Week Six Critters

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OBXAnimalShelter?authkey=Gv1sRgCKrm_eaEsNWEXA

Week Six, Day Two

My name is Jess Zottoli. I'm a rising senior and my major is psychology. I will be attending graduate school for Family and Marriage Counseling.

My interest in this course developed last semester in Photo I. I truly enjoy photography and always have. I'm the type of person who everyone else gets annoyed with for taking so many pictures. Photography captures the moment and freezes time forever; how can anyone not be excited by that? With my foundation of photography in high school, developed in college; I wanted to strength my editing skills by taking this class.

The most valuable part of this course for me was the online aspect. Living three and half hours away definitely put me at a disadvantage for summer class options. However, this class was my saving grace. It was convenient and the online aspect definitely strengthened the class. As students we were easily able to see our peers work through blogging and sharing of pictures on Picasa. Furthermore, the online aspect allowed for individuals, like me, to branch out and show what other shelters are doing. It allowed the class to compare and contrast the shelters.

I've never really grown up with pets; my family made Harley a part of our family a little over five years ago but since I've been in college I haven't gotten to be around him much. He's a great dog but since whenever I was little I've actually been afraid of dogs. This class was a bit challenging to me at first because of this fear and uncertainty of the animals. But, my blog title says it all "tutti i cani devono amare" (all dogs need love). I wasn't expecting to overcome my apprehension of dogs but this class was certainly a stepping stone. While volunteering, I actually got a great picture of one of the biggest dogs at the OBX SPCA. I took him out of his kennel and into a play area, let him run around for a few minutes then he sat for a great picture. Who would have known that this big dog just wanted to play? I've heard this a time or two (dogs just want to play) but it was proven to me in this photo session.

Photography has the potential to show masses of people the reality of what truly happens in an animal shelter. With this capability, pictures can educate and inform society about animal overpopulation.

This is LEO. He is the big doggie that not many want to come near. His before picture had his eyes closed and he was foaming at the mouth. I went to just search for his old picture and it can't be found because he was adopted. Congrats Leo, I hope your improved picture found you a home!

Week Six, Day One

Describe. What is animal overpopulation?
Animal overpopulation is a problem. According to the American Humane Association, "Each year, approximately 8 million stray and unwanted animals are taken in by shelters across the country. Tragically, about 3.7 million -- nearly half -- of these animals must be euthanized because good homes cannot be found for them. In fact, shelter euthanasia is the leading cause of death for both dogs and cats in the United States" (Source: http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/issues-information/pet-overpopulation.html).

Interpret. Based on what you observed and learned in this course, what does animal overpopulation to you.
Animal overpopulation is a problem for animal shelters. It was just last week that a litter of a dozen puppies were dropped off. Since there was this many new puppies at one time, an older dog, Pappy, had to be euthanized in order to make room for the new. It was difficult because I hadn't even known this happened. I was showing a shelter worker some of my pictures from the previous week and Pappy's picture came up and she looked away and didn't talk for a few minutes. She then explained to me what happened. Overpopulation requires extra room and an emotional toll.

Evaluate. How does our society view animal overpopulation? What is being done to combat it? How successful or unsuccessful are the attempts?

Honestly, I didn't really fully understand animal overpopulation until this class. So I would say society isn't as aware of the problem as it could be. The OBX SPCA has launched a new pitch called "Popcorn." I've noticed flyers all over my island and I'd say word is definitely beginning to spread here; literally, the fliers are everywhere: grocery stores, restaurants, outlets, etc. The attempt is hopeful. Hopeful because the program is still in primarily stages. I feel it's a catchy name and can spread quickly. I've even hung up a few flyers of my own. Educational programs could be done to make awareness better. More information on the flyers could be helpful.

My Top Ten Pictures:











Starts with a sign ends with love :)

Week Five Critters

https://picasaweb.google.com/101123446002444486873/6_9_11_OBXAnimalShelter?authkey=Gv1sRgCLjLzsqmuL6zCw

Week Five, Day Four

Volunteering at the animal shelter has certainly been an experience that I will never forget. Before this class, I had never been to an animal shelter. I've learned that it's actually a lot different of what I pictured. It was more sterile and clean than I thought but still definitely overcrowded. Since there are a lot of animals, that was all the more reason to take great pictures in hopes to find the little critters homes.

