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: ‘San Diego Dog Photographer’



Birthday Giveaway!

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014

It’s that time of year again! Yahoo!

My birthday is September 3rd, and ever since I started my business, I’ve made it a tradition to give away a photo session every year to celebrate! The only catch: the recipient pet has to be a certain breed! 

In 2012, I gave away a session to a Bernese Mountain Dog, Juno. (Juno also brought her sisters, a labrador and a golden retriever, along for the session!) In 2013, I had just moved to San Diego and offered a session to a very rare breed of dog, the Afghan hound. Apparently it was too soon & too rare, because I didn’t receive any entries at all… which really surprised me, but hey, I learned what not to do! (aka, move to a new city and make a near-impossible request, haha!)

So this year, I have a new breed on my mind… one that I’ve wanted to photograph for quite a while now. It’s on my “wish list”, so to speak, and now I have the opportunity to ask the universe to make it a reality. (You could say it’s a birthday present to myself!) So… drumroll please… this year’s birthday giveaway “casting call” is for…

A setter! 

I would love to work with a setter – any kind! There are English, Gordon & Irish Setters, all of which are stunningly gorgeous. I just can’t get enough of their long, flowing fur & expressive faces.

dog photo session giveaway  birthday photo session  dog photo giveaway

Images courtesy of: petparent.me, sportingdogsaz.com, dog-names-and-more.com 

 

So do you have a setter? Here’s what to do:

 

~   The owner of the dog should email me at Allison@Allisonshamrell.com with a quick description of the dog, and a photo too (it can be a quick snapshot)

~   Extra credit: include why you’d like to win the session!

~   Send that email by the end of the week (Friday, Sept. 5 @ 5:00 pm)

~   That’s it! I’ll pick a winner by the end of the weekend!

 

 

Don’t have a setter, but want to make sure one lucky family can have a great experience?

~   Share this blog post with your favorite setter owner

~   Or just copy & paste www.allisonshamrellblog.com/birthday-dog-photo-session-giveaway to your Facebook page, to reach even more people!

 

 

(New to this blog, and want to see what all the fuss is about? Click here to see my photography portfolio.)

 

 

I’m so excited to work with a setter and meet a new family… I’m happy to cover the session fee, and I just know we’re going to have a great time! Good luck to all the entrants!  :)

Beach Photos with Sammy the Black Lab

Friday, August 29th, 2014

I was privileged to spend an evening with Sammy, a handsome black labrador, for beach photos recently! We met at Tourmaline Beach, where the surfers were everywhere – and the sunset was absolutely perfect! I couldn’t have asked for a better night for a photo session, and I absolutely loved spending it with a woman & dog that share such a close relationship. Sammy & Janet truly mean the world to each other; you can see it in the way the interact and even in the way they look at each other. To me, witnessing their relationship is absolutely beautiful… I was downright honored to be there to document it.

Sammy, despite the fact that he’s slowed down a bit in the last year or so, had a spectacular time at the beach! He ran around, splashed in the surf, and protected us from all the other dogs walking around (haha). He’s a fun-loving, classic labrador – one of my favorite breeds – so of course I let him play around as much as he wanted.

 

Here’s Sammy! Isn’t that a handsome face?

beach photos dog

 

 

I’m going to break one of my own rules, and post a couple of “people” photos here in a sneak peek… I can’t help it; I just love the energy between these two!

beach photos running

 

 

And this… how could I not share this?

dog beach photos

 

Janet, I had a wonderful time with you & Sammy – and I’ll be in touch very soon! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our photos. :)

Pete the Pit Bull in Escondido, CA

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014

I recently had the pleasure of photographing one of the happiest, smiley-est pit bulls I’ve ever met! Pete is a 10-year-old boy who lives in Escondido with his parents, and I simply couldn’t stop smiling during our session because of his big, goofy grin! I think Pete should be the poster dog for pit bull smiles; he even lets it take over his entire face when he runs! (But you’ll have to watch the Facebook page for one of his action photos!)

