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Moose the Chocolate Lab, in Del Mar

Friday, September 25th, 2015

As excited as I was to meet and work with Moose – after all, his name is “Moose”, how could I not be excited?! – I also wish we didn’t have to get together so soon. I wish I could have chatted with Moose’s parents and explained that my typical waiting list for a photo session is a month or two long. But unfortunately, we didn’t have that luxury – because of a recent diagnosis, I needed to get Moose’s photo session on the books ASAP. Luckily, his mom had the forethought to call me when Moose is still feeling good – and boy, is he feeling good! He’s still a 100%-energy-filled, goofy, happy labrador! As soon as we got to the beach he was practically choking himself to run around – because being on a leash is such a bummer when you have a million things to sniff and people to meet and a whole ocean to play in! ;)  So I shared a lovely afternoon with Moose and his parents, playing on the beach in Del Mar. It was so great to see Moose have a great time, in spite of his thinning fur and the other effects of his cancer treatment. I especially loved seeing the relationship Moose has with his dad; those two are incredibly close and there’s no one Moose listens to better. (Even when the temptation to run straight into the water is almost overwhelming.) So I’m happy to share these photos with you, and I hope you’ll take a second to send some prayers and happy thoughts to Moose and his parents.

 

This is Moose the chocolate lab! Can’t you tell he’s just bursting to jump up & run around?!

chocolate lab

 

See what I mean? The rocket boosters still work! This dog goes crazy for his ball!

chocolate lab running

 

And as the sun went down and the last lights of the day lit up the sky, I felt there was nothing more fitting than for Moose to run around, doing whatever he pleased. The old guy deserves so many more trips to the beach… I want him to enjoy them all as much as he possibly can.

chocolate lab at beach

 

Aubrey & Steve, thank you so much for introducing me to your handsome boy. I really enjoyed meeting all three of you – and I’m excited to show you the rest of our photos soon!

 

Photo Session at Mission Trails Park with Oliver and his Brothers!

Thursday, September 24th, 2015

This photo session at Mission Trails Park was a great one – even though, I have to admit, it came together in less-than-ideal circumstances. Oliver’s mom contacted me just a couple of weeks ago – she received this sweet boy as a wedding present (!) 14 years ago, but these days, his kidneys simply aren’t holding up anymore. So we got together as soon as possible, which I’m happy to do for clients in situations like this. And luckily, Oliver is still feeling like himself – he absolutely loved being at Mission Trails Park! It was new territory to explore, and even though we never let him off-leash, I would have been curious to see those Jack Russell terrier hunting instincts come alive! I bet he would have loved to look around… but as it turns out, traffic (of all things!) delayed our session by a little while, and since I time out my sessions to end at sunset (the best light of the day) we suddenly found ourselves in a race against the sun! Haha – luckily, Oliver was willing to speed through a bunch of cute poses like a little pro, and so were his human brothers! So the photos you’re about to see were created with a whole lot of hustle from everyone involved! :)

Oh – and a small but important side note! If you recognize Oliver and/or his brothers, DON’T tell their father about these photos! They’re an anniversary gift and we don’t want to spoil the surprise! (Their mom promised I could make this post, but let’s make sure they don’t go anywhere else!)

 

This is Oliver! I just love his sweet smile!

mission trails park dog

 

Although he wasn’t too keen in staying in one place for more than a couple of seconds, his tennis ball helped him settle into the long grasses and relax…

mission trails park photo

 

Here are all the brothers! (Oliver is the oldest at 14; his human siblings are 8 & 6 years old.) Aren’t they all so dapper & adorable?!

mission trails park

 

Lisa, I had a great time with all of you! I’m so excited to show you the rest of our images soon! :)

 

Mr. Smith, the Downtown San Diego Mini Poodle!

Saturday, September 19th, 2015

When you think of a urban, downtown-living dog, what comes to mind? I think it should be an image of Mr. Smith! This adorable San Diego mini poodle lives two blocks away from the harbor & Seaport Village, and he absolutely loves living in the center of downtown! He goes out for coffee with his mom, navigates along the city sidewalks, and watches the people walk by from the big windows in his home – he’s basically a pro at the urban lifestyle. And don’t worry, the noise of the nearby train doesn’t bother him – Mr. Smith is deaf, so the hustle & bustle of city life doesn’t keep him up at night!

Although it can be a challenge to work with deaf dogs, it’s still entirely possible to have a successful photo session! Mr. Smith’s parents, of course, know plenty of tricks to get his attention – and I quickly learned just how much he loves treats! (hint: A LOT) So while it was a slightly different photo session than most, it still ended up going really, really well. The most important thing was never how well Mr. Smith could hear what we said; it’s that his parents are head-over-heels in love with this little guy, and wanted to treat him (and themselves!) to a fabulous afternoon, and several images that document their beautiful life together.