I would like to say I will continue to volunteer after the class is over but honestly with working over 40 hours a week and another summer class approaching, I don't think that will be possible this summer. Although when I adopt pets in the future, I plan to find my little critter at an animal shelter...all dogs and cats need love!

Week Five, Day Three

How To: Make My Collaboration a Reality

Step 1. So I came up with several ideas. One that particularly stands out to me is the child's drawing competition. This competition would draw a crowd and therefore would be a great opportunity to spread awareness. Before the drawing section, there would be a slideshow presentation on how to be a responsible pet owner (how to potty train, how often to feed, how to play, etc). The best way to instill good behavior would be at a young age. Good techniques and caring rules would be demonstrated. After the slideshow presentation, a dog or cat would be brought out and the kids could interact. Then the drawing would commence. A local artist would be present and show kids some tips on how to draw quickly and other techniques. I enjoy this idea because it combines awareness, learning and fun.

Step 2. To put this proposal into action, I will need to contact the animal shelter and explain idea. Contact local artist and ask if he/she would volunteer his/her talents.

Step 3. Once the key people are in place, advertising will be a major part of putting on a successful event. An affordable and relatively easy option is to post flyers all over the island to explain about the event. Maybe even pass out flyers to kids while I'm working at the ice cream store. :)

Okay, so my collaboration is more about awareness and kid's art...so to provide an example of a different collaboration. Drawings combined with photos might be interesting. Visuals of the collaboration would be a picture of the animal with the background being a family. This post is very dynamic with ideas. So combine the two below pictures; cat in the front with a background drawing. "What would your new pet look like with your family?" Therefore, combining these two elements would place full emphasis on the animal and how the family needs to be there to support the new pet.(Artist: Megan; Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25230222@N07/2380929432/)

Week Five, Day Two

Describe.
Photography sends a visual message to all audiences. The pictures evoke emotion and increase awareness of animal shelter procedures. The goal of the pictures are to increase the rate of adoptions. Photography is a great form of communication that can be posted on the internet and spread awareness quickly to a variety of audiences.

Interpret.
Artistic skills can encompass each animal's personalities. Through different camera angles, editing techniques and various compositions; the personalities shine through. By having an eye-level camera angle, the audience is entering into the animal's world on his/her own level. With a crooked eye-level, the audience can view the animal's personality as energetic and fun loving. In addition to personality, the artistic skills can show the animal's size. Some of the animals play while taking the pictures so skills are shown too.

Evaluate. I imagine portraits and drawings would do well in an animal shelter. Perhaps a cartoon drawing of the human with his/her potential adopted animal. This would be a great idea for kids. Maybe I'm just on this kick with drawings...so even having a children's drawing competition of the best animal. The child/children with the best drawing receives a free adoption fee waiver. It would be great to collaborate with other artists; regardless of their ages. Local artists could be really interested. As for other art forms, videos of the animals playing may also result in a great interest in the community.

These are pictures from today...these kittens are very cute and adoptable. The photography shows the animal's personalities. Pictures, such as these, could easily sway people to adopt animals based on their adorable looks.

Week Five, Day One

What is most valuable about this course is the hands-on experience. The photography work is a step by step process; all taking place with us. Going to the shelter, taking the pictures, editing the pictures, organizing the pictures, uploading the pictures, commenting on the pictures...it all a process that allows us to truly get involved and grow connections with our work. I mean I've caught myself a time or two editing a picture and remembering what was happening at the time the picture was being taken. For instance, one of my very first animal pictures was of Camilla (a puppy who was adopted; yay!). Camilla was very energetic and approachable but as soon as I entered the kennel, she was a little to excited and peed. I felt bad because I had scared her but after some petting she was ready for a picture. Little stories, little connections like that make this class a great learning experience. Learning in a classroom is effective but getting the hands-on experience can not be replaced.

With this course, I have found the online format to be very useful. Most of our communication is done through blogging and this format encourages each student to look at fellow classmate's work. I have also enjoyed using skype as another form of communication; it is a true lifesaver. Additionally, the online aspect has worked in my favor since I do not live in Raleigh. I am grateful this class was offered online.

I included these pictures because the online aspect allows for quick sharing of adorable critters. These pictures certainly are worth being shared.

Week Four Critters

https://picasaweb.google.com/101123446002444486873/6_2_11_OBXAnimalShelter?authkey=Gv1sRgCKTK2I7Xj-OPzAE#

Week Four, Day Three

First off, it's remarkable what can be done in photoshop. I knew photoshop can change a picture greatly but now I'm maintaining my own box of tools and skills.

