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Big Dogs in Pretty Places

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Oh, I just loved this session! I shared a fantastic morning with Jamie, Rich & their three dogs, and when I try and think about what specifically made this session so great, I can’t just think of one thing:

~  We started the day at a relative’s farm out in Molino. Future clients: if you have access to wide open spaces and/or beautiful property out in the country, PLEASE let me know! This was a great spot to start our day!

~  We took a sweet ride in an open-air Jeep.

~  If you’re a regular blog follower, you know: this session was (in part) my birthday gift to myself! Because in two years of business, I had never photographed a Bernese mountain dog, and I think they’re such beautiful dogs. So it was my pleasure to meet Juno the Bernese – and she didn’t disappoint!

~  The two other dogs were a golden retriever and a chocolate lab. Hellooooooo happy dogs.

But enough talk! Let’s get to the photos! This is an extra-large Sneak Peek so here we go…

 

 Let’s start with Juno! She’s 3 years old, she loooooooves that ball, and as you can see, she listens when her mom talks to her. (a.dorable.)

A fun Bernese mountain dog playing with a ball and with her owner.
 

Sydney is the next-oldest at 7, and she’s a total goofball! I love her “turtle” pose in the studio.

A goofy golden retriever in the grass and the studio.
 

Last but certainly not least, at 14 years young, is Shiva. She is a sweet girl and loves playing with her parents.

An elderly chocolate labrador relaxes in the studio and a field.

 

Jamie & Rich, thank you so much for a session that was nonstop fun. Your gallery is sizing up to be extra large – I can’t wait to see you all again soon!

 

Dog Days of Summer 2012 – the First Annual Event!

Thursday, August 30th, 2012

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!

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

This pomeranian is appropriately-named Bear.

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

This is cute little Dixie the basset hound!

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

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!

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

Rocky is another one of the organizer’s dogs – you really should check out Premier Pet Grooming if you’re in Milton!

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

Here are two Boston terriers, Odie & Charley. Adorable!

Photo of two dogs at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

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…

Photo of two dogs at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Ha!

Cinco de Mayo themed photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

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!

Cinco de Mayo-themed photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

For October/Halloween we have Dozer the Therapy Dog, who has a super-busy Facebook page! He’s pretty famous!

Halloween-themed photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

Oliver helps represent the month of July…

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

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.

Christmas-themed photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

Easter/April brings us to Briana the shepherd…

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

and also Goose! Can you believe this puppy-faced Golden retriever mix is actually 10 years old?

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

One of my personal favorites: Georgie may just have a lock on March/St. Patty’s Day!

St. Patrick's Day-themed photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

Mardi Gras beads look great on Rascal… I love the little bit of tongue!

Photo of a dog at Dog Days of Summer 2012 in Milton, Florida.

 

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!

 

 

Surprisingly Social Cats and a Loving Golden Retriever

Monday, August 27th, 2012

I was very excited for this session to arrive (it’s been a long time coming) for two reasons: one, the animals are adorable! Two, the people are awesome! Andrea & Melissa discovered that we had all signed up to go to the Pensacola Craft Beer Festival in November, and oh my goodness, one of the things my friends know about me is that I love a good beer. (Not the cheap stuff!) My husband even brews beer here in our house – and our fridge is always stocked with IPAs and pale ales. The hoppier, the better, really. So let’s just say I got pretty excited to learn that a couple of my clients are beer snobs as well! (ha!)

 

Anyways, beyond fully approving of Andrea & Melissa’s beverage of choice, I had an absolute blast with them on Saturday. We started out at their house, and even though we expected just one of their four cats to make an appearance, suddenly ALL of them were out exploring my equipment and feeling social! I love it when my clients are surprised to see how well I get along with their pets, and this was no exception. And these cats are all so gorgeous! (Tigger (on the right) is only pretending to hide from me… we hung out on top of the dining room table later on. Well, one of us was on the table.)

A cat sits on the kitchen counter and another peeks out from behind an ottoman.

 

But the true star of the show was Lucas the golden retriever. He’s happiest when he’s so close to his parents that he’s practically stepping on their toes… but we managed to get a few solo photos of the big guy! He’s such a love-bug :)

A golden retriever named Lucas in his backyard and the studio.

 

Okay just one more… only because it’s already one of my favorites from the day!

Lucas the golden retriever smiles from between his parents.

 

Thanks for a really fun session, Lucas! I’ll see you, your feline siblings & your parents again soon!  (… who’s bringing the beer?)  :)

 

The Dogs of Pensacola’s Davis Animal Hospital

Saturday, August 25th, 2012

In the calm before the storm (Hurricane Isaac), I was able to get together with April and her four pooches – and as it turns out, the weather & light were absolutely beautiful for our session! April is the owner of Davis Animal Hospital, a great new vet clinic in Pensacola, and a few photos of these dogs will be decorating the exam rooms very soon! I think that’s a pretty awesome perk of owning your own animal hospital; seeing your own dogs’ happy faces on the walls each day.

In focus on the left is Grace, a 3-legged pit bull mix who loves hunting squirrels and racing around with her brothers+sister – can you believe she’s the fastest one of them all? Missing a leg has NOT slowed her down! On the right is Molly, who became my new best friend when she discovered I brought treats to the session. She even tried to hop in my car and come home with me!

A 3-legged pit bull mix and a Beagle in the grass.

 

These are Captain Morgan Sr. and Captain Morgan Jr.! The older one is ten years old, and goes by Morgan, while the younger one is ten months old and his nickname is Captain. They’re biologically father+son! And they love to play with their tennis ball.

Golden retrievers lay and play in the grass.

 

I’m sooooo excited about the photos from this session – I probably won’t be able to resist posting a few to the Facebook page! One is already up, of Captain fetching the morning paper… it’s pretty cute thanks to Captain’s awesome trick. All these dogs are so good-looking!

Thanks for reading!  :)

 

Happy Dogs & Shy Dogs: Marlee & Amia

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Let me introduce you to two dogs who are total opposites – around strangers, at least. Marlee is a bouncy 8-month-old golden retriever and couldn’t be more friendly! She’ll “attack” anyone who comes to the door with kisses and tail wags. Amia, on the other hand, is a much more reserved Boston terrier. She’d prefer to keep her distance, and it’s a little more difficult to gain her trust.

I absolutely love it when dogs open up to me, and with dogs like Marlee it’s incredibly easy, but with Amia it can be more challenging. So I’m always thrilled when I walk away with images like the ones below, because it means all the steps and precautions I take to let dogs get comfortable with me, really work! (I study dog behavior, I meet dogs before their session, I warm them up to the camera slowly, etc.) I hope their mom Jane sees her dogs in these photos not as through the lens of a different person, but simply as she sees her dogs every day. Enjoy the photos!

A boston terrier and a golden retriever dog in their backyard, close-up.

 

A boston terrier and golden retriever relax in the grass.

 

Thanks again Jane – I’ll talk to you soon! (and don’t worry – I have plenty more photos of Marlee positioned more than just a few inches away from the camera!)

 

 

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