About

Tag: ‘contest’



A Pet Photographer’s Birthday Present to Herself – and Someone Else!

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

It’s tradition: each year, I give myself a birthday present that’s also a gift for someone else! :)  And my birthday is September 3rd! Tomorrow! (Yay!) So it’s definitely time to announce the present…

Confused? Here’s what happens: I choose a dog breed that I’d LOVE to work with – one that I’ve never photographed before – and after a “casting call” of sorts, I give a complimentary session to the dog’s owner! It’s a pretty good deal for everyone involved, I think! haha! So here it is, this year’s birthday breed:

The Afghan Hound!

 

san diego afghan hound casting callsan diego afghan hound casting call

san diego afghan hound casting call

 

That long flowing hair, those graceful limbs, the deep expressive eyes… everything about the Afghan Hound says “beauty”. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting one, briefly, but I’d LOVE to actually photograph one! So if you know someone with an Afghan, first of all remind them how lucky they are. Then send them to this blog post! Here’s what they have to do to have a chance at winning a complimentary one-hour photo session:

~  Visit my main website, allisonshamrell.com, and make sure they like my style – which is natural, playful, and soulful. If they’d prefer formal, posed portraits in front of a fake fireplace background, I’m probably not the photographer for them. They should also check out the Pricing page – the Beagle Package is what’s at stake.

~  Email me at allison@allisonshamrell.com with a photo of their dog (it can be just a snapshot), and include just a few sentences about why they’d like to win the session, and what they’d do with the photos.

~  And that’s it! Within a week or so, I’ll choose a winner! It’s the best way to celebrate a pet photographer’s birthday, I think! haha :)

 

Last year’s birthday breed was the Bernese Mountain Dog, and Juno the 1-year-old Bernese was the lucky pup chosen to win! She brought her sisters (a chocolate lab and a golden retriever) along, of course, and we had a ridiculously fun session together. I can’t wait to meet this year’s winner – so, to all you Afghan Hound owners, good luck! :)

 

 

Disclaimers:

~  Contacting me does not guarantee a free session. Only one winner will be picked, and they must own an Afghan Hound. Email submissions from friends/family of the Afghan’s owner will not be considered.

~  Other dogs may participate in the session, as long as they live in the same household as the Afghan.

~  The Beagle Package includes one hour of time in any location in/around central San Diego. Additional fees will apply when including more than two dogs or requesting travel beyond 30 minutes’ driving time from the studio at 3251 Adams Ave in Normal Heights, San Diego.

 

Pensacola Chihuahua Photography: Rocco & Vegas

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

So, remember yesterday’s post about session winners from Gallery Night last year? Turns out, this session also came about through a drawing, and it’s been in the works even longer – since September!! I know, that’s a long time – maybe the longest I’ve ever gone from meeting the owner to having the session – but we were delayed by sickness, out-of-town trips, holiday craziness, and little Vegas even had an infection in his paw for a while, poor thing. But despite the odds (who knew they would be so steep?) I finally got to meet Rocco and Vegas, chihuahua brothers that belong to the owner of Legacy Event Design!

So first of all, I absolutely have to mention that if you’re planning a wedding in the Pensacola, Darrin (these guys’ dad) is your best source of all things planning-related. He was telling me about a few fabulous events he’s done, and I can’t recommend him highly enough! This guy knows his stuff and I know he’d be a huge asset to any wedding.

But in the meantime, our focus was on his pups – and they are awesome little guys! Rocco is a 14-year-old Mexican immigrant (yes really) and a ball of curious energy. Vegas, only 1 year old, prefers to stick close to his dad and watch the trouble Rocco causes! I loved working with them both, so enough talk, on to the photos!

 

I looooove the mischevious look in Rocco’s eyes! Vegas has a lock on the best head tilt, though, for sure.

Two cute chihuahua dogs on green grass.

 

When you work with a wedding planner, you have access to some fun props! The boys each took their turn on the ivories and it was super-cute!

Two chihuahuas in Pensacola, Florida play with their owner and on top of a piano.

 

Darrin – thanks for being so wonderfully flexible and patient to finally have your session! I can’t wait to see you all again soon!