Pete’s mom is a coworker of Maddie’s mom, and I was thrilled to hear from her because I simply love pitties. And despite his tough-dog bark when I rang the doorbell at his house, he warmed right up and was happy to show me around his favorite spots in the neighborhood… starting with his spot on the couch. And his “spot” isn’t small – it’s half of the sectional! Haha!

 

Here’s Pete’s “serious face”. It’s rare to see, but adorable.

pit bull in black & white

 

 

And then we went outside – running across the grass, basking in the flowers, relaxing with mom & dad, and generally taking it easy. His parents said it was the most activity Pete had seen in a while – and when you’re a 10-year-old homebody, I suppose a photo session is the highlight of your week, haha!

pit bull pictures

 

Pete, thank you for being such a good, happy boy. Angie & Daniel, I can’t wait to see you both again very soon! Just please leave all your Trojan paraphernalia at home, haha! :)

 

Dogs in the Park: More Photos of Madison & Roxy

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

I have a couple of familiar faces for you today! These dogs in the park are Madison & Roxy, the “mascots” of Camp Bow Wow in El Cajon! You might remember their Sneak Peek from a couple of weeks ago… and well, the truth is, their parents have been out of town recently, and I decided it’s simply been too long since they’ve seen more images of their pups! They’ll be visiting the studio to see the rest of their photos soon, but I wanted to give them a second blog post – just for fun. :)

 

Madison showed me every side of her personality during our session… including whatever kind of face this is! haha!

san diego pet photo session

 

 Oh Roxy, you’re so pretty with your sweet white face. When she perks up her ears and smilesI can just see her, years younger than she is now…

san diego photo session

 

Camp Bow Wow has a training program, Behavior Buddies, so you know Madison & Roxy can do a perfect “down-stay”!  I just love how they’re looking at their parents in this image, ready to run over to them as soon as they’re released from the pose!

san diego dog photo session

 

 

Can’t wait to see you soon, Connie & Mark! Give Roxy & Madison a hug for me in the meantime? :)

 

Lottie the Rottweiler ~ Photos in Oceanside, CA

Monday, July 7th, 2014

Lottie the rottie is a sweet & shy mama’s girl from Oceanside, CA – and I met her in one of her favorite places (Guajome Regional Park) for a fun family photo session! I was thrilled to meet her, since rottweilers are one of my very-favorite breeds, so I couldn’t wait for the chance to create some beautiful new rottweiler photos. Lottie is incredibly close to her whole family, but she definitely has a soft spot for her mom. So at one point, when we decided to set up an action photo, we decided that we wanted Lottie to run in a certain direction – so her mom stood at the “destination” as we unclipped her leash and let her loose. But Lottie immediately ran sideways! Turns out, she’d spotted a few ducks in the brush, so she sped off in their direction for a bit of hunting! We laughed, chased her down, and tried again – and with a bit of coaxing, Lottie finally ran the “right” way! :)

Lottie is a happy but timid dog – and I’m told that her bravery has improved significantly over the last few years. Lottie’s parents trusted Behave! LLC for behavioral help, and while I can still see plenty of shyness in Lottie, it’s clear that she’s a much more confident dog today than she used to be!

 

Here she is, blazing her own trail! How cute is her “goofy” face?!

oceanside rottweiler photo

 

We have several super-cute family photos, because Lottie’s happiest when she’s right next to her family – but I held off from posting those here, since I know my human clients like to approve their photos before they’re posted online for everyone to see. Still, I couldn’t resist sharing this sweet moment between Lottie & her siblings! Hopefully they don’t mind, since I think it’s adorable. :)

rottweiler photography

 

 

Oh Lottie… you are gorgeous.

beautiful rottweiler

 

I can’t wait to see you both again soon, Dorie & Todd! Lottie did so well for the session – we have plenty of photos to enjoy!  :)

 

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