has declined so much, and he can’t see if there’s a piece of furniture in his way – but when there’s a clear path toward treats, he doesn’t hesitate!

running english bulldog

 

Petunia has the best head tilt. I mean, just look at that face!

english bulldog

 

Honestly? The backyard is her domain; we’re just visitors. (Watch out, lizards in the bushes!)

english bulldog laying down

 

 

Cheryl, thank you so much for introducing me to your adorable pups! I can’t wait to get together again soon! :)

 

Photos of Candice the English Bulldog around San Diego!

Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

Can I be totally honest? I really love working with athletic, strong, active dogs. Photographing a dog as he or she runs, jumps, swims, and does anything active is SO much fun for me. (Probably because I started my photography career shooting sports!) And even though English bulldogs don’t run, jump or swim, for some reason I inexplicably have just as much fun with their photo sessions as I would with the most athletic dog out there! There’s just something about the way they look at you, with their smushy faces, long wet tongues and sweet droopy eyes that makes you think to yourself, these pups must be the comedians of the dog world. And indeed, Candice the English bulldog had us laughing for her entire session! She would happily walk (and sometimes trot) from place to place, grinning up at us as she munched on treats & Doritos. (yes, Doritos!) And it occurred to me: I think I like to photograph active dogs being active because it’s what they do best. When dogs are in their element, in their happy place, that’s what I want to capture. So whether it’s a labrador running through the surf, a chihuahua nestled in her mother’s arms, or an English bulldog chowing down on a snack intended for humans, I guess I realized that they all spread joy in their unique ways. And letting a dog be who he or she is, naturally – that’s what’s so much fun to capture!

So as you can imagine, I had a phenomenal photo session with Candice the English bulldog! We started in the studio, but since her parents have moved around the country quite a bit due to her dad’s service in the Coast Guard, we found some quintessentially “San Diego” backdrops as well… and it was simply perfect, until the marine layer came in & thwarted some of our plans! So we had to rearrange our schedules to get together again soon to finish the rest of our session, which was a bummer in the moment… but secretly I’m kinda thrilled that I get to sneak in some extra Candice time! :)

 

Here’s sweet Candice doing her epic head tilt in the studio!

english bulldog head tilt

 

How could you resist giving that face all the Doritos she wants??

english bulldog picture

 

And this – oh my goodness, I think this might be my new favorite photo!!

english bulldog san diego mural

 

Finally, we stopped at the Coast Guard station for a few extra-special exclusive photos! Candice helps her dad keep watch sometimes, so she showed me around the hangar with all the confidence of an admiral. It was so funny to see!

english bulldog with a helicopter

 

 

Brandis & Brandon – I had a great time with both of you! I’m looking forward to “take two” next week! :)

 

Loews Surf Dog Competition 2013 – Imperial Beach, San Diego, CA

Monday, June 24th, 2013

What an incredible day at the beach! Sun, sand, and surfing dogs – add in a few doggles and you can’t beat that combination! Saturday was the 8th Annual Loews Surf Dog Competition, and let me tell you, if you weren’t there, you missed out! The streets of Imperial Beach were jam-packed with cars for miles in every direction; I was shocked at how many people & dogs were there. Then again, this was my first-ever dog surfing competition, so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into… still, I think anyone would have said “wow” upon seeing thousands of human & canine spectators in one place! It was awesome to see everyone supporting the dogs out there in the water; there were huge rounds of applause and cheers for any dog that successfully rode in to shore! And of course plenty of “oooh”s and laughs at the wipeouts! Check out a few of my favorite photos from the event!

 

  This is Abbie Girl, an Australian kelpie & the champion of the small dog category! She was a total pro.

san diego surfing dog

small surfing dog

san diego surfing dog

 

Sometimes I found the people’s faces just as amusing as the dogs’! Heehee!

surfing golden retriever

surfing bulldog

And let’s give a little credit to the people out there! I think the dogs may have actually had a pretty easy time, just standing on those boards… their human helpers were always in prime position to get smacked by the waves!

people and dogs surfing

This guy was such a goofball – and a great surfer, too!

surfing bulldog

dog surfing in san diego

bulldog jumping surfboard

 

These dogs are smart, they know when to jump off & save themselves! Haha! There were lots of funny wipeouts!

dog wiping out

dog surfing wipeout

boxer funny wipeout

huge wipeout dog surfing

surfing dog action

dachshund surfing dog

surfing dog wipeout

 

Yay! Doggles!!

doggles surfing dogs

I was SO impressed by the dogs that actually shared surfboards!! These two worked the board like it was nothing.

two dogs one surfboard

two surfing dogs together

Uhhh… bird costumes?? What? Haha, these three definitely had an extra challenge out there.

costumed surfing dogs

Some dogs preferred to have human partners.

awesome dog surfing action

man surfing with dog

 

people and dogs surfing together

dogs people surfing together

… and I think some dogs wished they had partners! This dog was so cute; he kept looking back to his people for reassurance!

scared surfing dog

dogs surfing

san diego surf dog

surfing westie

dogs at surfing competition

Here’s another reason the event was so exciting: we were in the presence of celebrities!  This is Ricochet, a service dog that surfs with people with disabilities! She’s an incredible surfer and a beautiful spirit. Check out her website here, and if the videos there don’t make you cry or at least tear up, well, you’re stronger than me. She also has a super-active Facebook page!