This week I enjoyed using the sharpening tool and the forced depth of field. Both techniques add a new dimension to the photos. Also, each promotes the adoptability of the animals; doing these fine tuning techniques allows the animals' to be shown in the best light possible.


This lovely animal is Daffe (#30323). Daffe was a bit afraid at first to have a picture taken but after some 'love' and a belly rub was more than willing to take plenty of pictures. This picture I used the sharpening tool and it adds more texture to the animal. It presents the animal in greater detail.


This big kitty is Angel (#29618) was prepared and ready to have her picture taken. She sat right up and looked at the camera. This picture demonstrates forced depth of field (using the gaussian blur). By making the background less in focus, this technique really allows the cat to be the center of attention in this photo.

Week Four, Day Two

A different kind of critter: puppies & kittens; oh my!

I normally photograph dogs and cats fairly consistently so for my different critter I chose the younger population. Some challenges with the younger animals were attention span. These critters were little explorers and adventurers. I had help from a shelter worker so I was able to take the animals out of the cage and inside the lobby to the couch area. It was fun to transport the animals to hold and carry each one. That morning I arrived, about a dozen labs were dropped off at the shelter so I tried to photograph as many of those critters as I could. What I found to be interesting was each of the little puppies, although looked identical, each had different personalities. I learned that to photograph puppies and kittens it takes a lot of patience. I learned that puppy/kitten photos turn out very cute and adoptable after much time. The time put into photographing the critters’ really out to be worth it. Enjoy!

Week Four, Day One

Successfully Adopted!

I wanted to be sure to have an accurate number of animals that have been adopted in the past two weeks so I asked the Director as soon as I arrived for my photo shoot yesterday. After looking it up on the computer, in the past two weeks sixteen animals had been adopted. Rich, the director, was kind enough to print me out a list of the animals. I was looking over the list and said, "I've photographed a few of these people!" I laughed and Rich reassured me, "Don't worry we do that here too. These animals certainly have personalities of their own."

So after two weeks, a total of sixteen animals had been adopted. Those I photographed include: Sora, Bobby, Miss. Priss, Gabby, Raja and Camilla.

SORABOBBYBOBBYCAMILLA
MISS PRISS

RAJA

I was then interested to see how many animals had come into the shelter in the last two weeks and I was beyond shocked at that number. It was a total of 131.
CLINIC - 9, OWNER/GUARDIAN SURRENDER - 22, SEIZED - 77, STRAY - 19 and WILDLIFE - 4. I'm most surprised at the number of seized animals, it is greatly larger than all the other categories. With totals like these a lot of photographing still needs to be done...so I'm going to bust a move! :)

Week Three Critters

https://picasaweb.google.com/101123446002444486873/OBXAnimalShelter5_27_11?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWd1Keq_JTWNA#

:)

Week Three, Day Four

Responsible pet ownership entails tender, love and care. The owner has to be nurturing and kind to his/her pet while providing the animal with love and also taking care of the animal’s needs, such as food and medical bills.

An anonymous shelter worker said, “Pet ownership isn’t for anyone. We get a lot of animals here because pet owners don’t realize the responsibility it takes to maintain a pet. Animals need constant care from toys to food to just playing with the animal; it can be very demanding. A responsible pet owner would recognize there is a time commitment as well as an emotional commitment that is needed to take care of any animal but these responsibilities certainly reap rewards greater than the demands. There’s nothing greater than seeing your dog’s excitement after being apart for a couple of hours; it’s the perfect welcome home gesture.”

A shelter visitor, Elizabeth from Virginia responded, “A responsible pet owner should know that you have to have the time and finances to adequately provide for the animal. Owning a pet is a responsibility and therefore no one should take on a responsibility they cannot handle. Also, particular shelter animals need extra love and attention.”

The picture that I feel best represents a responsible pet owner is my brother Luciano and Harley. My brother is thirteen years old and although Harley is the family pet, he is most definitely Luciano’s dog. Luciano loves Harley. These two are often found in Luciano’s room playing with legos. Luciano takes Harley for walks, plays with him outside after school, makes sure he always has enough water and feeds him twice a day. Luciano loves, cares and nurtures Harley; it’s quite adorable to watch.

Here's A Look At What I See...

This is inside kennels that are connected to the...outside kennel area.

