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: ‘pet photography’



Tiptoeing around the Turkey… ~ {Christmas pet portraits by Allison Shamrell}

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

I always feel bad for Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday that hearkens back to the earliest days of our country, and still teaches a really valuable lesson today. I think a little more focus on Thanksgiving is always good, and I’m really looking forward to spending time with my extended family again this year.

 

But… we all know what comes next.

 

So with utmost respect for the turkey, the mashed potatoes and the football, I would like to announce my holiday photo sessions! And while I’m trying not to get too worked up about the holidays that come after Thanksgiving, I’ve got some really sweet surprises up my sleeve! Check it out:

So all you have to do is choose whichever date/location is more convenient for you! I’ll have the same beautiful studio setup in both places, and you’ll have an online gallery of 6-10 portraits to choose from, in a matter of a few days.

 

Here’s the best part of the entire event: proceeds from your session fee will go to the animal charity of your choice! When you arrive for your portraits, you’ll choose between three great local shelters/rescue organizations that will greatly benefit from your financial assistance. Giving is what the holidays are all about, so I couldn’t be happier to provide this opportunity for you and for them. Too many dogs will be spending Christmas morning in a shelter, and every little bit can help boost adoptions for the holiday season!

 

Here’s the runner-up for best part of the event: you get to choose how your cards are made! If you’d to make them yourself, the first session option includes your favorite digital file from your session, and you’re off to create your own holiday greetings! Or if you’d rather not do the work yourself, I’m happy to do it for you! And look at these incredible card shapes I’m proud to offer:

 

 

 

 

With any of these fun cards, you’re sure to win the prime spot on all your family’s fridges.

 

Here’s what you can do now: call The Spotted Dog (850.438.2008) to reserve your time on December 3rd, call 3 Dogs & A Chick (850.243.7297) to reserve your time on December 4th, or call me (850.255.0903) to ask any questions! You can also use the Contact form on this blog to send me an email.

 

I hope to see you that weekend! And have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Details:

~  Families are welcome! Our only limitation is my backdrop space, which can hold about 6-7 animals/people.

~  Please have your product choice (digital image OR cards) in mind when you arrive for your portraits.

~  Additional cards and/or digital images are available upon request and for an extra charge.

~  Standard folded cards (5×5 and 5×7 sizes) instead of the flat cards displayed above are also available.

~  Multiple images can fit on one card design.

~  At the 3 Dogs & A Chick location, we will also be able to take portraits outside, instead of in the studio. This is weather-permitting, and a substitution for (not in addition to) studio portraits.

~  Available props will be the ones shown in the above photos: Santa hats, ornaments, and a wreath garland with tinsel. Using them is entirely optional. Feel free to bring your own props.

~  We will be taking photos for holiday cards. If you’re interested in non-seasonal photos of your pet/family, please contact me to stay updated about regular sessions and mini-sessions.

 

~   Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Pensacola and Ft. Walton Beach, Florida   ~

A Pretty “Wild” Session! ~ {Destin Pet Photography by Allison Shamrell}

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

You might have seen the blog post I made just yesterday about Tully, Hannah and Jake, the fun-loving labradors whose parents own a fabulous fishing boat! The three happy pups are occasionally spoiled with a trip out on the Destin harbor, which they adore, and this time I was privileged to tag along.

 

But I neglected to mention something in yesterday’s post: we had visitors out in the water. And while their fins at first caused visions of sharks to flash in my head (ohmygodwearegonnadieohmygod), it turns out these creatures were only here to play. And being a pet photographer just got a little more awesome. Take a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 There were so many of them; we estimated at least a couple of family pods.

 

 See the shadow at the bottom-center of the image? That’s another one!

 

I should note: I barely post-processed these photos at all. Isn’t the water color gorgeous?

 

 

They were actually riding our wake! It looked like fun…

 

Now you see why I thought “sharks”!

 

 And then – someone decided to try and swim with the dolphins! Tully jumped out of the boat before we could stop him!

 

You know, this is why (okay, among many other reasons) I love my job. Susan and Chris (Tully, Hannah & Jake’s parents) were randomly-drawn contest winners; I had no idea we’d have such an exciting session! It’s funny, really, because just the other day I was doing finances and (as any visual, creative photographer-type would) bemoaning the existence of so many numbers. This was such a good reminder for me that little things can’t get us down when there’s so much happiness and serendipity just waiting for us out there! Not to mention dolphins! Susan and Chris, thank you. Again.

 

Moral I’m going to take from this day: the unexpected can be beautiful, so embrace whatever it is you do, and be ready to be surprised.

 

 

~   Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida   ~

 

Sneak Peek: Tully, Hannah & Jake ~ {Ft. Walton Beach Pet Photography by Allison Shamrell}

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Once in a while, to help celebrate an event that I’m fond of (like Barktoberfest, where I got my start as a photography business owner!), I’ll give away a session to one lucky winner. This session is a result of Dog Daze, which happened almost a month ago in Ft. Walton Beach. Little did I know, when I picked the winner (Susan and Chris in FWB), that I’d first of all meet three happy, adventurous labradors that kept me laughing throughout our session. And secondly, I had no idea what a great surprise this family had for me! Chris and Susan own a gorgeous fishing boat and we spent the morning sailing on the water around the Destin harbor! It was one of those sessions that makes me truly thankful to do what I do, and a little bit more in awe of the great people and experiences out there, just waiting to happen.

