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Elsa & Clio, Pomeranians from Solana Beach!

Wednesday, February 1st, 2017

Tap tap… is this thing on?

Welcome to my first photo session of 2017! Gah, I can’t believe it! I took most of January (and part of December) off from shooting to do some business planning and organizational work… and now I’m back behind the camera! And there was simply no one better to help me ring in 2017 than these two sweet faces! Elsa & Clio are two Pomeranians from Solana Beach, California. And while they aren’t exactly puppies, I don’t feel like I can legitimately call them “senior” dogs because they have sooooo much personality! Elsa is the boss, plain and simple; she always gets her way and won’t hesitate to make her voice heard, haha! Clio, on the other hand, is a sweet, sensitive girl who’s happy to let her sister have the run of the house. (Well, maybe “happy” is a strong word, but she tolerates is quite well.) Her only fear is slippery surfaces, like hardwood floors. But what both dogs have in common is a total devotion to their mom, Sara. It’s so sweet to see the 3 of them interact – they’re a tight-knit family and I absolutely loved spending the afternoon with them all!

 

This is Clio. If she wasn’t already adorable, her favorite treats are blueberries!

Pomeranian photo

 

And this opinionated pup is Elsa. (No, she wasn’t named after the Frozen character!)

happy Pomeranians

 

These two fluffers are the cutest pair!

Pomeranians in studio

 

 

Sara, thank you so much for introducing me to your sweet Pomeranians! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our images soon! :)

 

Koya the Border Collie Mix, and My Thoughts on Life

Thursday, December 15th, 2016

I’ve been thinking a lot about life recently – the different stages that you pass through in life, and how things change over time. And there’s a reason I’ve been pondering these things recently. Her name is Koya.

Koya is a 15-year-old Australian shepherd/border collie mix, who lives with her family in southern San Diego. When you see her today, you see a sweet old dog. She hobbles to get around, since bending her knees is tough to do, and there’s a generous amount of white fur that has accumulated on her face over the last several years. She moves slow and needs help getting up sometimes. If you meet her today, that’s what you see.

But Koya’s mom is happy to tell her whole story, and it might surprise you: she adopted Koya as a puppy when she was single & living in Canada, almost 15 years ago. And Koya was the perfect companion to her mom’s adventures. As a wildlife biologist, Koya’s mom (and eventually her dad, too) would go on multi-day escapades in the mountains, hiking trips that put my casual outdoor experiences to shame, and adventures in the wild that any dog would dream of. I can’t express how much I would have loved to know Koya back then: young, strong, energetic, and ready for anything. But I didn’t know her back then… I only got to meet this awesome dog in the sunset of her life. And that’s okay too – because I still had the privilege of seeing the love she has for her mom, and the rest of her family as well (including her almost-2-year-old human brother). And something tells me that love hasn’t changed a bit over time, no matter whether Koya happened to be young or old… so I feel like I got to know “young Koya” in that small way, after all.

 

We started our photo session in Koya’s awesome backyard, where Koya (slowly) showed me around her favorite spots.

border collie mix

 

This is Takla, a shepherd & maremma sheepdog (!) mix, Koya’s canine sister. She’s a sweetheart whose favorite hobby is getting belly rubs. Seriously, I think she spent the whole session thinking “why doesn’t this involve more belly rubs?” And trust me, she got several, haha – but she can never have enough! :)

sheepdog maremma mix

 

Koya, right next to her mom – exactly where she wants to be.

border collie mix

 

I couldn’t have chosen a better dog – or image – to be my last subject of 2016. :)

border collie sunset

 

 

Libby, thank you so much for introducing me to your wonderful family! I’m so excited to see you again soon. Merry Christmas in the meantime! :)

 

That’s a Wrap: Photos from the 2016 Portraits for Pooches Fundraiser

Thursday, December 15th, 2016

Oh my goodness – whirlwind weekend doesn’t even begin to describe it. I was absolutely blown away this year (pun intended! ha!) by the support and generosity of the Portraits for Pooches attendees! My weekend was fully booked solid, and it was great to meet so many San Diego dogs – but it was just as fun to write a $1,500 check to the San Diego Humane Society! Not to mention the huge food donation, that the volunteers could hardly believe was so big and so high-quality! Yay! I’d definitely say this fundraiser was a massive success – who knew a mini photo session event for dogs could have gone so smoothly and so well? Haha! And after everyone has ordered their favorite photos as prints, canvases & Christmas cards, I finally have the time to share some of the gorgeous results with you! Here are just a few of the wonderful families who came out this year:

Roxy and Rowdy, cattle dog mixes, and their parents

mini pet photo sessions

 

Trooper and Tres, mixed breed dogs, and their parents

photo session for pets

 

Gracie the boxer and Chico the chihuahua mix, and their parents

mini pet photo session

 

Colin the Mexican rescue mutt, and his moms

mini dog photo session

 

Kane the German shepherd, and his parents
(Okay, okay, here are some photos of just the dogs, too!)

mini pet photo session image

 

Chula the pit bull mix
(We had two backdrops to choose between: classic white, or rustic snowflakes on wood! Which do you like better?)

