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’



Personal: I’m going to Europe!

Friday, April 19th, 2013

So guess what! I’m going on vacation!!

It’s been a crazy year and a half in my life, and even more so for my husband. The long story short: he’s a helicopter pilot but he’s getting out of the Navy. So much has happened, so much that we never expected, both good and bad… talk about UPs and DOWNs! So right before he officially becomes a civilian again, we’re going on a trip! To Europe! It’ll be great to explore new things together that aren’t Navy medical policies and review board applications, haha…

 

poseidon temple sounion

 

Our itinerary includes Munich, Paris, Prague, Zurich, Lake Como, and Vienna! Maybe more! We’re usually the type to plan out every aspect of our vacation, all the way down to the order of rides we go on at Disneyworld (I know I know, it’s obnoxious), but because of our flight arrangements (or lack thereof), we’ve decided to take the opposite approach! We’re going to rent a car and just drive wherever we want each day – did you know Vienna is only 3 hours from Prague? I’ve actually already visited Munich, Paris & Prague – I studied abroad in college in Toledo, Spain, and that’s when I took the photos you see here.

 

travel pet photography

 

I’m sharing this with you because A) I’m WAY excited, and B) I’d like to ask for your help! It would be a dream come true to do a pet photography session in Europe! Imagine: a hunting dog perched at the top of a rolling grass hill in Germany. A St. Bernard walking through a small Swiss village with the Alps in the background. A cute little terrier sitting outside an equally cute French bakery. There are soooo many possibilities!

 

translation: “Without justice there will be no peace.” “And without God there is no justice.”

destination pet photographer

 

So here’s my request: will you please share this blog post with your friends/relatives/acquaintances in Europe? Especially if they live in/around one of the cities I mentioned? You never know if they – or one of their friends – might think it’s the perfect time for a photo session with their pets.

 

traveling pet photographer

 

We’re leaving TOMORROW – so please don’t hesitate! Please, if you would, send a quick message to your friends/family – include a link to this blog post if you want, or my main website (www.allisonshamrell.com). To book a session, all prospective clients need to do is fill out the contact form here: http://allisonshamrell.com/#/contact/ and then I’ll be in touch! It’s as easy as that!

 

The blog will be a bit quiet until I get back; I just had time to schedule one more post because I’ve been so busy with packing & preparations. Thanks so much – and get ready for a massive travel photography post when I get back! :)

 

Destination Pet Photography: Two Dogs at beautiful Lake Martin, Alabama

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

I know I JUST made a blog post about how much I love working with repeat clients… but it looks like I get to be repetitive this week! (Yay! haha!)

I first met Lola and Sprockett (“Poodle Perfection”) almost two years ago, but unfortunately, Sprockett could not join us for any further sessions. He passed away a few months later, and his mom Deb was (understandably) crushed. He was a GREAT dog and is still sorely missed.

But the new addition to the family wasted no time making himself at home! Barkley is a miniature poodle (just like Sprockett was) and has a BIG attitude! He helps Lola develop trust in other people, and while her unfortunate upbringing will never let her become close with anyone except her mom, she loves having Barkley around. In return, she eats whatever food he leaves unguarded. (ha!)

Deb, their mom, has told me about her condo on Lake Martin in Alabama several times… so I was THRILLED when she decided to have a session there!! She LOVES her condo (and I can see why), and I think it makes perfect sense to have portraits in a place with such great sentimental value. I loved the concept almost as much as I loved actually being there… it was GORGEOUS! I’ll make a blog post with a few sunrise/sunset images soon, but with no further ado, session photos!

 

This is Lola and Barkley.

poodle and cocker spaniel

 

 On the dock with Deb…

poodle and cocker spaniel

 

Could we possibly have had more perfect weather? Nope! Despite a cloudy morning, the sun came out to play!

poodle and cocker spaniel

 

Deb – I can’t thank you enough for such an enjoyable opportunity. You know I loved spending time with you & your pups… now if we could just do something about that wolverine… :)

 

Rat Terrier Puppy Photography: Eve!

