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: ‘pets’



Doggie Birthday: Bailey Turns 3!

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Sunday, June 10th was a big day in the Shamrell household: Bailey turned three! Does this mean she’s no longer a “puppy”? Oh who am I kidding, I’ll always call her my puppy! :)  (Side note: she’s 21 in dog years, so we’ve ordered a few age-appropriate beverages for her that’ll hopefully arrive soon!)

We celebrated the occasion with two walks, plenty of treats, a new knuckle bone, and CAKE! I spent the previous day in Ft. Walton Beach at the dog boutique 3 Dogs & A Chick, so really, I had very little choice in the matter. Their cute cake designs were just staring me in the face. I had to get one for her. They let me choose the color scheme, so I asked for the confetti sprinkles (because they’re fun) and pink writing, because Bailey’s a very girly dog. She is! – all her dog-sitters comment on how ladylike she is, and plus she’s so gosh darn pretty, so pink was a natural choice. Oh, and the cake is peanut butter flavored!

So in case you missed the album I posted on the Facebook page, here are a few shots of the cake… it’s so gorgeous I couldn’t help myself but photograph it.

 

Photo of a dog's birthday cake in the delivery box.

 

Photo of a dog's birthday cake that reads "Happy Birthday Bailey".

 

Photo of a dog-safe birthday cake that reads "Happy Birthday Bailey".

 

Photo of a dog's birthday cake.

 

Photo of a dog's birthday cake.

 

Photo of a dog's birthday cake with confetti sprinkles and pink icing.

Sometimes I love the details so much, that I think about being a product photographer… but then again I think those photographers must have a TREMENDOUS tolerance for boredom, because really, there aren’t any living creatures in their work! Just thinking about spending all day with inanimate objects (instead of dogs) induces a yawn. So I guess product photography is not for me.

 

Okay, there is a story behind why Bailey looks semi-miserable in this photo. We got her up in the chair, and the cake was in front of her all ready to go, and what do I do? Strike a match to light her candles, of course! But I didn’t even think that it might scare her (which is embarrassing) because she has no reaction to our outdoor tiki torches or any other fire I can think of… but I guess the actual creation of the flame was what spooked her. So she jumped out of the chair in a panic, poor thing. We finally got her back up and slid the cake in front of her, but she looked SO sad – the only way I even got her ears up was by saying “wanna go for a walk?” which of course we weren’t going for at 8:00 at night, so I guess that makes me even MORE of a terrible mom, taunting her with a walk. Sigh… so we took one halfway-decent photo and let her escape the terror of the dining room table.

Photo of a dog with her birthday cake.

 

She also had ice cream, which was the initial favorite – she licked it up quickly!

Photo of a dog's birthday cake and dog-safe ice cream.

 

After cutting the cake into quarters (because it’s HUGE) this is what our freezer looked like. Pretty awesome freezer if you ask me! :)  (And yes, those are the TGI Friday frozen dinners in the background… we think they’re delicious so don’t judge!)

Photo of dog birthday cake and ice cream in the freezer.

 

Here’s Bailey’s plan of attack for the cake: lick the entire exterior, THEN start nibbling. She didn’t tear into it, as I imagine many dogs would. Here’s a quick video showing the beginning of the process…

 
And here’s a longer video showing her dainty way of getting into the knuckle bone I wrapped for her… it was her main present because she loves these things, they are her absolute favorite toys, and it’ll last a few months no problem. It was fun to see her discover it so cautiously!

 

Happy birthday, Bailey – you’re a blessing to our little family and we’re ridiculously happy we found you. Here’s to plenty more birthdays with you!!

 

Black Dogs with Very Different Personalities: Bally & Cuda

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

These two dogs, although they look similar, couldn’t be more different! Bally and Cuda are sisters (recently-made big sisters to a little two-legger!) and live in Pensacola. Cuda is the older one at 4 (and I think she thinks she’s wiser, as well) and is a black labrador mix. She’s a bit smaller than most labs, and something in her face makes me think she could be a hound mix too… but she’s a low-maintenance, simple dog that just does her own thing. Bally, on the other hand, is 2 and still has a TON of puppy in her! She has tons of energy and is always ready to be the center of attention! I kept laughing when we were working with them, because despite Bally wanting to romp all over the house, she was a bit easier to work with than Cuda: Bally responds to commands very well (I hear she’s doing great in obedience class over at Best Paw Forward!) and will do anything for a treat. And so, counter-intuitively, even though her parents joke about Cuda being the “easy” dog and so calm, especially around the new baby, Cuda definitely has an independent spirit. She wanted to do exactly what she wanted to do, and while we were able to coax her with treats some of the time, it mostly took patience on my end to let Cuda come around to working for the camera. They were a fascinating duo to work with, and while I think my technical skills get a little better with each session, this one was definitely a “push” for me! :)

 

Bally is on the left, and Cuda is on the right… see what I mean about their different personalities?

