Week 3 Photos

Hi everyone! My week 3 photos are ready to be viewed! Please follow the link and enjoy.  Week 3 starts with Margaret! Happy Memorial Day to all!

https://picasaweb.google.com/108564237120452087050/JPGs#

=)

Responsible Pet Ownership

This is James Lassinger from Raleigh, North Carolina
with Dakati, a 100 pound Red Huskey in Winchester, VA on May 26, 2011

Responsible pet ownership is an important topic to discuss or to contemplate when considering adopting a pet.  From my point of view, I believe responsible pet ownership entails have sufficient, safe, and monitored housing, care, and nurturing.  The animal should be regularly bathed and groomed, fed nutritious food, visit the vet regularly, be given an immense amount of love, and be provided with a safe and reliable home. 

When I spoke with Dawn a WCAS employee from Raleigh about what she believed responsible pet ownership includes she responded, “You must have enough time, space, and finances to care for a pet.”  She also explained that animals should remain active in order to stay healthy, which most parents neglect to focus on for their pets.  Dawn also noted that she sees irresponsible families come in and adopt a pet from the shelter that turn out not being able to care for the animal and return them too often. 

Lastly, I spoke with John from Roxboro, a shelter visitor about responsible pet ownership and he believes animals should be taken to the vet to get their shots and vaccinations, be played with several times day, fed regularly, and not be neglected at any time. 

Voluntarily Surrendered Animals

I struggle the most, emotionally, when I come across owner surrender sheets for the cats.  This is because those cats have lived their entire lives or the majority of their lives under a domestic roof. For the most part, these cats are surrendered due to medical or circumstantial displacement.  For example, 4 year old Marcy was surrendered because a family member was allergic to her. 

Marcy is a little over 4 years old and has been in the shelter since April 29^th, 2011.




Moxy is an 11 pound Domestic Short Hair, she has been in the shelter since May 5^th 2011.  Her previous parents surrendered her because they had too many pets to take care and did not have the finances to support her.



Waffles was also surrendered. He is a 10 year old Domestic Long Hair cat who is most comfortable in your lap.  Waffles loves to be loved and deserves every bit of it.  He also highly enjoys kitty toys.   He was surrendered because his owners were moving and stated they could not take him with them. 

Animal Turn Over

     Unfortunately, the last four or five days have been the hardest to tolerate at the shelter.  This is because it is currently kitten season and small kittens carry the most germs/ bacteria and have severely spread the epidemic called Pan Leuk throughout the cat rooms within the last week. This disease kills adult cats within a few days to a week and kills kitten within a day or two.  For the last five days I have observed that approximately sixteen cats, whom I’ve gotten to know very well, are no longer in their cages or are not part of our world anymore.

     Throughout my volunteering I have been able to maintain my emotions and be immune to the reality around me until I personally noticed a shelter employee physically remove four cats I had recently finished photographing.  After this occurrence I instantly became extremely aware of the amount of cats that were missing. 



     Overall, there were surprisingly about four to six new cats in each room.  I was previously informed that the shelter’s turn-over rate was 40% but I didn’t completely understand what that meant until I witnessed the process with my own eyes.  I assumed the public would adopt some of the cats instantly because most have wonderful personalities.  However, unless you visit the shelter daily, one would not learn their personalities unless they spent more than a few hours with each cat. 

This is Stephanie. She is an 8 year old Calico.  Her impoundment number is 53041.  She is a die-hard smush and a playful ball of fun.  She has most likely not been adopted because she is considered “old” to potential adoptive parents who may also think adopting her would not be worth it. 

Re-do! Re-do!

Last week I felt as though I took as many photos as I physically could in order to help the most cats in need.  However, at the same time I struggled to effectively photo-shop several pictures.  This is where I struggled with academic values and what I thought was ethically correct.  As a result I included one photo within my “21” collection in order to just get the picture of the cat out there.  In the end my decision did not necessarily help me academically. 

