Major: Art Education
Year: Senior
I was interested in this course because I love photography and animals, art classes are rarely offered during the summer (a bonus being it was taught by an amazing teacher!), and I thought it would be great opportunity to volunteer at the Wake County Animal Shelter.
There were two main things that were valuable to me from this course. One was that I got a lot more experience working in Adobe Photoshop and applying techniques to photography that was not for my art portfolio. However, the most important of both things was that I was able to help these animals by spending time with them and sharing them with the rest of the world through photography, which ultimately improves their chances of getting adopted.
Overall I learned that some things take a lot more time than you thought they would, but really it was all worth it in the end, which I wasn't expecting at the beginning of this class.
In the end, photography can make a huge difference in animal overpopulation, although in a subtle, often unnoticed way. For each animal we photographed, we've shared them with the general public by having them put online. This means that more people have a chance to see them that might not have been able to come into the shelter easily. It also gives them a glance into what the animals are like, so that people can look through the list easily in one place without spending hours at the shelter, which can get pretty crowded with a lot of people walking around. So, photography allows more access to these animals and in essence provides more opportunities and chances for them to get adopted.
Below, the first photograph is of Salem, who has been at the shelter since the beginning of class and has finally gotten adopted! The next two cats I took photographs of last week. Their photographs were posted on the WCAS website at the beginning of the week, and now, at the end of the week, they both have pending adoptions!
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| WCAS, Salem, ID# 52210 |
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| WCAS, Ferry (Ferocia) ID#: 52128 |
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| WCAS, Greg ID#: 54617 |
Any experience is good experience when it comes to editing images and I agree that photography goes a long way in getting animals adopted. Your image of Greg is a good example. He looks relaxes and content...much more inviting that he would look behind the cage door.
ReplyDeleteSO glad you took the class. Wonderful work, and I hope you continue with your volunteer efforts!
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