 

We started our photo session in Mr. Smith’s condo, where he’s most comfortable…

cute poodle downtown san diego

 

I just love the bandana he chose to wear! It complements his carpet so nicely! :)

poodle downtown san diego

 

We also took a short walk around his neighborhood, and down to the harbor…

mini poodle downtown

 

… where we enjoyed watching the sun set, as Mr. Smith walked along the rock ledge bordering the water!

downtown poodle

 

Thank you, Amanda & Ryan, for a lovely afternoon! I’m so glad everything came together for us! Can’t wait to see you both again soon! :)

 

Premium Albums for Pet Photography

Tuesday, September 15th, 2015

Today’s blog post is a bit different – I’d like to show you one of my favorite products! It’s my premium album!

Listen, I don’t kid myself: I know that my clients can make their own photo books and get them printed at a bunch of online labs. And really, that’s fine with me, if they enjoy the process of making it themselves and they expect & acknowledge that a book of that caliber (anything you pay $20-40 for) isn’t going to last terribly long. I know that option exists – heck, in college, I made those kinds of books myself! – and so that’s why I set out to provide my clients with something so entirely different, there couldn’t possibly be any way to describe it in the same category. And thus, my premium albums were born! You’ve never seen books like these – let alone such high-quality albums for pet photography!

 

Here are a few qualities my clients have come to expect in their premium album:

~ 100% custom design. I create the entire photographic story & handle all the design work, from start to finish. I welcome my clients’ input & preferences, of course, but don’t worry: I do all the work.

~ Heirloom-quality construction. An amazing company called Madera creates my albums entirely by hand – you can see their process here in this awesome one-minute video if you’re curious.

~ Gorgeous leather finish with custom embossing. The kind that makes you say “wow” when you runs your hands over it.

~ Pages so thick, you’d never accidentally tear them. Reinforced backing gives the pages (which are real photographic prints!) substantial weight.

 

So take a look at the most recent premium album to arrive at my studio – Yuma‘s!

san diego pet photo album

 

 

 

San Diego pet photo albums

 

 

Yuma’s name is embossed on the front cover, a subtle yet unmistakable custom touch.

dog photo album

 

 

My logo is foil-printed on the inside front cover! Yay!

pet photography albums

 

 

Lay-flat binding & page construction. You don’t see this every day.

dog photography albums

 

 

Here are close-up images of a few pages in Yuma’s book…

pet photo album

 

 

 

premium albums for pet photography

 

 

 

dog photo album

 

 

I adore quotes alongside images. I have my favorites, and I include my clients’ faves too… they help tell the story even more beautifully.

dog photography album

 

 

 

And just for fun, here’s a screenshot of my album design software! I love it because it gives me total freedom to arrange images & quotes however I want… and I’ll be honest, designing a whole album is an intensive process, but I find it quite fun!

san diego pet photo album

 

Of course, if you’re interested in a custom premium album with your pets, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes blog post! :)

 

Happy Birthday to Me!

Friday, September 4th, 2015

Hello & welcome to September! This is probably my favorite month of the year… because it’s my birthday! :)

Yesterday (September 3rd) was the big day – no I’m not telling you how old I am – and I’m excited to reveal this year’s birthday gift that I’m giving to myself! Haha! That sentence may seem a bit strange to some people, but if you’ve been following the blog for at least a year, then you know that I give myself the gift of a photo session with a dog breed that I’ve never photographed before! I’ve always been absolutely fascinated by the vast diversity of dog breeds out there, and I would love to photograph them all someday… so even though I’m giving away a full photo session experience – a $175 value – to a stranger, it turns out to be a gift for me just as much as it is for them! A win-win, if I’ve ever seen one! :)

 

So this year’s breed is… drumroll please…

 

The Dalmatian! 

 (This image is the property of Bunk Blog – http://bunkblog.net/dog-information/shedding/dalmatians-shed)

 

dalmatian_jumping

(This image is the property of Dalmatian Care & Training – http://dalmatiancare.blogspot.com/2009/11/dalmatian-training-tips-and-tricks.html)

 

(Okay, technically, I have photographed a Dalmatian before… but it was back in 2010, when I was just barely starting my business and portfolio-building (and truthfully, back then, I had very little idea what I was doing at all)! So I’ve decided that little 2010 session doesn’t count, and I’d like to photograph a Dalmatian this fall! Can you believe I haven’t worked with one since then?!)

 

So how am I going to give myself this gift? How do I find this lucky Dalmatian & its owners? Well, that’s where I need your help! If you know a local San Diegan who owns a Dalmatian, send this blog post their way! Spread the word! They could end up winning a free photo session, and you’ll be the friend to whom they owe a big favor, haha!

 

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If you’re here because you have a Dalmatian (or two, or three!) and you’d like to be considered to win the free photo session, here’s all you need to do:

1. Send an email to me, allison@allisonshamrell.com.

2. Include at least one photo of your dog(s). (Don’t worry about the quality/composition; snapshots are totally fine.)

3. Tell me why you’d like to win the photo session!

That’s it! Pretty easy!

 

 

I’ll be accepting submissions NOW through Friday, September 11th at midnight – so you just have one week! If I were you, I’d send your email ASAP!

 

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Of course, feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions; I would love to hear from you. And who knows – by the time all the entries come in, I just might end up choosing a couple of runner-up prizes! :)

 

Thanks so much, everyone! And happy birthday to me us! :)

 

 

 

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