And I have a present I’d like to give myself. It’s a pretty simple one, but I need the help of someone in the Pensacola area: I want to photograph a Bernese mountain dog. Yes, that’s the gift I want! I’ve photographed dozens of different dog breeds (and sometimes I think I could only photograph golden retrievers and still stay in business…) but I’m fascinated with meeting new breeds, and I’ve always secretly wanted to work with a Bernese mountain dog. They’re at the top of my “wish list”! They’re beautiful, relatively uncommon, and they just seem like really great dogs.
Here’s a screen shot of Wikipedia’s Bernese mountain dog entry… isn’t that a gorgeous dog?
So if someone you know has a Bernese mountain dog, please pass on my information or this blog post! I’m happy to cover their session fee – so really, I suppose it’s a gift for both of us!
Bonus points if you have a PUPPY! My Google image search revealed all kinds of cuteness.
Okay, that’s it for today! Hope you’re having a wonderful Labor Day too! :)
When I was first asked to be on the planning committee for Dog Days of Summer, I had NO IDEA what a huge event and ridiculous amount of fun it would turn out to be! (Plus, all the planning meetings at La Hacienda Mexican restaurant were pretty delicious/wonderful too.) We designed the day to be similar to the Gulf Breeze Pet Fest or Pensacola’s huge Barktoberfest, but with one big difference: all proceeds would benefit the American Cancer Society. Human & canine cancer is so prevalent and any donation we could make would be worth the effort – so after several months of planning, August 18 was the big day! And guess what: the results are in, and we raised over $1000 for the American Cancer Society! YAY!
This post is full of just a few dogs from that day who stopped by to say hello! These photos will also be used to make a 2013 calendar, the proceeds from which will also benefit the American Cancer Society. (If you keep scrolling down, you’ll see some of the funny themes and props we put together for each month!) Stay tuned to the blog and the Facebook page for more info on how to get your copy!
Let’s start with a photo of the head organizer’s dog! This is Rusty, Becky’s boy, and he’s only about a year old – but I photographed him when he was a tiny puppy! It was so much fun to see him “all grown up” and much bigger than I remember!
This pomeranian is appropriately-named Bear.
This is cute little Dixie the basset hound!
Serious contender for cutest puppy at the event: Fiona the shepherd mix. I think she looks a bit like my Bailey! And WHAT a smile!
Rocky is another one of the organizer’s dogs – you really should check out Premier Pet Grooming if you’re in Milton!
Here are two Boston terriers, Odie & Charley. Adorable!
Conway is a chug (chihuahua/pug mix), don’t you love that underbite? And Sonny the lab mix will help us introduce the many props and costumes for each month…
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Ha!
Stiff competition to win the month of May is Bitsy the chihuahua, and at 17 years old this little trooper is also one of my past clients!
For October/Halloween we have Dozer the Therapy Dog, who has a super-busy Facebook page! He’s pretty famous!
Oliver helps represent the month of July…
Bear is Becky’s grand-dog, and he let us wrap him up in red tulle for December/Christmas! Look at that sweet face. That’s a rottweiler stocking to the right of him.
Easter/April brings us to Briana the shepherd…
and also Goose! Can you believe this puppy-faced Golden retriever mix is actually 10 years old?
One of my personal favorites: Georgie may just have a lock on March/St. Patty’s Day!
Mardi Gras beads look great on Rascal… I love the little bit of tongue!
Whew, there are a TON of photos in this post! But if you can’t get enough, check out the full day’s gallery here: http://proofs.allisonshamrell.com. More importantly, a HUGE thank-you goes out to everyone that came on the 18th, whether it was for several hours or just a short time! We really appreciate your support, and 100% of your donation went to the American Cancer Society! Thank you so much – and be on the lookout for more info about next year’s event!
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!
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.
She also had ice cream, which was the initial favorite – she licked it up quickly!
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!)
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!!
It’s that time again! We’ve waited months and months, and I’m soooooo excited to go back to 3 Dogs & A Chick for another round of Mini-Sessions!
A few Mini-Session images: Riley the golden retriever and Lilly the puggle, relaxing on the dock and in the park.