I took this photo of Daisy on May 14th, 2011.

Although the photo was not my best work, I do feel there are some strengths to it.  In my opinion, I feel the catch lights, camera angle, and the expression of the subject complement the photo nicely.  The catch lights in both eyes help supply life and a soul to the cat.  Catch lights grab the attention to peoples’ hearts and therefore may help the animal to get adopted more easily.  The angle of the camera captured the cat’s entire body from the tip of its longest whisker to the end of its tail.  Also, the angle of the camera helped portray the size and physique of the cat.  Lastly, the cat’s facial expression suits the critter perfectly.  It seems discontent, which it’s not, but curious and interested at the same time. 

On the other hand the photo has several areas of improvement.  These issues include exposure, depth of field, focus, and distractions.  The lack of exposure makes the photo appear dull ad grey and therefore unattractive.  Since I did not capture any shallow depth of field the photo looks flat and stagnate.   As you scan the cat’s face you may notice that it is also slightly out of focus within the eyes and head.   In the end, the surrounding objects or distractions bordering the cage removes the viewer’s attention away from the cat’s face, which negatively affects the critters potential for adoption. 

Week 1-2 Shelter Photos

Here is the link to view my edited photos from WCAS within the last two weeks. Please enjoy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/108564237120452087050/JPGs#

Where Does WCAS Find its Roomies?

     After visiting WCAS for a couple of weeks now I have had the opportunity to speak with several staff members, volunteer workers, on-site doctors, and public visitors.  Overall, I now understand that the animals within the shelter are either domestic animals that are given up due to personal/medical and legal needs OR they are called in as strays from by the public community.  I find it most difficult to read an information card that states the animal had been domestic its entire life; for some animals they were domestic anywhere from 1 year to 9 years of age.  I am sure it is exceptionally difficult for, in this case, house cats to be confined to a cage with minimal attention or motherly cuddling.  For the stray cats, as a volunteer it is obvious that being cooped up in a 2X2.5X2 foot cage drives them mad and eager to get out in order to explore.  Overall, if the animal was a stray or domestic, all of them are in dire need for attention and loving homes. 


I am most proud of this photo from this week because I was able to completely capture the life and personality of Xena, a Siamese blend.  She is intelligent, talkative, flirtatious, loving, and crazily playful.  In terms of photography, this photo has a shallow depth of field, wonderful catch lights, a good camera angle, and great exposure for inside a cubby.  Xena also reminds me of my house cat that I no longer live with.



My DSLR is Smarter than a 16th Grader

     Metadata is the information about all my photographs.  This data ranges from basic information such as the time the photo was taken to complex information for example, what type of camera was used or shutter speed.  Metadata also states legal rights and records image adjustments. Metadata most certainly can be used to help me in my class by intricately organizing my cherished photographs.  Organization is necessary for legal matters and effective/efficient photo work.  Metadata may also categorize my information so well that its information is extremely easy to access and search for. For me the most important metadata pieces are usage rights and the descriptions of my photo’s characteristics.  Academically, I find these parts to be most valuable for students. 
   For the photograph below I was forced to walk another path with my DSLR camera that I had never gone down before.  Callie would literally not stop pacing in circles until I touched her or fed her a treat.  This made it exceptionally difficult to capture her beautiful big eyes, full body, and amazing fur pattern.  Therefore, I decided to switch my aperture dial to the "action" setting.  As a result, I was able to capture Callie at 180 degrees of her walking circle.  Fortunately, switching my camera settings allowed me to encompass Callie's eyes, pattern, and her sense of girth.  I felt it was necessary to portray Callie's body size because I feel future parents would be able to realize that Callie was actually a domestically trained house cat just a couple of months ago.  In contrast, the action setting has a high shutter speed thus losing a shallow depth of field. 



