on the job Archives - San Diego Pet Photographer Allison Shamrell ~ The Blog San Diego Pet Photographer Allison Shamrell ~ The Blog

Tag: ‘on the job’

Changing With the Times: DVDs vs. USBs

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

Hey everyone!

October has been a whirlwind month for me – not with sessions, but with trips out of town. Today is my first day back to work, and I’m proud and thrilled to announce that I’m fully booked through Christmas! Woohoo! :)

But amidst playing catch-up, and looking at devastating coverage of Hurricane Sandy’s wrath, one more big thing has been on my mind today: making adjustments in my business to be ready for the future. Yes, the future! This is what I’m talking about:

That’s a screen shot from apple.com’s online store. It’s Apple’s second computer for which there’s no CD/DVD drive. The MacBook Air has USB ports, and so does this new beast, but no CDs or DVDs will work on them without an external device just for reading the discs. This is no longer a fluke; it’s a trend. And before someone yells at me, I know that Apple isn’t the end-all-be-all of technology! Haha! But let’s face it: who pioneered the touchscreen phone? They did. And now everything is touchscreen. That’s just one example; Apple is at the forefront of technology and design. You just can’t deny it. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re ridiculously influential. And I can’t help but think other companies will follow their example and omit CD/DVD drives on their new computers as well.

The fact is, the DVDs I sell are probably my most popular product, but if they’re even just beginning the trip downhill and following the way of the floppy disk, that means I’m providing obsolete technology to my clients. Guess what? I’m not okay with that.

But before I make any big decisions, I want to get YOUR opinion. As a solution for delivering digital files, what would you think if I offered custom USB flash drives instead of DVDs? Do you consider them more or less useful? Convenient? Breakable? Misplace-able?

Thank you so much for leaving me a comment below, or sending me a message – I’m excited to hear what you all have to say! :)

-Allison

Tags: Florida, on the job, pet photography, photography, products
Posted in housekeeping/fyi, new products | 3 Comments »

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!

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!

Tags: basset hound, Boston terrier, chihuahua, contest, dogs, event, events, Florida, golden retriever, great dane, labrador, Milton, mixed breed, on the job, park, pet photography, pets, photography, pomeranian, puppy, rottweiler, senior
Posted in events, just for fun, pet photography | No Comments »

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.)

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 :)

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

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

Tags: backyard, cats, dogs, Florida, golden retriever, on the job, park, Pensacola, pet photography, pets, studio
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Beautiful Shelties in their backyard

Monday, August 13th, 2012

I’ve only photographed Shelties once before, and I knew them to be laid-back, happy dogs – it turns out, that breed reputation stands for another session! This is Morgan, Mage (pronounced “mayj”) and Mystique, sisters who live the good life with their dad! They’re all very different: Mystique (mostly black) was a ready & willing subject as soon as she learned I had treats to give. Morgan (mostly brown) is calm & patient, and needed little breaks to be loved on every few minutes! (so adorable!) Mage was petrified of me; I think I petted her just once. But from a distance, and only very quickly, she let me take a few photos that turned out to be some of my very favorites from the session! Take a look…

I’m especially excited about this session because a few select images are going to grace the exam rooms at Davis Animal Hospital in Pensacola! So if you’re a client of theirs – or if you’re looking for a great new vet in the area – you’ll see these pups’ smiling faces there soon!

Thanks Roy – I can’t wait to show you the rest of the images!

Tags: backyard, dogs, Florida, Milton, on the job, pet photography, pets, sheltie
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Bulldogs and boxers and shih tzus – oh my!

Monday, July 9th, 2012

I first met one of these dogs (Mr. Chubbs, in fact) during Mini-Sessions at 3 Dogs & A Chick – see his ridiculously happy, smiling face here on Facebook! So I was absolutely thrilled when his parents, Ashlee & Joseph, invited me back to their house to meet the rest of their pack! As soon as I walked in the door, all SIX dogs converged on me, and it kind of made me feel like I was the victim of a relentless, multi-tier assault. With super-adorable assailants, of course! Let me introduce you to them!

Maggie (left) is actually just as cheerful as Cleatus (right), but she wanted to show off her serious side.

Tink is the eldest of the family at 11, and this shih tzu gets to come to work with Mom & Dad every day at one of the veterinary clinics they own! Lucky dog!

Romy isn’t exactly an “outside dog” but we eventually got her to brave the elements (of the gorgeous sunny day), and she really lit up when the toy pig got involved!

I am so taken aback by how beautiful Desi is that I can’t post just one photo. Look at this sweet, pretty girl!

And last but certainly not least, Mr. Chubbs, enjoying a blissful solo escape to the front yard.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful afternoon, Ashlee & Joseph! I have MANY more photos to show you, including all the ones we took inside the house! I can’t wait – so I’ll see you soon! :)

Tags: backyard, boxer, bulldog, dogs, English bulldog, Florida, mixed breed, Navarre, on the job, pet photography, pets, pug, shih tzu
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Tag: ‘on the job’

Changing With the Times: DVDs vs. USBs

Dog Days of Summer 2012 – the First Annual Event!

Surprisingly Social Cats and a Loving Golden Retriever

Beautiful Shelties in their backyard

Bulldogs and boxers and shih tzus – oh my!

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