pet photography Archives - Page 77 of 116 - San Diego Pet Photographer Allison Shamrell ~ The Blog San Diego Pet Photographer Allison Shamrell ~ The Blog

Archive: ‘pet photography’

Back to Work: First Pet Photography Session in San Diego

Monday, August 19th, 2013

Ahhhh, finally: I just photographed my very-first pet photography session here in San Diego! Yay!! :)

I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this moment: for the studio to be finished & ready to go, for all the setting-up to-do’s to be checked off my list, for every small business owner’s struggle – getting the word out about your business – to be triumphed just once. It feels SO good to say that I’ve photographed a San Diegan dog!

(In case it’s unclear/for newcomers: this is by no means my first session EVER. I’ve been in business for almost three years and have photographed many pet sessions; this session is a “first” just because it happened in my new local market, San Diego, CA.)

And somehow, fate worked its way into this moment: my client was also stationed back in Pensacola, just like my husband, which is where I started my business! Deidre is a helicopter pilot here in San Diego, and she actually went through the exact same training as my husband, getting stationed here in San Diego just a few months previous to our move! How crazy is that?! She has a dog named Hoban and a cat named Inara, and it was my absolute pleasure to photograph them in the (new!) studio & Balboa Park.

Inara, a siamese mix, perched on her “throne” in the studio:

I can’t believe Inara was so comfortable & happy in the studio! She played with toys, a paper bag, Hoban… it was awesome! I’m pretty sure I’m cat-spoiled now :)

Hoban had a good time at the studio, but he really let loose at the park. And look what a perfect poser he is!

Get this: we had to postpone the last location of our session due to WEATHER! In San Diego?! Really?! It was overcast and we wanted bright blue skies & shimmery blue water for our next spot… and you just don’t get that with a cloud cover. So, I’m guessing that every San Diego photographer only has to reschedule for weather once in their career, and I just got it out of the way ASAP… right? Right?

Deidre, thank you for a fabulous two-thirds of a session. You, Hoban & Inara will always be an extra-special memory in my business – I hope you had as wonderful a time as I did! :)

Tags: San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

My Dog Bailey Playing at the Coronado Dog Beach

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

Amongst all the big news lately – the new studio, the grand opening, the press & features – I thought it was time for a just-for-fun blog post. So today I don’t have any stop-the-presses news to report; I just wanted to share with you my dog Bailey’s first trip to the Coronado Dog Beach! I think it’s important not to get bogged down in all the chaos of work, and just escape every now and then. Especially when pet photography is my specialty – there’s a LOT of fun places to escape to in San Diego! (And to be honest… let’s just say I need to be taking my own advice right about now!) So here are a few photos from Bailey’s first foray into the Coronado waters.

She had a great time running around and stretching her legs. Is she athletic or what?! Honestly, I don’t take her to the dog beach enough… she always has the BEST time just sprinting up & down the sand!

It was a cloudy, completely overcast day. Which is good & bad for photography, actually: good because there are no harsh shadows and I can shoot from just about any angle. Not so good because it means no blue skies or blue water. So, a trade-off.

So, when there aren’t any pretty colors: black & white! :)

I love the Hotel Del in the background… what a gorgeous beach.

This, however, is what Bailey loves to do more than ANYTHING. Ugh. I can’t do anything but sit back and watch her, thinking, “oh, yeah, that’s good, I’m glad you got that little spot on top of your head/on your side/in your ear. You had missed it in the first thirty seconds of rolling around like that. I hope no owners forgot about their dog’s poop that happened to be right underneath you. This just sealed the deal on your bath, missy.”

… sigh. That’s my girl.

