• 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.

Escondido Pet Photography with Hunter & Caymen!

November 19th, 2014

I had an absolutely incredible Escondido pet photography session with two high-energy dogs recently, Hunter & Caymen! I describe it as “incredible” because I absolutely love watching dogs listen to their instincts, and high-drive dogs are so much fun! These pups are beloved members of the family, but Hunter the English pointer is actually a hunter; he goes pheasant hunting with his dad several times a year! His brother, Caymen, is a border collie mix and a little more laid-back than Hunter, but he also loves to be outside, explore his surroundings & spend time with his family. Together they make an incredibly handsome pair!

Hunter & Caymen’s parents introduced me to a place in Escondido that I’d never been to before: Daley Ranch! With miles of hiking trails, we found a relatively uncrowded spot with plenty of room to run around that was simply perfect. Hunter & Caymen posed like pros for the camera, and I really enjoyed seeing their energetic personalities come to life!

 

This is Hunter! I just love watching him run… this dog is a machine! So athletic!

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And this is Caymen! He’s more of a lover than an action star (especially compared to his brother), and throughout our session he constantly wanted to be right next to his parents… it was adorable to see! He’s a total sweetheart.

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We found an incredible old barn, and the dogs were willing to pose for a few photos with it. I love how Hunter is only peeking over the top of his nose at the camera, as if to say, “I’m busy looking for birds & squirrels, you can have a second of my attention before I get back to work! Too many important things to do!” Haha!

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Trisha & Daniel, thank you for introducing me to such an awesome new location! I had a great time with you four (hike and all!) – and can’t wait to see you again soon! :)

 

Dog Photography with Sadie & Steam (a.k.a. Squeaks)!

November 17th, 2014

I had the pleasure of working with two beautiful dogs recently – and does that make me the first person to call a puggle “beautiful”? Haha, Steam the puggle is an adorable little nugget, and perhaps “handsome” is a slightly more appropriate term to describe his serious little face. His sister, Sadie, fits the “beautiful” description a bit better – since she’s a golden retriever with flowing blond fur! They live in Cardiff with their parents, and met me in Del Mar for their custom dog photography session. We had a great time running around the grass and the sand, and even fit in a few family photos with their parents as well. I simply love it when my clients are willing to jump in for a few photos with their dogs; I know it can be uncomfortable in front of a camera, but I do my best to help everyone relax (dogs included!) and make sure my clients absolutely love the final images. Plus, the holidays are coming up, so Christmas cards with family photos are in high demand this time of year! Today I’ll just show a few photos of the dogs (since I know people like to approve photos of themselves before they’re posted on the internet!) and I know you’ll think they’re beautiful, too! :)

 

This is Steam! His nickname is Squeaks, because when he gets excited – you guessed it – he squeaks! Look at that face!

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And this is sweet Sadie! She absolutely loves to be loved on… she was always asking for more pets & attention during our session, haha!

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What a cute pair!

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Jason & Jenn, thank you so much for introducing me to your dogs! I had such a great time with all of you, and I’m excited to show you the rest of our photos soon! :)

 

Point Loma Pet Photography: Faith the Terrier Mix!

November 14th, 2014

I simply loved my photo session with Faith, the little white terrier mix! This Point Loma pet photography session took place in Faith’s house, a gorgeous home right next to San Diego’s Liberty Station. And fittingly, I first met Faith at the Doggie Street Festival, a fun outdoor event that takes place on the big green space at Liberty Station – she was out for a walk with her parents at the time, and they stumbled upon my booth! So I was thrilled to see her again, several months later, and capture her darling personality.

Faith is a total sweetheart – but she started out a bit fearful of my camera. She flinched whenever I took a photo, probably because the sound was unfamiliar to her. But after a bit of treat association – click, treat, click, treat, click, treat – she decided that there was nothing to be scared of! And then she posed like a pro! She showed me all around her house: the living room, the courtyard, the front porch, etc. The whole session was a ton of fun! :)

 

Here she is! How much do you love those ears? And that paw up? And those gorgeous big eyes?

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Faith with her parents, right outside their front door. Just too cute!

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By the end of our photo session, Faith was tuckered out! Dad’s lap is definitely the best place to be when she’s tired.

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Bonnie, I had a fabulous time with all of you – thank you so much for a lovely photo session! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our photos very soon!

 

Fiesta Island Photo Session with Star & Wellington!

November 13th, 2014

I shared a fun photo session with two happy mixed breed dogs at Fiesta Island recently! I met their owner at Camp Bow Wow‘s Yappy Hour, and she tried month after month to win the gift certificate I regularly donated to benefit the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation… finally, one day, she won! Yay! So I had the privilege of meeting Star & Wellington, her two rescued dogs with completely different personalities. Star is ten years old, has a distinguished old kind of beauty, and moves slower than she used to… really, she’s content to relax & be next to her mom all the time. Wellington, on the other hand, has A) an adorable name, B) an adorable little face, and C) an adorably energetic personality! He runs circles around Star (literally) since he’s still a puppy… and although he was quite nervous about my camera when we first started our photo session, he warmed up to strike some super-cute poses for us!

(I’d like to mention, also, that this photo session was originally scheduled for a few weeks from today, but one day Nikki came home to find a massive lump on the side of Star’s face, which was confirmed by her vet to contain cancer cells. Obviously, I’m hoping & praying for the best possible outcome, but in the meantime, we decided to act quickly. We moved this photo session to just a few days after Nikki informed me of the situation, and I want other people to know that I always do everything I can do accommodate medical emergencies. With the proper medical care, there’s a great chance that Star still has years of love left to give – but I wasn’t about to take any unnecessary risks. So if your dog has been given a recent diagnosis, or any other type of time-sensitive emergency comes up, I want you to know that I’ll do everything I possibly can to fit you in ASAP. Despite usually being booked 3-4 weeks out, I always have room in my schedule for emergencies.)

So anyways… back to our Fiesta Island photo session!

 

This is Wellington! That FACE!

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This is Star, and I think from some angles (including this one), she practically looks like a puppy again.

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Star & Wellington’s dad is deployed right now, but to include him in the photo session, we brought out his uniform for the dogs to pose with. It got a bit sandy (oops) but hey, that’s what happens when you work with dogs!

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Nikki, it was a total pleasure to finally get together with you & your pups! Can’t wait to see you again soon! :)

 

San Diego Pets Bernie, Stella & PeeWee!

November 12th, 2014

I am absolutely thrilled to into introduce you to this trio of adorable San Diego pets! I knew we would have a great session even when I met Bernie and Stella, the dogs of the family, for their Pre-Session Consultation last week. They’re such happy pups, and it was clear that they love going out and meeting new friends just as much as relaxing at home with their family. (PeeWee didn’t join us for that meeting – but that’s okay, he’s a cat! He’s allowed to stay at home, haha!)

This is Stella! She’s a mutt, and it’s anyone’s guess what breeds are in her heritage – but they certainly made her beautiful, didn’t they? Her fluffy, curly fur is just gorgeous, and those deep brown eyes just kill me. Here she is at the front gate of her house in Kensington!

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This is Bernie the yellow Labrador, with his mom, Anya. When Bernie visits the beach, he usually likes to roam free all by himself, but we caught him in a rather snuggly mood. :)

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Aren’t they a gorgeous pair?

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And we can’t forget PeeWee! He’s an adorable little kitten, only 7 months old, and he loves to play, especially with big sister Stella. (Watching the two of them roughhousing is an absolutely hilarious sight!)

san diego pet

 
Anya and Markus, I had a simply wonderful time with you both during our session! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our photos! :)

 

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