Ricochet surfing dog

 

And here’s the one-and-only Tillman! He’s mostly famous for skateboarding (check out the video that made him famous; it has 20 million hits, no big deal) but he was out there on a surfboard on Saturday! He won the large dog competition!

Tillman surfing bulldog

 

Dogs of all different shapes & sizes were out there..

surfing dogs

surf dog happy

 This one was sooooo excited!

happy golden retriever

Here’s Ricochet again. taking a shake break.

shaking surfing dog

 

There was some pretty intense shaking

boxer dog shaking water

funny shaking face

dog shaking on the beach

The day was gorgeous, of course – it’s San Diego! (gorgeous enough to give me a bit of a sunburn, unfortunately. haha oh well.)

surf dog competition view

 

I found it fascinating that there were photographers out there, in the waves, with waterproof casings for their cameras! That is DEFINITELY where I want to be next year!!

surfing photography

 

This photo sums up the spirit of the day, I think – goooo surf dogs! The cheers were so loud! :)

san diego surfing dog

 

Whew, that was a lot of photos! And believe it or not, these were just my favorite images from the whole event! If you’d like to see more, or if your dog surfed and you’d like to purchase a print or digital image, visit the event gallery here: http://proofs.allisonshamrell.com.

 

Oh, and here’s something fun: my photos from the competition were internationally published! Here’s the story from the UK Daily Mail, which asked for my photos to include in their article! I thought I’d left the world of journalism photography behind a few years ago… apparently not! :)

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing all the photos of these talented dogs! If you’ve never been here before, welcome! You’re visitng my blog, which is where I post about recent events (like this one) and sessions. My website is different; it’s where you can check out my whole portfolio and find info about a session with your dogs! Last but not least, my Facebook page is a pretty fun place too! :) Take a look, click “like”, and you’ll get to see more fun photos like these in your newsfeed!

 

Thanks for visiting!  :)

 

Dog Photography: Outside, Inside, Outside, Inside

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

That’s exactly how this session went! We started outside in the backyard, headed inside to relax on the couch, then went back outside to play fetch, then back inside to take a nap on the bed… and it was so much fun! Honestly, I really appreciate it when my clients choose my Dalmatian Package, because it means absolutely nothing will be rushed. Everyone (you, me, and your dogs) can all relax and take our time getting a huge variety of photos! So it was a very stress-free afternoon at Harley, Buster, and Lily Rose’s house. Let me introduce you to the stars of the show!

 

Harley is a big yet timid boxer, whose greatest fear was that I’d steal his soul with my camera. Yes really. Despite my efforts, I think he kept it. Lily Rose is the darling girl on the right, a delightful mix of Boston terrier, pit bull and who knows what else? She is such a little sweetheart!

A boxer and a pit bull-Boston terrier mix on grass.

 

Buster, the “big man” of the house, is an English bulldog with the BEST head tilt.

An English buldog on a colorful bed comforter.

 

And I wanted to share one more photo, only because Lily Rose struck this pose on her own, and made her mom Marcia and I laugh so hard! Don’t you love her dainty toes sticking out over the bed frame?

A pit bull/Boston terrier mix peeks over the side of a bed with her paws.

 

To say that this was a fun session doesn’t even begin to cover it. Thanks again Marcia – I can’t wait to see you & your crew again soon!

 

Bulldogs and boxers and shih tzus – oh my!

Monday, July 9th, 2012

I first met one of these dogs (Mr. Chubbs, in fact) during Mini-Sessions at 3 Dogs & A Chick – see his ridiculously happy, smiling face here on Facebook! So I was absolutely thrilled when his parents, Ashlee & Joseph, invited me back to their house to meet the rest of their pack! As soon as I walked in the door, all SIX dogs converged on me, and it kind of made me feel like I was the victim of a relentless, multi-tier assault. With super-adorable assailants, of course! Let me introduce you to them!

 

Maggie (left) is actually just as cheerful as Cleatus (right), but she wanted to show off her serious side.

Two English bulldogs look up at the camera.

 

Tink is the eldest of the family at 11, and this shih tzu gets to come to work with Mom & Dad every day at one of the veterinary clinics they own! Lucky dog!

A shih tzu dog stands in a back yard and looks at the camera.

 

Romy isn’t exactly an “outside dog” but we eventually got her to brave the elements (of the gorgeous sunny day), and she really lit up when the toy pig got involved!

An English bulldog plays with her owner with a squeaky toy.

 

I am so taken aback by how beautiful Desi is that I can’t post just one photo. Look at this sweet, pretty girl!

A brown brindle boxer dog sits in front of a backyard tree.

 

And last but certainly not least, Mr. Chubbs, enjoying a blissful solo escape to the front yard.

A bulldog pug mixed breed dog lays in the front yard and smiles.

 

Thank you so much for such a wonderful afternoon, Ashlee & Joseph! I have MANY more photos to show you, including all the ones we took inside the house! I can’t wait – so I’ll see you soon! :)

 

 

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