Last weekend, I had the pleasure of going to Pensacola’s Small Dog Meetup Group! It was a round-up of some seriously adorable little dogs.

It’s always fun to introduce my business and myself to people I’ve never met before. When I say I’m a full-time pet photographer, I usually see a mixture of surprise and disbelief on people’s faces. I hear things like, “No way! I didn’t know you existed!”

That’s what I love about my niche of photography. I’ve never met someone who said, “Oh, your job sounds boring and terrible.” People do tell me that my job is difficult, all the time; I suppose some of them are getting fed up with blurry photos on their cell phones that they’ve tried to take on their own, or maybe their dogs are scared of cameras – which is difficult to deal with.

Then again, dog owners have (at least) one great advantage that I’ll never have as a professional photographer. They get to be around their dogs all day, every day! The sessions I spend with dogs and their owners are tons of fun, and we create memories that will last for years, but I’m just not there for the normal, everyday stuff that makes you laugh and remember how much you really, really love your dog. I can’t be there to take the photo at 7:15 when you’re leaving for work and your dog is just peeking out from beneath the covers, saying goodbye in his own way. I’m not there when you get back home after grocery shopping, and even though you’ve only been gone for half an hour, your dog is jumping and panting and tail-wagging like mad because he’s so happy to see you again! Unfortunately, I miss out on all that. (But then again, don’t feel too bad for me – I get it from my Bailey!)

So that’s why I really like events like this Small Dog Meetup Group. It’s a normal part of these dogs’ lives, and I get to hang out in the background and take a few photos. Nothing is staged, I’m never asking a dog to please stay there for one more second – it’s all natural. And beautiful. So thank you, owners of Pensacola’s Small Dog group, for letting me photograph your fun last Saturday morning.

This guy preferred to stay near his dad for most of the meetup… just a little shy!

Look at that FACE!

~   Dog Photography in Pensacola, Florida by Allison Shamrell   ~