This is Callie, she is an energetic Tabby cat.  Her sister Chelsea (who is just as beautiful and nice) is in the holding cage adjacent to Callies. 



Eye of the Tiger

    I have been visiting the WCAS for about two weeks now.  I have personally gotten to know the personalities of dozens of cats/kittens and I am able to recognize several by their voice and tone.   Recently, I started focusing on cats that have been in the shelter the longest.  Some of these cats include Tortellini, Pitch and Tiger.  All three have been inside the shelter for longer than 50 days.  For today’s blog I am going to focus on Tiger.  He is a 3 year old grey & white Tabby cat originally from Holly Springs.  He entered the WCAS on April 2^nd, 2011 and has been available for adoption since April 6^th, 2011.  As part of my “Who Let the Dogs Out?!” course the main priority is to help critters at local animal shelters get adopted by capturing irresistible pictures for shelter staff members to upload on shelter websites.  Please learn more about the importance of my photo course by reading the captions to the pictures posted to this blog.



Photographed by a WCAS Employee.                  http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/. May 22, 2011.

This is a horrifically gloomy picture of Tiger. He appears feral and unadoptable due to his angry expression.  The photo is inundated with distractions and horrible lighting.  The lack of catch lights in Tiger’s eyes makes him come across as disposable.  The shallow depth of field brings your attention to the rim of the cage and Tigers squashed ear and demonic face. The border focus on the red/emergency colored cage adds an immediate negative connotation of denial. 



This is the real Tiger.  My Photoshop techniques have helped emphasize Tiger’s wonderful body language, facial expression, and fur coloration.  My photograph significantly improves Tigers potential for adoption for the following reasons: 1. The immense catch lights bring Tiger to life and portray his soul in the photo.  2.  Tigers facial/body expressions show how relaxed and welcoming he is.  His open chest certainly signifies that he is a proud cat desperate to share his loyalty.  Lastly and most obviously, the scene in which I photographed Tiger helps potential adoptive families sense Tiger’s cleanliness, calmness, and security. 

Photographic Inspiration



Photographed by WCAS Volunteer. http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/. May 22, 2011.

     I find photos of cats/kittens capture my attention the most perhaps because I am now aware that cats are not adopted as frequently and consistently as dogs.   While searching through the Wake County Animal Shelter’s photos I came upon a striking photo of a male Calico whom I know very well- Tonks.   Tonks’ photo is extremely focused making the image exceptionally clear and detailed.  The lack of a bright flash emphasizes the reflective surface of Tonks facial fur and not on the shiny rug he is laying on- the image’s shallow depth of field also contributes to this effect.  Due to the photo’s sharp focus, the catch lights in Tonks eyes are vivid and dramatic. His eyes are brightly sparkling and his ears are softly perched and noticeable. 

     Moreover, Tonk’s intense stare into the camera’s lens makes me feel that he has chosen me as his adoptive parent. However, I feel Tonks appears too serious in this photo considering he has a quirky personality.  Additionally, the angle of the camera is parallel to the floor but directly in front of Tonks, which forms a sense of physical closeness and warmth.   Overall, I feel it is necessary to aid more sheltered cats by using these techniques of methods.  Therefore, I have created my own helpful work below. 



Here is my personal photo of Tonks.  I find this image captures his spontaneous behavior: massaging of the front right paw, extended neck showing curiosity in the actual camera, twisted ears exposing his constant attention and an up close shot proving he does not mind me being in his personal space.



This is Fawn. Within her image I was able to capture bright catch lights in her eyes, a shallow depth of field focusing on her illuminated face, ears, nose, and whiskers.  The angle of the camera allows the viewer to feel as though Fawn is interested in what is in front of her and a slight vignette brings the viewer’s attention towards the center of the photo- Fawn.



