• Rio
  • Pork Chop
  • Oscar
  • Riley
  • Skyler
  • Higgins
  • Madison
  • Sundance, Russ & Cisco
  • Riley
  • Kendall & Raven
  • Gemma
  • Casey & Brittany
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.

Thanksgiving in Virginia ~ {Stafford Child Photography by Allison Shamrell}

November 30th, 2011

I love Thanksgiving! I really do. It’s the holiday of family time, eating delicious food, and laziness, and all three activities are top-notch in my book. So I was very excited for our Thanksgiving this year, even more so because we didn’t get to spend it last year with any extended family.

Early last week, we packed up the car and drove. And drove. And drove, until we reached Stafford, Virginia, a town just south of the Quantico military base where my brother-in-law is stationed. We got to see his family (including meeting our 5-month-old niece!) and my husband’s uncle’s family, who happens to have girls the exact same ages as our nieces. (I think they are our cousins… bah family ties confuse me.) Clearly I couldn’t resist bringing my camera… so here are just a few of the photos I took on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Let me tell you what, it was odd to photograph subjects that didn’t have tails.

 

 First we went to the park! This is Joy, my niece, 3 years old.

 

 

Next to Joy is Laia (pronounced “lye-uh”), also 3 years old

 

Laia’s mom is from Barcelona, which is fabulous in my opinion!

 

I’m told by Laia’s dad that this is a fake smile. I still think it’s adorable.

 

 

The many faces of Joy Shamrell:

 

 

The girls loved running around with Bailey… and vice versa!

 

I wish everybody could have been in focus for this photo, but it was getting dark (fellow photogs will understand) and it turns out dogs run much faster than 3-year-olds. Who knew?

 

There was a lot of “No, it’s my turn to hold the leash!”

 

Aw. Precious.

 

She couldn’t be cuter.

 

 

Just one of my daughter. The girls called her name so much and at so many random times, that I halfway thought it would lose all meaning to her.

 

Thanks, Virginia Shamrells, for being such wonderful hosts! And everyone else: I hope your Thanksgiving was as full of love and togetherness as ours was – but hopefully less time in the car with a dog.

 

Bye bye!

 

 

 

~   Child Photography by Allison Shamrell in Stafford, Virginia   ~

 

Gulf Breeze Pet Fest ~ {Gulf Breeze Pet Photography by Allison Shamrell}

November 20th, 2011

Yesterday (Saturday) was the 2011 Gulf Breeze Pet Fest! It was a lot of fun – until Mother Nature decided she didn’t like the idea of peaceful weather. So up until that moment (when three 10×10′ tents went flying, and my portraits came crashing down from their display stands) everyone was having a great time! Check out some of the adorable dogs I got to meet before having to pack up my booth…

 

This sweetheart wanted to snuggle up next to her Dad the whole time!

Rayne was a wonderful familiar face to see!

Bailey was the only one in her family who felt like saying hello to me…

But doesn’t her sibling Jace have the most beautiful coloring?

Tally the lab – I love her eyes!

I also adore this pomeranian’s coloring.

 

This is Treu, the smallest pit bull I’ve ever seen! Definitely a sweetheart, and tennis ball-obsessed!

Haha – I’m pretty sure this is Treu’s “look how good I am beeeeiiiinnnggggg” face!

 

Some visitors decided they needed to see my work up close…

Aaaand we have the winner for cutest pup of the day!

 

Honestly? I would like to steal him.

Gumbo the Maltese is a close runner-up, though. Wrapped up against mom’s chest was the warmest place to be that day!

 

This is Sydney, the windswept Australian Terrier!

Some dogs were there to PLAY! This is Buster, the shorthaired pointer.

 

Such sweet eyes.

And since the last session giveaway I did was so fabulous, I decided to hold another drawing for a free session.

This is the winner! Meet Amore the Maltese, and you’ll be seeing more of this adorable pup soon!

 

I’ll leave you with one more of this little dude. Have a great week!

 

~   Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Gulf Breeze, Florida   ~

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

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}

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}

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   ~


 

 

 

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