If you’ve been reading the blog for a few weeks now, you know that I’m trying to encourage Bailey to develop her social skills a bit. She’s a happy, friendly dog, but sometimes we have not-so-nice interactions with other friendly dogs that leave me scratching my head. I just don’t know what will set her off. (It only happens 5% of the time, if that, but I’m having trouble understanding why.) Lately, I’ve learned (upon paying close attention) that Bailey is a little more likely to be unfriendly to a new dog when she’s already in a stressful situation, or when that dog approaches her too quickly. So, I’m glad that I’m learning about her triggers, so I can help prevent these negative types of situations.

At the dog beach, it’s a happy place and Bailey can aways see other dogs coming from a ways off, so she’s never grumpy or rushed. Which is great! I’m fascinated to watch her play with other dogs there. Sometimes she’s super-outgoing…

and sometimes she just skulks around like this. What a weirdo. Look at that face! Skulker.

She wants to play with most other dogs, but her ridge will often come up. (we think she’s mostly Rhodesian ridgeback, so her ridge gets HUGE when she’s agitated.) Often, though, she seems to “tough it out” and play – even though she’s on edge.

If she finds a dog she likes, she’ll get submissive and start licking their mouth.

And then when she feels REALLY submissive, she’ll just lay down. And get pawed in the face, apparently! (I couldn’t switch to my zoom lens in time to capture this moment… wish I could have been closer up! What a goof!)

And although she doesn’t fetch, she’ll always try and “intercept” dogs that do. I can’t figure out this inclination, either!

In general, though, I’m definitely seeing improvement in Bailey’s short-term visits with other dogs! I just want my girl to be happy, so this is great to see.

Okay – so apparently my dog looks like she has rabies every time she shakes. Awesome.

When we adopted her, the rescue organization’s guess at her breed was “mastiff”. Probably not the case, but look at those mastiff-like jowls! :)

We finished our morning by breaking out the ol’ fisheye lens for a few fun shots…

Goofball!

Thanks for reading! I’m glad you’re here – even though every blog post isn’t newsworthy, I’m happy you take the time to visit. More fun stuff is coming soon! :)

Tags: San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer
Posted in just for fun, personal, pet photography | 5 Comments »

San Diego Pet Photography Sessions by Allison Shamrell – Introductory Promotion

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

I’m thrilled to announce my grand opening promotion for San Diego pet photography sessions! I promised I’d reveal the special once my Facebook page hit 1,000 fans, and it’s already soared past that number in just a few days! So without further ado, here it is:

I’m experienced & skilled at pet photography, but I’m not familiar with San Diego, having just moved here a few short weeks ago.

So to see & experience the best of San Diego while re-launching my business, I’m introducing a limited-time offer:

the first client to book a session in each of the following locations will receive a complimentary 20×30 canvas gallery wrap!

~ BALBOA PARK

~ CORONADO

~ DOWNTOWN

~ FIESTA ISLAND

~ POINT LOMA HARBOR

~ TORREY PINES STATE RESERVE

Can you just imagine how great a dog will look, gazing serenely into the distance over the rough landscape of Torrey Pines State Reserve? Laying contentedly in the grass in Balboa Park? Or catapulting himself through the sapphire-blue water at Fiesta Island? Each of these places offers incredible diversity & beauty, and I would adore meeting an adventure-prone dog amidst the sailing boats in the harbor, or San Diego’s most social pup strolling through the Gaslamp District, saying hello to all the tourists.

Each of these places are scenic locations I’m just itching to visit – and I have a feeling they might become “regular” spots for sessions in the future.

The truth is, they may follow hundreds of Florida families, but I’m about to photograph my very first California clients. As a thank-you for kick-starting the relaunch of Allison Shamrell Pet Photography in San Diego, I’m happy to reward my first clients that are willing to visit one of these places in their session with my most popular size of canvas gallery wrap!

These products are worth over $300 each – that means I’ll be giving away more than $1800 of canvas gallery wraps in total! I wanted to go above & beyond for these families, and 20″x30″ is definitely not small – in fact, it can fill up a wall!