Adoption Temptation

While visiting the Wake County Animal Shelter today I noticed adopting a pet is not as costly as I had imagined. I spoke with a fellow shelter employee named Dawn who tends to all kennel responsibilities.  She explained, it costs 95$ to adopt a dog and 45$ to adopt a cat at WCAS.  These prices include FIV testing for cats only, de-worming, all vaccines/shots, and neutering.  The Raleigh native also stated that these prices change depending on the shelter’s needs.  For example, when she started volunteering at the shelter, a few months ago, adopting a dog cost $120 and adopting a cat cost $100. 

As always, price variances trace back to supply and demand.  For example, Dawn said the prices were lowered in order to entice individuals and families to adopt more pets at affordable costs.  Thus, when adoption costs are too high people tend to adopt less which negatively affects the shelter and its employees.  On the other hand, when adoption costs are too low, Dawn explained families who cannot afford a pet, adopt one because it’s cheap to do so, which negatively effects the animal and the ethicalness of the shelter. 

In the same light, Dawn clarified how people usually adopt dogs rather than cats.  Therefore, the higher adoption fee for dogs makes up the difference for the low adoption fees for cats.  They are not equal because the shelter is attempting to increase the demand for cats since the demand for dogs is constant.

After our cost conversation, I asked Dawn to express her opinion on giving homeless critters away for free.  She said giving animals away for free would hurt the productivity of the shelter and animals would end up the hands of the wrong kind of people.  Also, the shelter would lose money since they supply medical treatment to the animals.  However, free pets would significantly reduce the shelter’s euthanasia rate.

Later on, I scouted out a friendly shelter visitor named Nikki.  I asked Nikki to share her point of view on the same topic.  The Wake Forester claimed the animals should be free because of their intense need for love and homes.  Nikki also stated giving the homeless animals away for free would probably negate the shelter’s function because people would take in stray animals off the street without restriction. 



This is an image of Nikki, a local visitor, cuddling with Home Body the itty bitty kitten. 





Somewhere I Have Never Been Before

             While driving to the shelter yesterday I felt slightly apprehensive about arriving.  I wondered if it was going to be too much for me to handle or if I was going to see or hear something that I couldn’t handle mentally.  However, my experience was wonderful.  Although knowing about the euthanasia process does not sit well with me, I now understand that it is necessary.  In addition, realizing that I can impact several animals’ lives- makes me eager to help as many as I can throughout our course. 
             For me the first thing I noticed was the shelter’s smell- just like a hospital but a soiled carpet odor lingered.  I found the shelter to be exceptionally clean in which I learned was necessary in order to prevent bacterial/viral transmissions.   Seeing the quarantined and isolation areas made me feel guilty and sad.  I was sad because I felt bad for the animals because even though, for example, some cats were vicious, I noticed they were locked up in one foot square box.  I tried not to focus on this during our initial tour. 
             The second most gut wrenching sight for me was when a volunteer was dragging a petrified dog into the back of the shelter.  You could just see in his face, ears, body, and actions that he was terrified and not wanting to go where they were taking him- I also immediately deleted this out of my mind at the moment.  In terms of sound, the only area well I felt negative energy was around the dog kennels.  Interestingly, my spirit was lifted when I heard the voice of a little boy “oohing” and “ahhing” at several cute kitties down the hallway.  Also, I could tell by some dogs’ bark and cats’ meow that they were unhappy but I saw and spoke with several extremely happy critters as well. 
                Based on what I wrote, I can only imagine what the animals are feeling and thinking.  I know some felt at home and well-taken care of.  I witnessed the terror of others and heard the sadness in a few barks and meows.  Overall, I could feel their desire and need for true love and compassion.  That is what the shelter was missing- the feeling of being at home where love circulates the environment which on a regular basis we do not realize is there.  The staff was awesome and made me feel motivated to do what they do or all that I can do to help- which I most certainly will out of passion.  Here are my best shots of the day.


This is Kricket.  He was not previously photographed and I felt challeneged to capture a black animal.



My Niece and Nephew!