Two black dogs show their personalities in two photos.

 

We managed to get a few posed photos of the girls together! I like this one :)

Two black dogs lie down in a living room.

 

I hope you enjoyed your Sneak Peek, Sally & Jackie! I’ll be in touch soon!

 

In the Studio: a Labrador and a Mutt!

Monday, June 4th, 2012

It was so much fun to see Rio & Rags again! Rio (the yellow lab) is an old hat at modeling for me; this was his third time in front of my camera! He knows exactly what he’s doing and works it like a pro :)  And Rags did remarkably well for being in a studio and not a large, open outdoor space, since I know that’s where he’s more comfortable. (See their previous session in the great outdoors here.)  They both kept us laughing the whole time, but we got them to pose perfectly with the treat their mom brought: pepperoni! Real pepperoni, like, for pizza! Clearly, they were happy to oblige whatever silly poses we put them in.

 

Rags has such a cute underbite!

A scruffy terrier mix in the studio on a black background.

 

I posted this one to my Facebook page yesterday… which you should go check out, if you haven’t already… love the tongue!

Yellow labrador licking his lips/chops

 

Unlike many dogs, laying side-by-side was no problem for these two!

Yellow labrador and a terrier mix lay down in the studio.

 

We took a quick trip outside the studio to play with my fisheye lens…

A yellow labrador relaxes on a street sidewalk, taken with a fisheye lens.

 

Thanks for a great time Lori, as usual! :)

 

Relaxing in the Front Yard: Beckham the Labrador

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

Beckham is not your typical labrador. He’s happier laying down than running around, and he’s built more like a bear than a dog! Beckham is a gorgeous, goofy 7-year-old lab who was so much fun to photograph! We stayed in his front yard for most of our session because that’s where he loves to be, and he was more than happy to lay around and let us feed him treats.

He lives a pretty great life, but unfortunately, he’s always been plagued by health problems. Recently, his parents found out that he has a tumor in his heart. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. It’s just not fair for a dog that’s so sweet and has so much love to give… but we didn’t focus on the negatives today. We had a wonderful time and Beckham kept us laughing throughout the session. Thanks for a great morning, big guy!

 

The yard is his domain… I don’t know what would happen if he didn’t keep watch over it.

 

He actually ran for us! This boy has get-up and GO! (I was only slightly scared for my life when I saw him barreling towards me)

 

… bear-like paws, wet with the morning dew…

 

We finished up by taking a bath. In the sunlight.

 

Karin & Mick, it was an honor to meet you & Beckham. I hope you had as much fun as I did today! Thanks again, and I’ll see you soon!

 

Real Premium Album Sample: Razzie & Cherry

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

I was so excited when the FedEx man knocked on my door yesterday! He was carrying the first-ever (first-ever!) premium album for one of my clients! I’ve only been carrying these incredible products since April, after I attended a photography convention and couldn’t bear to walk away without sharing such beautiful works of art with my clients. They really are amazing – the craftsmanship, the attention to detail that my printers give – it’s flat-out incredible. And when they’re filled with artfully-arranged images of members of your family, jaw-dropping doesn’t even begin to describe them! (I should know – one of my samples features Bailey!)

 

So here’s the premium album that Razzie & Cherry’s mom ordered. I took a bunch of photos of it today, and hopefully this post gives you a good idea of the beautiful details it includes! She decided on the silk cover album option. It arrives in a plush, padded leather carrying case…

A photo of the leather carrying case of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

She opted for a silk brocade cover material in black, which has a beautiful mix of texture and silky smoothness.

A photo of the side and box of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

She also chose to put her dogs’ names on the cover (instead of a photo). For simplicity’s sake, it’s a great choice! A favorite photo could be placed there just as easily.

A photo of the cover of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

A photo of the cover fabric of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

The pages are wonderfully thick; you’d never rip or tear them.

A photo of the side of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

One of my favorite features about premium albums? We can work quotes into the design! There are SO many wonderful (and touching) quotes about dogs out there, and I already have a small library-size compilation of them to choose from!

A photo of a quote on the title page of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

A photo of a quote inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

We have a little more creative freedom to mix color and black & white photos in premium albums, than compared to a wall gallery. It can be tricky, but done right, the correct photos really POP.

A photo of a spread inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

As you can see, the photo stretches across the entire spread. The line you see down the middle is the glare from my office window, not a seam or gutter.

A photo of a spread inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

A close-up of the way the photo encompasses the entire spread. There’s no gutter!

A photo of a partial spread inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

Tomorrow I get to hand off this album to its rightful owner… but it was so fun to see it myself and take a few pictures :)  Thanks so much for letting me play with (and design) your pooches, Christel!

 

 

All Images Copyright Allison Shamrell Photography: | Blog Theme Created by LJP & SLR Lounge