This is looking in from the outside kennel area through to see the inside kennel area.



This outside play area is right beside the outside kennels entrance. The gated square is where the animals have a fifteen minute "play time" every day.

I'm trying to let y'all see what I experience. Whenever I get there I'm so focused on taking pictures of the animals, but next week I'll try and take more pictures of the shelter...

Week Three, Day Three

There are actually many reasons why animals are surrendered to an Animal Shelter. Some reasons make more sense than others, but not knowing the full story, volunteers cannot judge the person who surrendered the animals. With the animals in the shelter, it’s important to know where each of the animals has come from; but it is more important where the animals are going. So instead of focusing on why the animals were placed in the Animal Shelter, it’s better to focus on how to get the animals adopted. Positive outlook always works best.

However, to know where someone is going and how they are going to get there; it’s important to know where they are from. Yes, this is also true for animals. For instance, if an animal has come from an abusive home; the animal is going to need a lot of understanding and love from a new home.

Monkey (#29536), Ani (#29121) and Mercy (#29148) are all cats who had different reasons for surrender. Monkey is a one and half year old orange tiger who was a stray. I presume Monkey was found by Animal Control and brought into the shelter. I enjoy the picture of Monkey because of the animal's eyes. Monkey was a bit difficult to photograph at first then suddenly he sat down for a solid five minutes and I was able to get a couple good pictures.

Ani is a white and black cat whose reason for surrender was simply “cannot keep.” Ani's eyes stick out immensely against her white fur. I find this picture both captivating and eerie; almost like a mysterious bond between good and evil.

Mercy is a one and half year old tri-color cat who was surrendered because the owner’s were having a new baby. Mercy wanted nothing to do with me or my camera and I find her reason for surrender to be an interesting contributing factor.

Week Three, Day Two

The turn-over rate is rather slow at the Outer Banks Animal Shelter. The number of animals surrendered and the number of animals adopted are both fairly low. There have been two animals that I was notified that were adopted in the past week. One of which was Miss Priss (the terrier I posted on my blog last week). I did not notice any new animals. This surprises me how not that many new animals had been surrendered also respectably how few animals were adopted. However, I always have to keep in mind that I do live on an island. So therefore the number of surrenders and adoptions being low is understandable. The only people on the island currently are locals. Summer brings people from all over and Memorial Day weekend marks the start of tourism. So I think it will interesting to observe if the adoption rate increases as the number of visitors increases.

Also, I found it interesting that I met two shelter visitors traveled all the way from Virginia Beach to look at adopting animals. That’s a decent travel and I find it heartwarming that these individuals were willing to travel that far to adopt.

This is Jade (#A12691467). She’s eleven years old and needs a lot of love. She has a great deal of medical bills and medical needs. A potential reason why she has not been adopted is her age and medical treatment needed. Jade was truly a bundle of joy to photograph. She was very relaxed and wanted to sit instead of have her picture taken. She has a true personality and I enjoy how I captured her smile. (Also, as a side note, her ears are very tiny and this is the best I could get).

Week Three, Day One

This is Bobby (impoundment number A12834576). He was difficult to photograph because he didn't want to sit still. He was very active and playful. A strength of the photo is the Bobby's expression...it's very goofy and represents his personality. Another strength is the catch-lights are shown in Bobby's eyes. Also, the cropping is effective for making the focus be about the dog. Bobby looking at the camera is a strength as well.

Now for the areas of improvement. The bars of the gate being in the background are a definite need for improvement. The pictures are supposed to capture the animal's personality and make them look cute. However, with the bars in the background this reinforces the feeling of guilt of how the animal is in the pound. Another area of improvement are the catch-lights and uneven lighting. The eye on the left side is much brighter than the right. It would improve the picture to have both eyes exposed to the same amount of light. This is a challenge for me due to the kennel areas being small and narrow. Contributing to the catch-lights being unbalanced is the uneven lighting. To solve this problem, I would need to be able to take each animal out of his/her kennel.