While searching for my old, yet relatively new, point and shoot Canon digital camera yesterday it was brought to my attention that it was recently stolen and then- pawned. So out of frustration and desire I decided to go out and buy myself a DSLR camera yesterday afternoon right before class.  I purchased a Nikon 14.2 Megapixel D3100 Digital SLR Camera with an 18-55mm VR lens. After finagling with the camera for a few hours this morning I realized that my expensive piece of equipment did not come with an SD card- of any kind.  After purchasing a couple of digital memory cards and two special lens protectors/enhancers I went to town with shooting photos.  I knocked on my neighbor's door and asked to see my niece Scarlet and nephew Merlin.  Unfortunately, since it was quite overcast today parts of the house were extremely dark, even with the blinds pulled up and the front and back doors left wide open.  Therefore, to start, I switched my ISO to 1600 and kept the flash on- just to practice.  After 20 shots I turned the flash off and WOW what a difference.  I'll point these issues out in just a minute. Also, while shooting I notice my hand began to cramp up due to the weight of my camera after 20-30 minutes.  As a result I can already tell maneuvering in, out, and around the kennels will be difficult with my dense and bulky camera.  Additionally, I am very happy I purchased two lens protectors/enhancers because the pups almost immediately shoved their noses into the camera which was fine with me just as long as the actual lens was not damaged- I recommend buying at least one- it would be better to replace a $15-$20 problem than a damaged lens worth several hundred dollars.  I would also like to talk about the dogs I took photographs of today.  First, they are both Australian Blue Healer/ English Bulldog mixes with mesmerizing fur coloration and strong facial features.  However, Scarlet has a very slight lazy eye so the whites around one of her eyes (I can't recall which one) is more prevalent than the other.  Whereas, Merlin's face is droopy making him look sad or unhappy-which he certainly is not 99% of the time.  Here are some photographs of them both!

 

Caption for photo 1: Here is Scarlet.  I captured her photo with the flash because the natural lighting in the room was not crystal bright as I would've liked it to have been.  However, the flash indeed made her eyes look "milky" and therefore weird and not photogenic. Notice also that the flash caused a shadow under her chin, behind her body, and from my camera causing distractions in the photo.

Here is Merlin.  He was very difficult to photograph because he was lying down most of the time and chewing a bone in which his teeth were showing in an unpleasant looking way.  In this picture his eyes are slightly milky but the photo is a good shot of his face, however, part of Scarlets body in the background also takes your attention away from Merlin



Finally a great shot.  No flash involved with an ISO  1600.  I was able to get them to face against the natural sunlight from the front door which highlights the natural areas of their bodies.  Also, the photo focuses  on Scarlet in front and distances Merlin in the back since he s not focused.  Also note that the "sparkle" in their eye captures the viewers attention and makes them look angelically precious.



Furry Adventures

Hello everyone, my name is AnnMarie Valea and I'm currently pursuing a Business Administration degree with a minor in Economics and Studio Art with expectations to graduate in December 2011.  This class intrigues me out of my passion for animals and love for photography.  I find satisfaction in helping animals who are in need of care, intimate attention, and personal interaction.  Photography is my vessel to our surrounding environment; through photography I am able to capture and share my visual feelings and thoughts. I hope to gain sufficient blogging and photo-taking/editing skills in order to receive community recognition.  Adopting a lovable companion after the course is also a potential possibility.  In the same light,  I look forward to learning how to use my camera and photoshop in order to aid all the wonderfully grateful animals at the Wake County Animal Shelter by creating/ updating awesome blogs for the public to browse.  However, since success comes with difficulty I am slightly intimidated by my cameras photo-taking power and Adobe's intellect but learning their nooks and crannies will be a fun adventure. In all, this is my first online/hybrid/summer class so I expect my time commitment to be constant, the course work to be enjoyable yet manageable, the flexibility to be contract-free and hopefully these ingredients will cook up an amazing class.