About

Tag: ‘San Diego’



Bella, Sidecar & Auggie – Two Australian Labradoodles & a Sphynx Cat!

Tuesday, November 13th, 2018

It’s not very often that I get to work with cats and dogs in the same photo session – and it’s even rarer for them to all visit my studio together! So I was absolutely thrilled to meet Bella, Sidecar & Auggie recently, because they travel as a family! :)

Bella & Sidecar are Australian Labradoodles, and Auggie is a sphynx cat – so cue the extra excitement I had for this photo session, because I absolutely love working with breeds that you simply don’t meet every day! And these animals didn’t disappoint; they all had distinct personalities & unique quirks that became clear during our session… they may all belong to the same family, but they’re each so different!! So let me introduce you to them, one by one…

 

This, of course, is Auggie! He’s a confident young boy, and he loved exploring every square inch of my studio. We convinced him to hang out on the backdrop with a few toys – thank goodness his hunting instinct is so strong, haha! As a result we ended up with a few action photos that I’m pretty excited about, but at the end of the day, some of my favorite portraits we captured are of his calmer moments. He’s absolutely stunning!!

sphynx cat studio photo

 

Then we visited Old Poway Park! (Auggie came too, but he preferred to hang out in his carrier while we explored the park.) This is Bella, the more confident of the two Australian Labradoodles. She was camera-ready within minutes of starting our session, and I simply loved all the unique expressions she sent my way! She’s a cute little lovebug and the camera absolutely loved her (I did too, let’s be honest).

australian labradoodle photo

 

And this is Sidecar, Bella’s brother! Unlike his siblings, he made sure that we took our sweet time when it came to his solo portraits… the camera was NOT his favorite thing. (And by “not his favorite thing” I mean he was terrified of it.) Regardless, I have a few tricks up my sleeve – so I was thrilled when Sidecar eventually relaxed and revealed his happy smile!

australian labradoodle picture

 

Brother and sister. They’re so adorable.

Australian Labradoodles

 

Jinhee, thank you so much for introducing me to your family! I’m so excited to get together again soon & show you the rest of our images!!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Tillie the Golden Retriever, at the Park in San Diego

Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

New plan:

  1. Invent a cloning machine.
  2. Clone Tillie.
  3. Photograph her every day.

Sounds like a great plan to me! ;)

Tille the 1-year-old red golden retriever is an absolute sweetheart, a mama’s girl and a dream to photograph. Like any good golden, she loves her parents, her tennis ball and treats – and happily enjoyed plenty of all 3 “rewards” during our photo session! We started at San Dieguito County Park in Del Mar, where fetch was first on Tillie’s list. And Tillie doesn’t play fetch like most other dogs: she brings the ball back about halfway to the person who threw it. Not the whole way – so fetch is truly a “team sport”, haha! We even decided to take her off-leash as we played, to really allow her to let loose and run with abandon… and she was mostly a good girl with her newfound freedom! Although the park was a big & interesting place, her attachment to her parents (and also maybe her love of treats) brought her back to us every time. Good girl, Tillie. We spent the rest of the sun-drenched afternoon in the grass, relaxing and snuggling, and Tillie posed like a total pro. (Was she a model in a past life?)

 

She loves fetch!

red golden retriever playing fetch

 

I’m absolutely loving the backlighting on her coat… I know that’s a nerdy photographer thing to say, but I think it lights her up like a full-body halo! So pretty!

red golden retriever sitting

 

I think a smile is her natural, resting expression. Even when we ask her to sit in weird, thick succulent-esque bushes.

happy red golden retriever

 

We eventually headed to a different park for a completely different look – Old Poway Park has railroad cars, old wooden doorways and all kinds of fun things to explore. Tillie hopped right up on this rock and took in the view, as if she was princess of the park!

red golden retriever

 

Nicole & Jerad, thank you for introducing me to your sweet girl! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our portraits soon – Tillie did a great job! :)

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Brando the Gorgeous German Shepherd

Friday, October 12th, 2018

Some days I work with dogs that have no boundaries, no obedience, no manners – and while it’s not exactly ideal, we can still have a great session. Things just tend to move a little slower when dogs don’t have a sense of obedience.

Brando is NOT one of those dogs!!