Bella the Coton de Tulear, dancing in the studio!
Jonesy the doberman, gettin’ crazy in the studio and relaxing outside.
In the photos above and the video below, you can see a few examples of the great images that happen on Mini-Session days! Keep reading for all the details and what you can do to sign up!
WHAT: pet photography sessions for an entry-level investment of time and money; $75
WHAT YOU’LL GET:
~ 30 minutes of session time, which will be spent capturing the personality of your pets in a fun, no-stress, non-posed way
~ an online gallery of at least 10 frame-worthy, artful images to browse (probably more!)
~ an 11×14 print of your choice
~ the opportunity to purchase prints, digital images, and canvas gallery wraps
~ and a simply wonderful time!
WHEN: June 9th, during your time slot
WHERE: 3 Dogs & A Chick in Ft. Walton Beach – here’s a map. It’s the perfect location: we’ll have a studio, a park, a cute courtyard, and a dock leading to the water! You can have a great variety of final images!
WHO: me, you, and 1-2 dogs
WHY: so you can have high-quality pet portraiture that you will adore. I guarantee it! After the session, we’ll have as many phone conversations, emails, video chats, and letters-by-pigeon as you need to determine what’s best for your house and lifestyle. I want to create something you’ll absolutely love – and nothing less!
HOW TO RESERVE YOUR TIME SLOT: Call 3 Dogs & A Chick at 850-243-7297. The first available session is 9:00 am, and the last will be at 6:00 pm. The time we’ll spend taking photos is 30 minutes, but we’ll need an extra 15 minutes of non-camera time so I can meet you and your dog(s), and answer any questions you might have. I’ll also show you exactly what a canvas gallery wrap is, if you’ve never seen one before. So, plan to spend 45 minutes with me that day.
Check out a few photos from Mini-Sessions in the past! (These were all taken at the same locations we’ll have access to on the 9th.)
As always, the event promises to be a TON of fun! Don’t wait to reserve your time slot; we’ve always sold out quickly after announcing the event! Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you there!
Were you lucky enough to receive a fancy new DSLR camera for Christmas? Or have you heard any of your friends bragging about getting one on Facebook? Maybe you’ve had a camera for years that has more settings than you’ve cared to explore?
Whatever your situation, now you have a solution! I’ll be teaching classes all about how to get out of auto mode on your camera very soon, in both Pace and Ft. Walton Beach!
You’ll learn how to…
Give portraits that creamy, out-of-focus background
Freeze action instead of getting just a blur
Frame portraits for effective indoor and outdoor shooting
And more! While I have several things that are a “must” to discuss, my main goal is to answer all your questions and make sure you’re 100% more comfortable with that marvelous mechanical beauty that has the ability to capture gorgeous family memories! Don’t dread the other modes besides auto on your camera; use them, embrace them, RELISH them! I promise you’ll love your photos so much more.
Note: this will not be a pet-oriented event. Although you know dogs are my favorite subject to photograph, and photos of them will likely serve as many in-class examples, the principles you learn will be for general photography and applicable to any subject.
Class details:
~ Cost for attending: $59
~ Dates: attendees will vote on their preferences, but either the afternoon of Sunday the 22nd or a weekday evening.
~ Length of class: 2 hours, give or take. Really, just as long as everyone wants to keep learning!
~ Wine and chocolate will be present. Because I can’t think of a good reason why not.
~ A minimum of at least 4 people must attend for class to occur – and there is a maximum of 8! So… tell a friend, but hurry! (If you come AND bring a friend with you, I might have an extra surprise for you…)
~ If you don’t feel like you learned your money’s worth of information and handy tips, I’ll give you a refund. Seriously.
How to reserve your spot:
~ Call 850-255-0903
~ Email allison@allisonshamrell.com
~ Do either one of the above, but do it by Tuesday, January 10th!
I really hope you consider making time in your schedule for this class. Learning a new skill doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult, and this particular skill is incredibly useful. You can take pictures that do more than document events – they’ll be photos that you’ll be proud of. I hope to hear from you soon!
~ Dog Photography by Allison Shamrell in Pensacola and Ft. Walton Beach, Florida ~
