Me with my muse, Bailey!

About Allison Shamrell Photography:

Thanks for visiting my blog! My name is Allison, and I work in San Diego, CA, capturing the personalities of dogs and cats of all sizes & temperaments. I do photo sessions on location and in-studio, and my photography style is natural, playful & soulful.

Here on my blog, I tell the stories of recent sessions and events. You might even find an insight or two into the behind-the-scenes side of my business! You can see my portfolio & session info on my main website, via the link above.

Call: 619-357-6624 //  Email: Allison@AllisonShamrell.com //  Visit: 11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 204, San Diego, CA 92128

Officially Voted the Best Pet Photographer in San Diego, 2014-2026.

Archive: October, 2021



Lucca the Very Big Dog Canadian Warmblood Horse

Thursday, October 21st, 2021

I was so thrilled when Lucca’s mom reached out to me, as she’s a past client going back all the way to 2015! (You can go back and see the blog posts where I have photographed her pets over the years: including Buster, Fae, Leyland, and Nyx, then Nyx, Fae, and Quinzel, and most recently Fae, Nyx, Quinzel, and Slade.) We have fun every time we get together, so I knew this time around it wouldn’t be any different! Except maybe there is one tiny difference… Lucca is a horse! He recently joined the family and I was honored that his mom asked me to photograph him. As much as I am an expert at dogs, horses are an entirely differently animal. *pun intended* :) Photographing them is a completely different skillset that I’ve been working on, because while dogs will always be my true love, I genuinely adore working with horses. Capturing them in all of their glory involves a different pace, style, equipment… all kinds of changes to my normal routine! Plus, one look at this beautiful boy and you’ll see why I was thrilled to be asked to create some gorgeous portraits with these two.

One of the activities Lucca and his mom Patrisha enjoy doing together is competing in local and regional competitions. Patrisha said that she has a lot of fun with it, and (perhaps more importantly) so does he! They do well together too; at one point we actually got to pose them next to their trophy that they had recently won! How cool is that?!

We had a great photo session in the nearby property where Lucca normally trains and boards. It was wonderful to see their bond; there has to be a huge amount of trust and a strong relationship between a person and a horse, so it was great to see the two of them interact. I’ve only seen Patrisha with her dogs, so to see her with her horse was simply wonderful. Not to mention, horses can be more challenging to work with since they can be especially fearful, impatient, or just don’t want to do what you’re asking them to do for portraits. That was NOT the case with Lucca: he was incredibly patient and willing to do anything we asked. I was very impressed with his demeanor! For this particular photo session we did a lot of posed and stationary portraits – so hopefully we can let him loose at full speed at some point in the future, since I’d love to capture that too! Regardless, I loved the slower pace of our photo session and it seemed to fit Lucca’s chill vibe perfectly.

     

This is Lucca. How long did it take you to fall in love with that face?! 2 seconds? Yep, me too.

canadian warmblood horse
     

I don’t normally include people in my blog posts… but this time I can’t help it! My favorite photos of Lucca all have Patrisha in them too! These two are gorgeous together!

horse photography
     

The champs in full regalia. (Not shown here: their epically big trophy!)

horse with rider
     

Okay, one more of just Lucca… even though I personally think his best portraits are with him & his favorite person.

Canadian warmblood horse photo
     

Thank you Patrisha, for trusting me to photograph the largest companion in your life! I can’t wait to show you the rest of Lucca’s portraits very soon!

A Trio of Rhodesian Ridgebacks: Magnolia, Gryffin & Sequoia

Tuesday, October 19th, 2021

Rhodesian ridgebacks have a special place in my heart, so I was extremely excited to meet these 3 beautiful dogs! Magnolia, Gryffin, and Sequoia are all purebred Rhodesians, and they’re absolutely beautiful – with very distinct personalities!

We visited the studio for the beginning portion of our photo session. We actually re-created some portraits that their moms (a mother-daughter duo!) already had made of Magnolia & Gryffin – because since Sequoia has joined the family it made sense to update those portraits, of course! Then we moved on to a new location: a winery that I’ve never visited before, Espinosa Vineyards. This was an incredible spot to visit, and such a visual treat! They allowed us to take photos in their actual barrel room and beautiful tasting area outdoors, and even amongst the vines. It was so much fun being in a fresh new place; I loved exploring and creating some beautiful new portraits with the wine theme in mind. Not many people have a distinct plan or theme for their session like this, but I’m so glad my clients’ vision was brought to life!

     
Rhodesian ridgeback dogs
     
rhodesian ridgeback
     

Magnolia is the oldest of the bunch, and the queen in practically every way. She has plenty of training under her belt and is so well-behaved. She did her best to put on a good example for the younger ones. She does have a serious side, but she was a breeze to work with – and simply stunning, as you can see.

rhodesian ridgeback dog
     

Gryffin is the only boy and a little younger, so naturally he’s a little more playful than his big sister. He’s a happy, confident boy who enjoys working for treats! Although at one point he decided to be a little sneaky and let his mischievous side come out – but what would we do without a little wild child?! I’m pretty sure that counts as middle child syndrome, right? Haha!

Rhodesian ridgeback at a winery
     

And last but not least I met Sequoia, the puppy! She hasn’t had as much training as her older siblings, and she was a little cautious around new settings (which includes both my studio and the winery). Throughout the photo session she would check in for reassurance and guidance from her older siblings, with little looks and nudges. But once she verified that everyone was happy and everything was okay, her puppyhood shone through! She was adorable! It was so much fun to work with her, and to see bits and pieces of her personality as we went along.

Rhodesian ridgeback dog in a winery
     

Sydney & Anne, thank you so much for introducing me to your gorgeous pups! I really loved working with all 5 of you, and I can’t wait to share the rest of our portraits with you very soon! :)

     
 

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