If you’ve never seen a canvas gallery wrap before, check out these close-ups:

Canvas gallery wraps are one of my most popular products, and for good reason: they’re fabulously modern and incredibly well-constructed. Everyone loves them!

(Can I make a suggestion? These locations don’t have to be the only places we visit during our session. I think it would be marvelously fun for my clients to choose The Dalmatian Package and start at one of these locations for some beautiful scenic vistas, then head back to their house for a few super-personal photos in the place where their dog spends the most time, and then finish up at my studio for some clean, modern images and a totally different look!)

So there you have it! I couldn’t possibly be more excited to re-start my business here in San Diego. It’s a funny thing, you know, building a business and establishing yourself in the market, only to move across the country and (in many ways) start all over again. But I’m not starting from scratch; I know I can provide an incredible (yes, I said incredible) experience, and create beautiful images for the families that choose to meet this Florida-grown photographer. :)

Do you know someone who might be interested in this special? I encourage you to share this post with them. You can also share my Facebook post about it. I appreciate you helping me spread the word!

So check out my portfolio, then take a look at session pricing and (most importantly) get in touch! I can’t WAIT to meet you!

Okay okay, the disclaimers:

First come first serve for each location.
One canvas per client; no combining locations for multiple canvases.
Clients may choose any length of session; regular session fees apply.
Clients may choose to upgrade their canvas gallery wrap to a different size by paying the a la carte difference.
Guess what: I don’t pretend to know all the most photogenic spots in San Diego. If you want to have a session at a different public place (that’s just as scenic as the ones I listed), contact me and make your pitch! I’ll entertain all ideas, and just might extend this promotion to a couple more locations!

UPDATE – 7/1/13: Three locations have been booked! Balboa Park, Torrey Pines State Park & Fiesta Island have been spoken for. As of right now, the other three locations are still up for grabs!

Image sources: http://onecoolthingeveryweekend.com/2012/11/21/picture-tour-of-the-san-diego-balboa-park/, http://www.sandiegodigitalphotos.com/San_Diego_photos/Coronado_Centennial_Park.html, http://101thingstodosw.com/san-diego/family-time-on-a-budget/, http://www.billcaid.com/2012/BalboaParkandMissionBay20121208/BalboaParkandMissionBay20121208.htm, http://www.bcre.com/gaslamp-district-downtown-san-diego.php, https://www.facebook.com/harborislandwestmarina

Tags: pet photography, pets, photography, San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer
Posted in housekeeping/fyi, pet photography | 2 Comments »

Hillcrest, San Diego Pride Party with Dogs at Fido & Co. Canine Country Club

Thursday, July 18th, 2013

The Pride of Hillcrest is something I’d never been to before, but I learned quickly: it’s one big party! This yearly festival & parade is held in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego, and I absolutely loved the happy, joyous atmosphere of the whole weekend!

Fido & Co., Hilcrest’s “canine country club”, invited me to photograph the event, and I’m so glad they did! It was so much fun to hang out with their members and enjoy the festivities! On Friday night, the band D’Nile took the stage in front of Fido & Co. and played long into the night – and you should have seen all the people that came up and started dancing! Saturday morning was the parade, and my gosh, people flocked to Fido & Co. to watch it all. (I suppose it could have had something to do with the bottomless mimosas they were serving…)

Take a look!

They decked out the whole building for the event!

The event was a perfect opportunity to collect proceeds for charity, and the recipient was Ferdinand’s Familia, San Diego’s only all-species rescue! I was talking to one of the volunteers, and they said they got a call a couple of weeks ago for a stray llama in Chula Vista. Um… what??? Ferdinand’s Familia has stables & facilities in Imperial City and they rescue everything from cats & dogs to goats & horses! What a great choice for a charity to support.

D’Nile was awesome!

Soooo much dancing…

How cute is Gabi (the pug) joining the fun?!

I decided to bring out my fisheye lens for a few photos, too…

Saturday morning! This picture is misleading, because I took it before FIdo & Co. got PACKED! There were easily 3-4 times as many people there by the time the parade started.