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

I love doing sessions with repeat clients; it’s so fun to come back and visit a few of the dogs I already know & love! There was a special occasion for this repeat session: a new puppy in the house!! Yay! Longtime blog followers might remember the alphabetical group of small dogs I photographed last year: Arnie, Boomer, Callie & Dottie. Well they have a new little sister, and fittingly, her name is Eve! She’s a rat terrier mix and almost a year old. Her mom rescued her a few months ago, and I was thrilled to meet her this week.

She is SO adorable that I’m going to cut myself off from typing more and let you get to the photos… I LOVE her! :)

rat terrier puppy

 

 Eve is super-happy and super-motivated, and she fits in perfectly with her new family.

rat terrier in backyard

I know her mom will love this picture! :) She is going to be a little flyball champion one day!

rat terrier running

 

Cindy, it was wonderful to see you & your pack again – as always. Can’t wait until next week! :)

 

Chaotic Dog Photography with Two Yorkies, a Shih Tzu & an Australian Shepherd

Monday, April 1st, 2013

There are some photo sessions that go incredibly smoothly for me, the dog & the dog’s parents. The dog(s) is/are well-trained, we have beautiful weather, and things just fall into place, making my job easy! (well, maybe not easy, but you get the picture.)

This was NOT one of those sessions! (haha!)

Don’t worry, my session with BJ, Bailey, Bandit & Madison was still tons of fun and we got some great images. But I’m going to be honest here: would I describe it as “easy” for me? Or their parents? Nope! Haha, these pups made me WORK to get the photos I got: BJ the Yorkie is dealing with some possessiveness/jealousy issues, I got the feeling Bandit is only happiest when he’s laying down & relaxing, while Madison the Aussie is ready to play rough with (and sometimes harass) all the other dogs. Let’s just say it wasn’t a boring session, that’s for sure! :) I think everyone (the dogs, their parents & myself) all deserved a nap once we finished with all five (five!) hours of shooting. So let me introduce you to the troublemak- I mean, dogs!

This is Madison, an Australian shepherd puppy that has boundless energy and the cutest, happiest smile I’ve ever seen! Isn’t she completely adorable? The camera loves her and I do too.

happy australian shepherd

 

We started our session out on the beach, and BJ (left) & Bailey (right) both enjoyed soaking up a few rays. They needed a little coaxing to eventually run around and have fun, but I think they definitely enjoyed their first-ever beach experience!

yorkies on the beach

Bandit really came alive in the studio; he’s a shih tzu and the oldest dog of the bunch. Doesn’t he look good on the gray backdrop?
shih tzu and yorkie in studio

 

BJ was a bit of a drama-causer during our session, but DANG the boy can pose!! With images like this, I forgive him… :)

yorkie in photo studio

 

Here’s one more of BJ because it cracks me up: he got slightly possessive over the family kiddie pool. TOO cute for words!

yorkie peeks out at camera

 

Bandit was more than happy to relax on the bed near the end of our session… we definitely tuckered him out!

a shih tzu lays on a beg

 

Kelee & Cathy, thank you for a challenge I haven’t had in a long time. Truly! I had a fun morning with your pack and I’m loving the images I’m seeing so far… I can’t wait to come back and show you everything! :)

 

A Chocolate Lab’s First Trip to the Beach

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Bella is visiting from Missouri, and she had a great first-ever day at the beach! She spent most of the time chasing a new favorite stick, but what I was most impressed by was how she stuck by her parents the whole time. Not many ten-month-old dogs (much less energetic labradors!) have that strong of an attachment already… so I think it’s safe to say that life in Missouri (although beach-less) is very happy for this young pup.

 

Isn’t she beautiful?

chocolate_lab_beach_1 chocolate_lab_beach_2

She even went in the water to get her stick! So brave! She even got submerged by a big wave at one point, but it hardly even fazed her! (it was actually quite funny for the rest of us…)

 

Bella, it was so much fun to meet you & your family! Enjoy the rest of your time in Pensacola, and I hope you get to come visit the beach again soon!

 

 

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