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Studio Dog Photos of Nina & Toby in San Diego, CA

Thursday, September 18th, 2014

I’ve always loved the way dogs look up at their owners. I adore the happy, loving look in a dog’s eyes as they keep an eye on their mom or dad, checking to make sure that everything is okay, and letting them know that they’re ready to play at a moment’s notice. That joyful glow somehow reveals their boundless trust and devotion. Sometimes all I have to do is look down at my Bailey, and she starts wagging her tail…

This sneak peek of Nina & Toby’s photo session includes two photos featuring “the look”. Nina & Toby are great dogs – happy, confident pooches with exuberant energy – and I got to see all sides of their personalities during their time in the studio. They didn’t “sit” or “stay” every time we asked them to (although they had much more obedience under their belts than the average dog, that’s for sure!), but I noticed that they were constantly looking to their parents for guidance & love. And honestly, if they didn’t listen to a command, it was only to come wiggling over to their parents for pets & attention! So I think two of my favorite images from their session are moments in which they had that look in their eyes; the look of wanting to please and wanting to love, the look of dogged devotion. And I just can’t get enough of it!

 

This is Toby, the younger & more free-spirited of the two. He’s a lab mix, with an intriguing coat that seems to be halfway between brown & black… and of course that big lab grin!

studio dog photo 1

 

And this is Nina, a gorgeous German shepherd girl – and let me tell you, my camera loves her! Aren’t shepherds beautiful?!

studio dog photo 2

 

We spent a bit of time on the white and the gray backdrops… and honestly, I’m not sure which “look” I like better! Every studio dog photography session client has their choice of white, gray & black backdrops, and we’ll often switch halfway through the session for an interesting variety of final images. Nina & Toby look good everywhere, apparently! :)

studio dog photos

 

Elyse & Obed, I had a wonderful time with all four of you! Can’t wait to see you again soon! :)

 

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Ocean Beach Pet Photography Session with Yoda & Obi-Wan!

Monday, September 15th, 2014

I shared a gorgeous & fun-filled Ocean Beach pet photography session with two adorable chihuahua mixes recently! As you might guess from their names, their parents are Star Wars fans – but I was surprised to learn that their personalities have almost nothing in common with their namesakes! Yoda, for example, is full of energy and ball-crazy; she could play fetch for hours! And while she’s technically the “older and wiser” of the sisters, she didn’t remind me at all of the serene, serious character from the Star Wars stories. And Obi-Wan (wasn’t that the Jedi who trained Luke Skywalker?) is a goofy, dancing-and-spinning, little-sister personality that, well, probably wouldn’t be fit for teaching one of the most powerful Jedis in the universe. She was adopted from Second Chance Rescue (Yoda is from Helen Woodward Animal Center), and she wasn’t exactly a planned addition to the family – but once Yoda’s parents saw Obi’s cute little face, they couldn’t say no! And what’s even more exciting about this session: this family is expecting a baby soon! I’m sure Yoda & Obi will be fantastic big sisters… so for now, their mom & dad wanted to commemorate the beauty of their family before it changes with the new addition. What a wonderful reason to have a pet photography session, don’t you think?

 

This is Yoda! She’s proof that the term “ball-obsessed” isn’t just for labradors.

ocean beach pet photo

 

Okay, fine, I suppose those EARS are pretty true to her namesake!

ocean beach pet photography

 

And here’s Obi-Wan, or Obi for short. This is her treat face – “Treat? Can I have it? Gimme the treat? PLEASE?”

ocean beach pet photography

 

Aaaaand there’s her happy face. She’s a little athlete, just like her sister!

pet photography ocean beach

 

 

Lesli & Stephen, thank you for showing me around your neighborhood! I had a wonderful time with you both – and I can’t wait to share more photos with you soon! :)

 

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Kendall & Raven: Rancho Santa Fe Dog Photography

Friday, September 12th, 2014

I absolutely loved this Rancho Santa Fe dog photography session! These beautiful sisters are Kendall & Raven, and they visited the studio before showing me around their home & backyard for their photo session! These girls are complete opposites – Kendall has been a part of the family for many years, whereas Raven is an 8-month-old puppy. Kendall is content to lay by the stairs of the pool and drink a bit of water, but for Kendall, it’s not an afternoon at the pool unless she’s jumped in after her tennis ball and gotten completely soaking wet – and then laid on the outdoor furniture right afterwards, to make it sure became just as wet. Of course. Kendall doesn’t move very fast anymore (she’s the slow but steady type), but Raven is about as fast-moving and wiggly as you can possibly imagine!

But these dogs have plenty in common, too – most of all, both of them are complete sweethearts. They couldn’t be happier pups, and I know their family loves them so, so much. So it was an honor to meet these beautiful sisters, and spend the afternoon playing in the studio and in their pool together!