 

Accompanying us (oh let’s be honest, they were the stars of the show) were Hannah the 7-year-old black lab, Tully the 7-year-old yellow lab, and Jake the 2-year-old lab to the far right in the photo below. Needless to say, they had even more fun than I did while we cruised around the incredible turquoise waters of Destin.

 

Tully is the most regular tag-along on fishing trips, and clearly enjoys being on the boat!

 

The whole crew, from the dock.

We also stopped by the beach and played fetch for a while.

See the whiteness in Tully’s left eye? The poor thing was running after a ball and sprinted straight into a cactus! Hence, partial blindness :(

 

I just realized this blog post has been a bit generous with the Tully photos… don’t worry Susan and Chris, I have plenty of Jake and Hannah too!

 

 

Okay, one more. Couldn’t resist posting lab butts.

 

Thanks again, Susan and Chris – I really am so excited to show you the rest of your images!!

 

~   Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida   ~


 

 

Sneak Peek: Lucy & Ricky ~ {Cantonment Pet Photography by Allison Shamrell}

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Yes, their namesakes are who you think they are. And yes, Lucy responds to her name when said in Ricky’s trademark heavily-accented call: “Luuuuuuuuuucyyyyyyyyyy!”

 

Ricky and Lucy are two adorable Welsh Corgis who live in Cantonment with their mom, Connie. Two family cats (the dogs’ predecessors) were named Fred & Ethel, so it was only natural that the puppies followed the I Love Lucy tradition. Lucy (the tricolor) is spunky and full of life and energy, always running around and checking on where mom is, whereas Ricky (who’s genetically her brother) is slightly more content to relax and stubbornly do whatever he wants to do. Their distinct personalities had us laughing the entire time!

 

This is one of their favorite places to be in the whole house, Mom’s bed.

 

How can you ever say no to these faces??

 

Laying in the leaves at UWF, Connie’s alma mater…

 

Okay, this is ACTUALLY their favorite place to be: as close to Mom as possible.

 

Thanks for a fabulous session, Connie! I’ll be in touch very soon!

 

~   Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Pensacola, Florida   ~

Sneak Peek: Bailee & Lexi ~ {Pensacola Pet Photography by Allison Shamrell}

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

There are so many things I could write about these dogs. I had the pleasure of doing a Great Dane Package with them last week, and even after spending all day together, I didn’t want to leave when the sun finally set! These Westies are truly two peas in a pod.

Bailee is 9 years old, and the bond between her and her mom, Debbi, is truly beautiful. She is her mother’s heart dog, for those of you familiar with the term; they share a powerful connection that has helped them overcome everything from canine cancer (“the c word”) to life’s little frustrations, all with a fabulous flair. So while Bailee runs the household, she took a while to get accustomed to having me around all day – after all, Debbi took off work, so shouldn’t it just be a play-day with mom all day?? But once Bailee realized that I was sticking around, she modeled for me like nobody’s business!

Lexi is two years old, adopted all the way from Tennessee – but she’s definitely a Florida girl now! I was warned that Lexi doesn’t warm up to strangers very well, but during our pre-shoot consultation she snuggled right up to me on the couch! Debbi was pretty surprised – let’s just say it really helps to have a way with dogs (especially shy or reserved dogs) when you’re a pet photographer! And since Lexi took a liking to me early on, she struck fabulous poses all day long!

Okay, enough words. Time for photos!

This is Bailee! We started the day in Bayview Park. Hunting for squirrels.

 

And this is Lexi!

 

After the park, we headed down to the beach! Some of us had fun walking down near the water…

 

And some of us preferred to get sand EVERYWHERE. No names mentioned…

 

Incredibly, Debbi has a special emotional connection to monarch butterflies, and while we were at the beach, DOZENS flew by!

I don’t know if it’s butterfly migrating season or not, but we took it as a good sign!

 

Once we were all very sandy, we headed home to play around in the back yard! (in this case, play = Lexi attacks Bailee)

 

Even when we came back inside, these dogs (always the terriers) were at the door in a flash at any mention of squirrels.

 

Bailee showed off her huge toy collection to me…

 

And we had a bit of cuddle time on the bed…

 

Until Lexi decided it was naptime.

 

So with a hug from mom, the dogs took a nap to recharge.

 

Later, feeling refreshed, we visited the studio!

 

And then – gelato in downtown Pensacola! How cute is Lexi trying to sneak some of her sister’s scoop?!

 

Don’t worry. Lexi had some too.

 

To end the day, these hip downtown dogs stopped for a beer (chaperoned by mom, of course) at New York Nick’s.

This location idea was all Debbi’s – and I LOVED it!

 

I really wish I could show you more right now, but this so-called Sneak Peek is already far too long… I hope you like the images, and Debbi, thank you so much for letting me spend the day with your beautiful girls. I hope you had a wonderful time like I did!

~   Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Pensacola, Florida   ~


 

 

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