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’



Beautiful Shelties in their backyard

Monday, August 13th, 2012

I’ve only photographed Shelties once before, and I knew them to be laid-back, happy dogs – it turns out, that breed reputation stands for another session! This is Morgan, Mage (pronounced “mayj”) and Mystique, sisters who live the good life with their dad! They’re all very different: Mystique (mostly black) was a ready & willing subject as soon as she learned I had treats to give. Morgan (mostly brown) is calm & patient, and needed little breaks to be loved on every few minutes! (so adorable!) Mage was petrified of me; I think I petted her just once. But from a distance, and only very quickly, she let me take a few photos that turned out to be some of my very favorites from the session! Take a look…

 

Two shelties pose for photos in their backyard.

 

Tri-color sheltie dog laying in the grass of her backyard.

 

I’m especially excited about this session because a few select images are going to grace the exam rooms at Davis Animal Hospital in Pensacola! So if you’re a client of theirs – or if you’re looking for a great new vet in the area – you’ll see these pups’ smiling faces there soon!

 

Thanks Roy – I can’t wait to show you the rest of the images!

 

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Premium Album Sample: Marcel the Poodle

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

I wanted to feature another premium album here on the blog, because since the last time I featured a premium album, THREE more clients’ albums have come and gone! Without me taking ANY photos of them! I’m sad I didn’t get the chance to photograph those, but honestly, if I can receive the album, do a full quality check, and deliver it to my client all in the same day, I will! I’m not going to delay delivering their album just so I can take a few photos. So that’s what’s happened a few times now, but this time, I finally had a bit of time after receiving this one to show off its features!

 

This is the silk-cover album, which comes in my favorite carrying case: a padded leather box with velvet interior lining.

Dog photography album leather carrying case.

 

I literally gasped when I first saw this silk shantung cover. The red is STUNNING.

Dog photography album showing beautiful red silk shantung cover material.

 

Dog photography album spine binding.

 

The pages are quite thick – they’d be impossible to accidentally tear.

Dog photography album thick pages.

 

There’s always the option to place a photo as a cover inset, and it’s something for which I don’t charge extra – the look of the album with or without the cover photo can be gorgeous either way. But in this case, I love the family photo my clients chose for their cover! I think it starts off the album really well.

Dog photography album showing inset cover photo example.

 

Dog photography album photos of the cover and an inside image.

 

True lay-flat binding.

Dog photography album showing spine binding.

 

Full-spread photos are my favorite. :)

Dog photography album full-bleed spread of a photo.

 

Choosing the quotes for premium albums can be almost as challenging as selecting the images! I love this quote by John Grogan.

Dog photography album interior quote about dogs.

 

I looooooove my premium albums – and if you’re one of my clients with your own album, you know exactly why they’re so wonderful! Thanks for reading! :)

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Thwarted by the Rain: Bubba the Border Collie

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

You might remember Bubba the old border collie from his earlier post – and I have good news to report! He’s doing a bit better, and we got to schedule another session with him! So we had grand plans to visit a fantastically beautiful horse farm in Pace, and I was so excited to get together with the old guy and his mom Kim again. But sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate – and this was one of those times. Despite prayers and an anti-rain dance, the clouds opened up (literally as SOON as we were ready to start shooting!) and unfortunately stopped us from getting the most out of this gorgeous setting. Hopefully we can return to try again soon!

 

A woman stands with a horse and a border collie dog.

 

A woman walks away in a field with a border collie dog and a horse.

 

A black and white photo of a border collie standing on hay bales in a barn.

 

A close-up of a border collie dog's face in a barn with a woman.

 

 

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Happy Dogs & Shy Dogs: Marlee & Amia

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Let me introduce you to two dogs who are total opposites – around strangers, at least. Marlee is a bouncy 8-month-old golden retriever and couldn’t be more friendly! She’ll “attack” anyone who comes to the door with kisses and tail wags. Amia, on the other hand, is a much more reserved Boston terrier. She’d prefer to keep her distance, and it’s a little more difficult to gain her trust.

I absolutely love it when dogs open up to me, and with dogs like Marlee it’s incredibly easy, but with Amia it can be more challenging. So I’m always thrilled when I walk away with images like the ones below, because it means all the steps and precautions I take to let dogs get comfortable with me, really work! (I study dog behavior, I meet dogs before their session, I warm them up to the camera slowly, etc.) I hope their mom Jane sees her dogs in these photos not as through the lens of a different person, but simply as she sees her dogs every day. Enjoy the photos!

A boston terrier and a golden retriever dog in their backyard, close-up.

 

A boston terrier and golden retriever relax in the grass.

 

Thanks again Jane – I’ll talk to you soon! (and don’t worry – I have plenty more photos of Marlee positioned more than just a few inches away from the camera!)

 

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A Difficult Senior Dog Session: Bubba the Border Collie

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Bubba is a super-sweet old border collie whom I had the honor of meeting on Saturday. We had a great session – he was a patient model, he made us laugh throughout the whole hour, and we scheduled a follow-up session for outdoor photos later this week! At a glance, it was a wonderful time, and a typical experience for my clients. But under the surface, unfortunately, we were working with a very time-sensitive purpose: at 13, Bubba has stopped eating his meals and appears to be in a bit of chronic pain. His mom Kim doesn’t think he has much time left, so we got together as SOON as possible. And while that thought made the session harder than most, it also made it SO important. (Future clients, please know that if your dog is in a similar condition, I make it a policy to drop what I’m doing and come to you immediately. When time is short I don’t want to leave anything to chance, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you have beautiful portraits of your dog, even if it’s in his or her last hours.)

 

Enjoy these photos of Bubba – hopefully I’ll have even more to blog (from a gorgeous farm, with horses!) by the end of the week!

An old border collie dog barks and lays down in the studio.

 

We found a couch to relax on, and that was a bit more comfortable for Bubba…

An old border collie dog relaxes on a couch in the studio and smiles.

 

But mostly he just wanted to be close to mom.

An old border collie dog lays down in the studio and looks up at his owner.

 

Thank you so much for the privilege of working with your family, Kim. I’ll see you soon!

 

 

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