Karla & Lisa, the owners of Fido & Co., pose in front of the big peace flag in the lobby! (love these two!)

Dogs attended the festivities… obviously! :) That’s Gabi the pug & Ruby the yorkie.

Gabi donned a pink tutu for Saturday… so. perfect. Who doesn’t love pugs & tutus? You can see how everyone was loving her in the photo on the left!

More love for sweet Gabi…

These boys got plenty of attention too! I don’t know their names, but aren’t they handsome?

Haha! Everyone laughed when this dog used his brother as a head-rest! And this is Patrick the Boston terrier, who loved the camera…

And then the parade began!

Sadly, I couldn’t stay for the parade – some extended family came into town – but if it was anything like the pre=parade party, I’m sure it was a BALL!

Thank you, Fido & Co., for inviting me to the event! I had a great time and I’m already excited for next year. :)

Tags: pet photography, pets, photography, San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer
Posted in events, pet photography | No Comments »

San Diego Pet Photographer Featured Internationally

Thursday, July 11th, 2013

Hello, lovely blog-readers! Some pretty exciting things have happened lately with a few of my photos, and if you’re not already a fan of the Facebook page, you might have missed hearing about it – and that’s no fun! So here’s the big news: my photos have been featured internationally!

Itty Bitty & Fluffy is a British-based blog about pet style & photography. They showcase the latest & greatest products in the pet industry, whether they’re from upscale boutiques or handmade by artisans. They’re also a storehouse of fantastic pet photography by artists around the globe. So when they notified me that they’d be featuring my session with Socrates the labradoodle, I was thrilled! Not only that – they took a dip into my blog archives and specifically asked to feature Gus’s session from last year as well! So those photos will be featured soon too! Check out a few screenshots of their post here, or click here to see the whole article on their site.

Exciting stuff, right?! I’m still pinching myself over being featured (soon-to-be-twice!) in a blog with such high standards, and a such a reputation in the pet industry for only showing truly outstanding work. YAY!

Now, there’s a difference between being featured for stylized pet portraiture and being featured for national event coverage… so I’m equally thrilled (just in a different way!) to say that my photos from the Loews Dog Surfing Competition were requested & published by the UK Daily Mail! (Looks like I haven’t lost my journalism touch… shooting for a paper was actually how I got started in photography, and let me tell you, it’s not always easy to capture photos that stand out from alllllll the other photographers’ at the event!) The Daily Mail is one of the UK’s most popular news sources with millions of readers, and they published an article the day after the event, detailing the competitors & atmosphere of the day. The article is here on their site, or you can just take a quick look below:

(This first photo actually isn’t mine; it was taken years ago and is just a stock photo showing Tillman.)

There’s Ricochet the SURF-ice Dog, and a couple more competitors!

(To be completely honest, I think they lost a bit of saturation in the photos’ colors, which slightly disappointed me… but hey, I’m a perfectionist! haha!)

So it’s been a big week, I suppose! :) And I think a few more good things are coming soon… you can keep up with all the updates by scrolling down to the bottom of this page and entering your email address under “subscribe”. You’ll get a cute little one-liner email whenever I publish a new post here! That way you won’t miss any of the exciting news. I may have just arrived in San Diego, but I have a feeling there are PLENTY of good things on their way! :)

Tags: pet photography, pets, photography, San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer
Posted in events, housekeeping/fyi, just for fun, pet photography | 1 Comment »

Archive: ‘pet photography’

Back to Work: First Pet Photography Session in San Diego

My Dog Bailey Playing at the Coronado Dog Beach

San Diego Pet Photography Sessions by Allison Shamrell – Introductory Promotion

Hillcrest, San Diego Pride Party with Dogs at Fido & Co. Canine Country Club

San Diego Pet Photographer Featured Internationally

Subscribe

Links

Search