mini photo session for dogs

 

Aberdeen the service dog (labrador and golden retriever mix)

mini photo session for dogs

 

Belle the Bichon Frise

mini dog photo session

 

Oscar & Mia, dachshunds

dogs mini session

 

Penny the lhasa apso mix

mini photo sessions for pets

 

 

Missed out on the event this year? Don’t be (too) sad – a few Portraits for Pooches events are on my 2017 calendar! The first one is actually in January (eeeek!) and it’s benefitting California Labradors, Retrievers & More. Perfect timing for a Christmas gift! If you’d like to participate – or if you’re a representative of a local animal rescue and would like to reap the benefits of a similar event – drop me a line! You can call 619.357.6624 or email me at allison@allisonshamrell.com.

 

I hope to see you at a future event – whether it’s to celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, National Dog Day or next year’s Christmas card photos! :)

-Allison

 

La Jolla Shores Pet Photography with Bernie the dog!

Saturday, November 26th, 2016

I can’t believe Thanksgiving has already come & gone. It’s finally starting to feel like fall in San Diego – winter, even? – and yet I still get to work with gorgeous dogs like Bernie who are willing to brave the colder temperatures and enjoy a day at the beach!  :)

Bernie’s mom emailed me about a photo session, in which she described Bernie (in all caps) as the BEST DOG EVER! So I knew I was in for a very special photo session before I even met this handsome boy, haha! And true to his mom’s description, Bernie was an absolute dream to work with: a happy, free-spirited dog with a clear & deep connection to his mom, and just a touch of “distinguished gray” starting to show on his face. We started our afternoon at Marian Bear Park, where Bernie had a wonderful time exploring the trails and clearings, and then we headed to one of my favorite spots, Tourmaline Park in La Jolla. But the weather wasn’t on our side – it is November, after all – and after a few minutes of discussion we decided to reschedule the second half of our session. Boo, growl, hiss. But it turned out to be a total blessing in disguise – a silver lining to the clouds, if you will! ;)  Because trying for better weather at sunrise meant that we had the ability to visit one of Bernie’s favorite spots, La Jolla Shores! It’s a place where dogs typically aren’t allowed – so I never thought I’d find myself there for a photo session! But we were out in the early morning, and to my surprise we ran into several other dogs, too, so I knew we weren’t the only ones with a good idea. And since Bernie already knows & loves that beach, it added a little bit of sentimental value to our session in a way I never could have planned… So it all turned out to be absolutely perfect! I’m so glad it was overcast & yucky on the day we originally scheduled our photo session, haha – and I definitely didn’t think I’d ever say that!

 

This is Bernie’s contented smile and slight head tilt. Try not to fall in love.

la jolla shores dog

 

Bernie LOVES the beach! His favorite game is fetch, although he’s not a big fan of bringing the ball back to his mom… so it turns into a game of mutual fetch, as Bernie gets the ball from the ocean and his mom gets it from wherever he drops it! Haha!

la jolla shores pet photography

 

The beach is gorgeous, especially in La Jolla – but it’s a more beautiful sight whenever there’s a happy dog playing in it.

la jolla shores dog photo

 

 

Angela, thank you so much for introducing me to your handsome boy, and for my first La Jolla Shores pet photography session! (And thank you for being so patient to see this “sneak peek”!) I’m looking forward to showing you the rest of our images! :)

 

Barley & Harper, the Red Boston Terriers! (Photos)

Monday, November 21st, 2016

Barley & Harper are two adorable red Boston terriers, and we recently shared a fun photo session in North County!

These two pups’ names are inspired by barley & hops, two of the essential ingredients in beer – and as soon as I heard this, I knew I’d get along with their parents, haha! We all love craft beer, the more local the better – and thankfully San Diego has plenty of dog-friendly breweries to visit. When these dogs aren’t hanging out by the bar, they also love to go camping and play at the dog beach. In fact, they’re great little breed ambassadors! Their parents say they get plenty of attention by people interested in Boston terriers (especially people who don’t know that red Boston terriers exist), and at the end of our session we actually met a couple who are considering adopting a couple of Bostons in the future! So Barley & Harper played with them for a few minutes, and they definitely won two more fans over to the breed! And I can’t blame them; they’re such sweet, playful dogs! On top of their awesome personalities, it turns out, these pups also pose for photos like total pros – I’m so excited to share their images with you!

 

This is Harper, the 1-year-old girl. She’s a little princess and isn’t shy to tell everyone what she wants! (Which is usually “more treats!”) She was a perfect little lady for our photo session, except for a brief moment in which she proved that she can’t be trusted off-leash… and I just couldn’t get over how expressive her little face is!

boston terrier picture

 

And this blast of energy is Barley! He’s only a few months older than his sister, and happens to be obsessed with his ball. Such a fast dog! And just as enthusiastic about his treats, too, haha!

running boston terrier

 

Oh my goodness, you two. Stop it. Way too cute.

red boston terriers

 

Steph & Sven, thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon! I’m looking forward to seeing you both again soon! :)

 

 

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