 

Raven is the black lab on the left, and Kendall is the yellow lab on the right. In this photo they’re looking up at their mom; don’t you love the sweetness in their eyes? :)

rancho santa fe dog photographer

 

This is Kendall’s favorite spot in their house! Her mom opens up the front doors and Kendall lays here, soaking up the sun, and keeping watch over everything just inside the doors. Have you ever seen a more welcoming face?!

rancho santa fe dog photography

 

Some dogs have me laughing for our entire session – and Raven was one of those dogs! She was hilarious from the moment she stepped into the studio and had to be slowly convinced that the backdrop wasn’t a painful terrible thing (we eventually convinced her)… to the moment we posed her next to a few flowers, she decided to “stop and smell the roses”, and the next thing we knew she coughed out dozens of petals! Haha! This little cutie is almost too much to handle…

rancho santa fe dog photography

 

 

Deb & Kit, thank you for an absolutely fabulous afternoon. I simply couldn’t be more excited about our photos! I’ll see you again soon, but please give your girls a hug for me in the meantime! :)

 

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Del Mar Beach Photo Session: Jilli the Golden Retriever Mix!

Thursday, September 4th, 2014

I enjoyed a lovely Del Mar beach photo session with Jilli and her family recently! Jilli is a golden retriever/Australian shepherd mixed breed dog that lives in Santee, whom I met months ago at the Navy Woof Walk. We finally had the chance to get together for a custom photo session – and we picked a gorgeous night to visit the Del Mar beach! The sun was shining and the temperature was moderate, not too hot and not too cold… I couldn’t have asked for a better evening!

Jilli’s dad is in the Coast Guard, and he’s out of town on assignment rather often. So as a result, whenever he is in town, Jilli always wants to see her parents together – and she gets anxious anytime her dad leaves out of sight, even if it’s just for a few minutes! (We had a joyous reunion when he came back from getting a forgotten toy from the car!) I thought that was so cute; she really loves her family and wants to see her parents together & happy. She’s a total sweetheart!

 

We actually started our session at Powerhouse Park, a small grassy area next to the beach. I love this spot because it gives us a park-like setting & feel, but the beach is just a few yards away! Super convenient, if you ask me!

del mar dog photo shoot

 

 We played an intense game of fetch…

del mar dog photo session

 

 And of course, we made our way down to the coast – and as soon as her paws hit the sand Jilli promptly decided to rush into the ocean! So as a result we don’t have any “dry” pictures in this setting… but hey, how many dogs actually stay dry once they get to the beach? :)

del mar beach photo session

 

 

Kerry & Darnell, I had an absolutely wonderful time with you three! I’m excited to keep working on Jilli’s photos – we have so many cute ones! :)

 

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Birthday Giveaway!

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014

It’s that time of year again! Yahoo!

My birthday is September 3rd, and ever since I started my business, I’ve made it a tradition to give away a photo session every year to celebrate! The only catch: the recipient pet has to be a certain breed! 

In 2012, I gave away a session to a Bernese Mountain Dog, Juno. (Juno also brought her sisters, a labrador and a golden retriever, along for the session!) In 2013, I had just moved to San Diego and offered a session to a very rare breed of dog, the Afghan hound. Apparently it was too soon & too rare, because I didn’t receive any entries at all… which really surprised me, but hey, I learned what not to do! (aka, move to a new city and make a near-impossible request, haha!)

So this year, I have a new breed on my mind… one that I’ve wanted to photograph for quite a while now. It’s on my “wish list”, so to speak, and now I have the opportunity to ask the universe to make it a reality. (You could say it’s a birthday present to myself!) So… drumroll please… this year’s birthday giveaway “casting call” is for…

A setter! 

I would love to work with a setter – any kind! There are English, Gordon & Irish Setters, all of which are stunningly gorgeous. I just can’t get enough of their long, flowing fur & expressive faces.

dog photo session giveaway  birthday photo session  dog photo giveaway

Images courtesy of: petparent.me, sportingdogsaz.com, dog-names-and-more.com 

 

So do you have a setter? Here’s what to do:

 

~   The owner of the dog should email me at Allison@Allisonshamrell.com with a quick description of the dog, and a photo too (it can be a quick snapshot)

~   Extra credit: include why you’d like to win the session!

~   Send that email by the end of the week (Friday, Sept. 5 @ 5:00 pm)

~   That’s it! I’ll pick a winner by the end of the weekend!

 

 

Don’t have a setter, but want to make sure one lucky family can have a great experience?

~   Share this blog post with your favorite setter owner

~   Or just copy & paste www.allisonshamrellblog.com/birthday-dog-photo-session-giveaway to your Facebook page, to reach even more people!

 

 

(New to this blog, and want to see what all the fuss is about? Click here to see my photography portfolio.)

 

 

I’m so excited to work with a setter and meet a new family… I’m happy to cover the session fee, and I just know we’re going to have a great time! Good luck to all the entrants!  :)

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