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.

Tag: ‘dogs’



A Few Overdue Photos

Friday, June 7th, 2013

In all the craziness last month of learning that my family would be moving to San Diego – and then making the move incredibly quickly after that – I had to do a few things differently than normal. Part of that included staying up WAY late to finish edits & submitting client orders, and another part was packing up our house for the movers to come. (moving a house = not easy; moving a house + business = akfhjdsamvfdknsd!!!) I even photographed sessions mere DAYS before literally driving away from our house for the last time… so, needless to say, all the meticulous editing I do for every client would simply have to wait until I could breathe again!

Now that I’m finally here & beginning to settle in San Diego, I have time (and not at 3 am!) to give these clients’ photos the attention they deserve. So this blog post is kind of like a second sneak peek for each of these families; they’ve been incredibly patient with me at this crazy time in my life, and I can’t wait to show them their entire galleries! They’ll be done very soon, but in the meantime, I thought another couple of photos would be fun to share!

 

Here’s Areli, striking a pose on the beach – just minutes after his parents got engaged!

canaan dog on beach

 

 

Ghost, handsome as ever.

white German shepherd

 

 

Here’s Monty, tearing after his ball!

golden retriever chasing ball

 

 

… eventually we let him take a breather on the dock. He earned it!

golden retriever on dock

 

Like I said, I can’t wait to release your galleries – very soon! Thanks again for your patience – I think the photos will be worth the wait! :)

 

We Made It to San Diego!

Thursday, May 30th, 2013

As many of you know, I announced that my family would be moving to San Diego, California not too long ago. Well, it’s been a whirlwind, but we safely made it out here! And in way less time than I would have thought possible!

(Are you ready for a blog post full of iPhone photos? Try not to cringe – you know I don’t do this to you very often!!)

 

We packed our car FULL and set off on the open road… Bailey was excited to go!

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Of course, after a while, the excitement faded. (for all of us, haha!)

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We drove over several state lines… this one was the first…

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 We spent parts of three different days in Texas. This was my breakfast for the last day, and it wasn’t even at a Texas-themed restaurant. We had a basic hotel continental breakfast… but state pride runs deep.

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And then… finally… we made it!! Practically our first stop was the Del Mar dog beach! Bailey was THRILLED to get the heck out of the car. I posted another photo on the Facebook page that shows a bit more of the dog beach… she LOVED it there! There are more dog beaches to explore, but we’re definitely coming back to this one!

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We also took a trip the next day to the Rancho Penasquitos dog park, which is located right near where we’re temporarily staying (before we find a more permanent house).  Apparently the “panorama” feature on iPhones turns moving dogs into 8-legged monsters, haha!

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I’m sure I’ll have MUCH more to tell you as I explore San Diego with Bailey. And prettier, non-iPhone photos, too! This is the start of something great, I can just feel it. Thanks for reading & stay tuned! :)

 

My Last Session in Florida: Monty the Gorgeous Golden Retriever

Saturday, May 25th, 2013

I suppose it’s pretty fitting that my very-last session in the Pensacola area was with a golden retriever. After all, they’re the breed I’ve photographed most in my career! And Monty (short for “Montana”) is definitely one of the most gorgeous goldens I’ve ever met; he is ridiculously handsome! He’s a “golden” golden retriever, not a red, but I just couldn’t get enough of that rich-colored, super-fluffy coat. And Monty’s a snuggler, so his soft fur was never far from me or his parents! Monty also has incredible obedience skills; he and his dad have worked hard on various commands and recall, and I think it really paid off in our session – he was willing to do just about anything we asked! Which made my job even more easy and fun than usual! :)

Here’s Mr. Handsome. Look at that FACE.

handsome golden retriever with parents

 

We played fetch for a while, and his parents forgot to tell me about his built-in rocket boosters. Seriously; Monty’s dad was in aviation maintenance at Eglin and I think he may have brought a few toys home from work and strapped them to his boy’s legs. This dog is FAST! Here are just a couple of action photos; there are many more! I think their final gallery may be half action, haha!

golden retriever chasing ball

 

Monty, just stop it. You’re too gorgeous.

handsome golden retriever

 

I wish I could see Monty & his parents again, but San Diego is calling… still, I can’t wait to release his gallery! Thanks for being such a wonderful last Florida session, Monty! You’ll always have a special place in my heart. :)

 

Rare Dog Breeds: A Canaan Dog & White German Shepherd

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

My clients braved the heat this week (summer JUST got here, apparently) and we enjoyed a fun session all around the Pensacola area! We started in Milton, near NAS Whiting Field where Travis is stationed, and then headed down to a pretty park in Pensacola, and finished up at NAS Pensacola where Courtney is stationed! It was especially memorable for me for two reasons: one, I love working with rare breeds of dogs. Areli (pronounced “uh-RELL-ee”) is a Canaan dog, which is a breed I’ve never met before, let along photographed; and Ghost is a white German shepherd, with absolutely stunning eyes. And reason number two… well, the last photo should be a decent explanation! :)

 

 Ghost with his dad, Travis

white german shepherd

 

 Areli the Canaan dog (and a great poser!) 

canaan dog

 

Love this.

rare dog breed family

 

YAY!!!

surprise wedding proposal with dogs

 

I can’t believe I got to photograph a proposal!! Travis was so sneaky he didn’t even tell me it was coming! Courtney said yes, of course! Congrats, you two! I can’t wait to share the rest of the photos with you soon! For now… happy wedding planning! :)

 

A Golden Retriever with his Family: Bachi

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Even though I’m leaving town incredibly soon, I’m still meeting local dogs! Yes, I should probably be packing and beginning to look for a new house in San Diego… but here I am with a camera on my neck! And I am so glad – otherwise I wouldn’t have met Bachi! He’s Beckham‘s friend from Niceville, and for our session we visited a gorgeous dock on the water and Bachi’s favorite neighborhood park. His human siblings were willing to jump in a bunch of the photos, too, which I love – check it out!

We couldn’t have had a more beautiful day! Thanks for cooperating with my tight schedule, weather gods!

golden retriever on dock

 

 Bachi & his sister Gina are especially close; I love so many of the photos of them together!

golden retriever dog in pretty park

 

Bachi, I know I tuckered you out during our session… I promise I won’t make you “work” so hard when I come over again this week! :)

Thanks Rosie, Gina & Scott, for an absolutely delightful time! Can’t wait to see you all again soon!

 

 

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