 

Pensacola Dog & Family Photography: Duelli & Sprocket

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

This family actually won a session with me after entering a drawing at Pensacola’s Gallery Night – but that event happened last year, and we haven’t been able to get together until now! I can’t believe we had to wait so long, but let me tell you, this session was worth the wait. Their dogs are Duelli (pronounced “dooli”) the German shepherd, and Sprocket the pomeranian. These boys are super-sweet in their own individual ways: Sprocket loves to get attention (and lap room) from anyone that visits, and he’ll be your best friend if you give him treats & affection! Duelli, on the other hand, is fiercely and beautifully loyal to his mom Krissy; she jokes that “I couldn’t lose him even if I tried!” Together, these boys make the perfect (not to mention photogenic) pair.

Here’s Duelli, with the frisbee that he wanted to include in every. single. photo.

A German shepherd lays in the grass with his favorite frisbee toy.

 

How to Trap a Pomeranian: Sprocket couldn’t wiggle his way out of this photo, since his dad had him trapped!

A pomeranian smiles up at the camera from in between his owner's legs and feet.

 

They have an old VW bug named Petunia… so OBVIOUSLY we took a few photos with it! How adorable are they??

A young couple with a pomeranian and a German shepherd smile for a photo in an old VW bug.

 

Beautiful dogs, beautiful family. I love it.

A family and their dogs sit in front of their house for a portrait.

 

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon session, Krissy & Mark!  (Oh, and a note to future clients: if you invite my husband and I over for dinner after our session, you win MAJOR brownie points. Just sayin. :) )

 

German Shepherd Dog & Puppy Photography

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Confession: I think German shepherds are beauuuutiful! I really do – they’re so so handsome but yet fluffy and lovable, and we think Bailey might be part shepherd (in addition to Rhodesian ridgeback, of course), so they rank in my top few favorite breeds. So when the winner of the session I gave away at Barktoberfest turned out to have a German shepherd, I was excited – but not as excited as when I learned that they were about to get another German shepherd, and a puppy at that!! It was so funny: I called Mary to let her know that she’d won the drawing and congratulate her, and she was literally in the car with her husband, on the way to pick up little Leah! Both Leah and her older sister Frannie are from The German Shepherd Rescue of Tulsa, so it was no quick drive – but of course, Frannie & Leah were each well worth the trip!

Mary & I actually spoke several weeks ago, but we decided to let Leah get acclimated to life with Frannie & their parents before plunging her into a photo session. Really, we probably could have gotten together weeks sooner: Leah is a totally confident puppy and was happy to play in the park with us! Frannie is definitely more skittish; she has a rocky past and her parents are doing a great job of socializing her and helping her gain more confidence. But I’ve been typing (and you’ve been reading) long enough – on to the Sneak Peek photos!

 

A German shepherd dog relaxes in beautiful sunshine in a Pensacola park.

 

A German shepherd puppy walks around in beautiful sunshine in a Pensacola park.

 

Thanks for a great session, Frannie & Leah!

Dog Days of Summer 2013 calendars are here! Buy one to benefit the American Cancer Society for only $20.

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

I am thrilled to announce the final design & official sale of the 2013 Dog Days of Summer calendar! We’re selling these great sturdy calendars for only $20 each, and 100% of the proceeds go to (who else?) the American Cancer Society! Check out the fun photos!

 

Cover of 2013 calendar benefitting the American Cancer Society.

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite parts of these calendars are the photos on individual days of each month. If you attended the Dog Days event and your dog wasn’t chosen by our judges as one of the month “headliners”, don’t worry – your dog still made it in the calendar! Every one of the attendees was given their own day, if they didn’t already have their own month!

There are two ways you can order your calendar:

  1. Go to the office of the American Cancer Society in Pensacola and pick it up right then & there. It’s right by Cordova Mall; click here for a map.
  2. Email me: allison@allisonshamrell.com
Please consider making this calendar your Christmas gift to family and friends (and yourself!) – it’s all for a great cause. And why wouldn’t you want to see these cute dogs all year long? :)

 

 

All Images Copyright | Blog Theme Created by LJP & SLR Lounge