Brando is probably the most well-trained German shepherd dog that I’ve ever worked with! He’s an accomplished Schutzhund athlete, and if you’re not familiar with the sport, it’s an incredibly involved & complex activity that requires various levels of cognition, skill & self-control. And something tells me Brando is going to be a champion one day – he’s incredible! He did a few Schutzhund tricks for me during our session, and quite frankly, it was downright amazing to see the way he works with his mom. She’s his handler for all his Schutzhund activities and clearly all the tricks and skills they’ve worked on together have helped form a beautiful bond between them. And then – it’s the cutest thing – once he’s done “working” with mom, he switches to playtime mode when he’s with dad! The frisbee comes out and they have a ball playing fetch and letting Brando run around Mission Bay Park. Seeing the strong, unique relationships Brando has with both of his parents was simply awesome!

 

What did I tell you?! Gorgeous.

german shepherd dog

 

We definitely let loose once the frisbee came out!

german shepherd catching frisbee

 

(I’m going to steal Brando. Don’t tell his parents.)

german shepherd

 

 

Linda & Brian, thank you for introducing me to your incredible dog! I had such a great time with all of you! :)

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Pepper & Angus, a San Diego Poodle & Goldendoodle!

Friday, October 5th, 2018

“Are they brother & sister?” “Are they the same age?” Pepper & Angus get all kinds of questions from curious people who see them around town… because maybe at first glance, they appear awfully similar! It’s only once you look a little closer and get to know them that you realize they could hardly be more different.

Pepper is a standard poodle, 10 years old and quite the refined little lady. She crosses her paws when she lays down, generally steers clear of her brother’s silly antics, thrives on her independent spirit, and simply has that stately air of a standard poodle that makes you wonder for the quickest moment: is there a human in there? I’m just not convinced that Pepper sees herself as a dog…!

Angus, on the other hand, is a 3-year-old goldendoodle who suffers from “little brother syndrome” to his core, haha! He’s energetic, cheerful, loves to snuggle and make friends, and is simply a happy-go-lucky boy. He was a joy (if somewhat of a challenge) to photograph, and the cherry on top was his bow tie – almost too much cuteness to handle.

For our session, we started with some classic studio portraits and then headed to Balboa Park for a splash of color!

 

I’m thrilled to introduce you to Angus (left) and Pepper (right)!

photo of two dogs in studio

 

I love Pepper’s sweet smile.

poodle in balboa park

 

Angus wanted to explore every inch of Balboa Park, haha – he’s such a happy pup!

goldendoodle in balboa park

 

I’m so excited to see their parents back in the studio soon to review all of our images – this was just a “sneak peek” at all the cuteness! Thanks for being such good dogs during your session, Pepper & Angus! :)

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

Areli & Ghost, Canine Brothers in the Studio

Friday, September 28th, 2018

This was a very special session for me – because I knew this family before they were a family!!

Yep, I met brothers Areli & Ghost and their parents Courtney & Travis in Pensacola, Florida, back when they were stationed there (while Mr. Shamrell was still in flight school). We had a wonderful session together, and longtime blog followers might even remember seeing these gorgeous dogs’ faces back then! What made that first session even more special than I anticipated was the moment when Travis proposed to Courtney! On the beach! It was absolutely beautiful and I was so honored to capture the moment it happened. Fast forward a few years, and honestly I never thought I’d get to work with them again… until I heard from their mom with the happy news that they had been stationed in San Diego! Yay!! Not to mention, there’s another member of the family now – a baby daughter!! Usually when my clients’ families grow, it’s 4 legs at a time, not 2, haha – but we were able to get together for some family portraits with all 5 of these beautiful souls, and even a photo of the two older brothers with their new little sister. What an incredible “full-circle” moment! :)  I’m going to remember this session for a very long time!

 

This is Areli! He’s a Canaan dog, incredibly special to his mama and an all-around good boy. Just look at that handsome smile!

studio portrait of a canaan dog

 

And this gorgeous beast is Ghost, a white German shepherd and goofball to the core. For as stunning as he looks, he’s equally silly. Trust me. ;)

studio picture white german shepherd

 

The last time I saw Ghost, he was about the same size as Areli – but not anymore!! This boy has gotten BIG since he’s not a puppy anymore. he’s fully grown – while Areli has stayed his same handsome, trim self. But I love how they’re still a strikingly-good-looking pair as they were 5 years ago.

two dogs in studio

 

Courtney & Travis, thank you so much for a fun afternoon/reunion, haha! I’m excited to show you the rest of our images soon!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in pet photography | No Comments »

« Previous Page | | Next Page »
 

  • Subscribe

    Get a shiny new email in your inbox every time a new post is published!


    Your information is completely private.

  • Links

    • All Images Copyright | Blog Theme Created by LJP & SLR Lounge