Looking through my photos from this session, I have to say that I adore the colors in it. I’m naturally drawn to deep, rich colors – pastels? not so much – and the tones & hues in these images are soothing, relaxing & simply perfect!
But let me introduce you to the stars of the show: Dega & Grace are German shorthaired pointers that live with their parents in Pace, Florida. Dega is a handsome guy whose only wish is to hunt the squirrels, rabbits & birds that make the mistake of appearing in his backyard. Grace is a sweetheart and tries hard to keep up with her brother – but let’s just say he did most of the exercise during our session.
Thanks for a fun afternoon session, Maureen & Dwight! I can’t wait to see you again soon and show you the rest of our images!
You might remember Bubba the old border collie from his earlier post – and I have good news to report! He’s doing a bit better, and we got to schedule another session with him! So we had grand plans to visit a fantastically beautiful horse farm in Pace, and I was so excited to get together with the old guy and his mom Kim again. But sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate – and this was one of those times. Despite prayers and an anti-rain dance, the clouds opened up (literally as SOON as we were ready to start shooting!) and unfortunately stopped us from getting the most out of this gorgeous setting. Hopefully we can return to try again soon!
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!!
If you’re a fan of the Facebook page, then you already know the big news: we have a foster puppy! His name is Mustang (love that name!), he’s 3 months old, and we think he’s a husky-lab mix. I’m about to gush over how cute he is, but here’s the most important part of this blog post: Mustang is looking for his forever home. He’s adoptable through the Junior Humane Society of Pensacola and you can reach them at 850-968-3260 if you have any questions. I can personally attest to his fantastic, loving personality. He’s got a great little spirit and would love to spend half his days romping around a nice backyard, and the other half snuggling up to you! This boy really is a snuggler.
(Side note: regular blog readers will notice the different way I’ve included vertical photos: now they’re side-by-side! I hope this will make them easier to scroll through… I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!)
We started out the week with a bath, poor guy. I think for a few minutes he regretted leaving the Jr. Humane Society.
I think he was in shock/disbelief. But he was a few shades whiter when he came out of the tub!
These photos made quite a splash on Facebook… isn’t he adorable? (Trust me, the second photo is 100% Mustang!)
I love those little forehead wrinkles. Maybe he has some pointer in him?
His favorite pose. Seriously, this is all day long. He’s all about the belly-rubs.
His “big sister” may have taught him how to pose…
I can’t get enough of his NOSE!
Arguably one of my favorite things about puppies: their head tilts are frequent and easy to get!
I think he looks cynical here… “Really? I got the crazy foster mom with the camera?”
If you have any questions about Mustang, please ask in the comments or contact me directly. He’s SO much fun and the sweetest little boy! I know he’d love to meet you!
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 ~
