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’



3 Rat Terriers & a Papillon

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

Oh, what a FUN session this was! I keep smiling when I look at these pictures. These four dogs have a pretty great life: a loving mom + dad, a huge backyard to hunt lizards and mole crickets, and agility trials to keep them extra busy! These pups just don’t know how good they have it! :)

 

I also love these dogs’ names: they go A-B-C-D! First up is B for Boomer, a sweetheart and toy hoarder.

A rat terrier plays, guarding a ball and hunting in a bush.

 

D is for Dottie, who keeps a lookout in the yard. I imagine this is what her prey sees, seconds before the end… if I were a lizard and saw this look on her face, I’d be TERRIFIED.

A rat terrier hunting in her backyard, looking intense.

 

 Dottie sometimes looks less intimidating! (Cute ears, right?)

A rat terrier hunting in her backyard with her paw up.

 

Here’s Arnie, the lone papillon and bark-a-holic…

A papillon dog against grass, smiling and being playful.

 

And last but not least, Callie can be a real sweet girl…

A rat terrier lays on a bed.

 

when she’s not HUNTING. (I apologize for any “sensitivities” this photo might offend… I didn’t Photoshop any of Callie’s behind! Avert your eyes if you must. Or just see how cute her little hunting butt is.)

A rat terrier's butt shows as she goes underneath her backyard porch hunting.

 

Thanks for a wonderful session, Cindy! Now I get to start the task you gladly handed off to me: whittling down the MANY photos I took to the absolute best ones. It’s a good thing your dogs are so cute – I think you’ll have plenty to pick from when we get together again!

 

 

Pensacola’s 8th Annual Wiener Dog Races

Monday, April 16th, 2012

This past Saturday (April 14, 2012) was a beautiful day, with plenty of sunshine and a constant breeze – perfect weather for racing! Pensacola’s Wiener Dog Races are in their 8th year, and personally, I was pretty impressed at how organized and systematic the event was: there were divisions for every weight class (from 5 lbs all the way up to 20+ lbs) and each race was exciting! And to top it all off, proceeds from admission and food sales went to support the Florida Dachshund Rescue, a fantastic group of people that rehabilitate and re-home dachshunds in need. It was a fantastic day – check out all the fun we had in this video!
 

It was great to meet everyone there – and congrats again to the winners!

 

Kaylee the Old Golden Retriever Girl

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

I don’t know what it is about golden retrievers. Sometimes I think they have a direct link to my soul. I love meeting them, I love photographing them, I love playing with them – and I’m so blessed that my job allows me to do all three! This is Kaylee, a beautiful old girl that was adopted by her parents only three years ago. She’s 11 years old, and has a lot of energy for a girl her age! I was pretty impressed at how many times she kept throwing around and jumping for her pink tennis ball! (yes, she throws it around!)

 

It pains me to show just a few photos of this pretty old girl. I may have to post more to my Facebook page this week… because on a quick glance through her session folder, I’m a BIT overwhelmed. In a good way, of course!! Enjoy these images!

 

 This toy wasn’t in very good shape after about 5 minutes with Kaylee…

Senior golden retriever in the studio tearing up a toy.

 

Don’t worry, Kiersten and Brandon, I didn’t cut off your heads in all the photos! :)

Senior golden retriever in the studio with her owners.

 

We ended the session by relaxing at home. I think Kaylee was pleased about that.

Senior golden retriever on a bed with her owners, next to their feet.

 

Thanks for a GREAT session, Kaylee! I can’t wait to go through the rest of your images!

 

The Park and the Beach with a Husky Puppy and Boxer/Basset Hound Mix

Monday, April 9th, 2012

I first met Angus (the 4-year-old boxer/basset hound mix) and Denali (the husky puppy) at 3 Dogs & A Chick‘s Easter Egg Hunt just two weeks ago. I pretty much melted when I first saw Denali; I think she’s strikingly beautiful! Those markings – those eyes!! I absolutely couldn’t wait to photograph her, and as it turns out, once I started shooting, Angus was even more of a delight to work with! His soulful, hound face had us laughing the entire session.

 

Here’s the Sneak Peek of your images, Chae & Jarred! I’ll be in touch soon to figure out when we can get together again. Enjoy!

 

Dogs; a husky puppy on a dock and bassett hound/boxer mix in a park.

 

A young family stands on the beach with their bassett hound mix and husky puppy.

 

Pet Photography Video

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

Putting yourself out there isn’t easy. I think it comes easily to other people, but I always hesitate. I guess I’ve gotten pretty good at talking myself out of making my business personal – or at least it’s something I constantly have to remind myself to do.

So the idea of really putting myself out there, talking about myself and this business I love so much – let’s just say it wasn’t an easy thing for me to wrap my head around! But I look back and think about all the people to whom I’ve ever said “I’m a pet photographer” and their questions follow: “Pet photography? What is that? How does that work? How do you take pictures of dogs?” The puzzled looks on their faces always go away after a few minutes of explanation, but I realized that an introductory video would answer those questions for anyone who cared to know, all at once, and better than I could answer them just with words.

So a few days ago I released this bad boy: my promo video. It still makes me incredibly nervous to know that it’s out there; I feel like I’ve bared a small part of my heart and it’s open to judgement by anyone, anywhere. But at the same time, I know it’ll give people that’ve never heard of pet photography a great idea of what actually happens during a session. And that was the goal all along.

There’s one more thing you should know about this video: it was made by my husband! I think it’s incredible that he has next-to-no videography experience, but this looks like something I should have paid a LOT of money for! He worked incredibly hard on it, for weeks, and all on our old laptop that constantly gave him issues. The fact that something like this is the result boggles my mind.

This video can always be found on my Facebook page and the homepage of my website. I really hope it answers lots of questions for people who’ve never known what pet photography is – and that it shows how much FUN we have!

 

 

 

 

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