To compensate for the uneven lights in the dog kennels, this week whenever I went to the animal shelter, I photographed more of the cats. The indoor lighting was more even and balanced. Also, whenever I did photograph a dog; I asked to take him out of the kennel area on a leech, this kind of worked. This technique took a very long time (a good twenty minutes for a not so great picture). The dog was just very excited to get out of the kennel and he knew how to get out of his collar, which he did twice. That's correct; he got off the leech twice. Luckily I was in a decent sized room and was able to get him back on the leech easily. So next week, I will try again... :)

Week Two's Critters.

https://picasaweb.google.com/101123446002444486873/OBXAnimalShelter_5_18_11?authkey=Gv1sRgCIna9ODGhZWeXg#

Enjoy! :)

Week Two, Day Four

The best way to learn about something is to submerge yourself in it. This is certainly true. After a week of volunteering, I’ve already observed and learned a great deal more than ever before. From what I can tell most of the animals I have seen so far come from families or individuals who cannot take care of them anymore. Most of the reasons I’ve seen on the kennel cards are “couldn’t take care of anymore,” “moving,” and “medical bills too high.” It’s truly heartbreaking to think that some families cannot take care of their pets because of medical bills. Other animals are strays that have been picked up by animal control. All of the reasons are not the animals fault; yet the animal is the one who is given away and put in a kennel. Then that’s when we step in, to take pictures with hopes of finding these abandoned animals homes.

The picture I’m most proud of this week is of Scrappy. This dog certainly has a personality of his own. He sat great for me. Most of the other dogs needed some extra attention then sat. Scrappy sat right away click click; I had two great pictures. Then just as I was leaving…zing! He ran out and escaped. Scrappy certainly had an enjoyable time running around outside. To describe the dog area again, each dog has two areas he/she can be in (inside and outside). The inside area is generally too small for me to get a picture so I tend to stay on the outside. All the outside kennels overlook a grassy area. In this grass area is a gated region where each dog will spend 15 minutes a day in “free time.” When Scrappy got out, he approached the dogs in free time and started to play with them through the fence which caused much commotion and all the other dogs started to bark. After Scrappy was put on a leech and escorted back to his kennel. The shelter worker informed me, Scrappy is a very smart dog who rarely listens to anyone. Scrappy has been at the OBX Animal Shelter since Christmas. Just last week he had a break through learning experience: Scrappy will now walk next to the shelter workers on a leech without biting. This is my picture I’m most proud of this week because after the escaping dog incident; I just wanted to be done for the day but Scrappy wanted to play. So that encouraged me to stay even though I was very embarrassed he had gotten out. This dog deserves a good home. He is very smart, clever and very fast.

Week Two, Day Three

Meta data is embedded information into the photo for tasks such as tagging images, ownership, subject matter and copyright. It will helpful for this class because I will be able to quickly search and find pictures based on a keyword. The most important piece of meta-data seems to be the copy right option; giving the photographer the ability to claim his/her work no matter where the pictures may go. If the picture is passed on to someone else or copied, the meta data allows the user to always be able to trace back to the original source of the photographer.

For these photos, I used the macro mode. It adds to just focusing on the animal and not the background. Since my camera is a point and shoot, I do not have much control over depth of field. This macro mode option assists with my focusing. This is a picture of Angelica (impound number #29686) and Auto (#29544). Both of these cats have distinguishing physical traits about them. Angelica has such intense and focused eyes and Auto has unique markings on his face. Both need great homes; these pictures are a step closer to achieving that goal.

Week Two, Day Two

PICTURE MAKEOVERS: Before and After Shots

This is Miss Priss. I found her picture on the shelter’s website (http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19406684). I was drawn to this picture because I love terriers. It may have come from my obsession with the Wizard of Oz when I was little, ever since I’ve wanted a little Toto look-a-like. I admire this picture because the dog is looking at the camera and her ears are raised. The dog is in the center of the photograph and the depth of field is focused on the dog. However, her eyes do not accent the catch-lights. If I could redo this picture, I would like her eyes to be more of the focus without the glare and for the background scenery to be plainer. These two changes would make the picture completely focus on Miss Priss.

Here I have redone the photo of Miss Priss. She is in focus with catch-lights visible. The background is not competing with her and she is looking at the camera. Also, there wasn’t a flash to capture the glare in her eyes. This picture overall does reflect her personality and makes her more desirable.

This is Otis (http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19106915). He has been in the shelter since March 2011. The picture below is not very flattering. His ears are down causing him to look scared. A flash was used so there is a glare in his eyes. Overall, not a very appealing picture.

This picture redone of Otis is much more appealing and reflective of his personality. He is truly a fun-loving dog who wants to play. After giving him some love, he sat perfectly for his picture. This picture is a big improvement because his ears are raised with catch-lights visible. He is in the center of the picture and in focus. He was a great dog to photograph.