Got Photography?

     Photography impacts Wake County Animal Shelter by significantly improving the images of homeless creatures which helps them find families and organizes the shelter’s web photos which promotes the center simultaneously.  The most direct effect photography has on the shelter is it enhances the animals’ photos that are listed on WCAS’s government website.  Most of the animals’ images are extremely unattractive and gloomy.  This decreases the chance the animals have to get adopted.  Photography depletes this issue because potential adoptive parents view warm and beautiful photos of the shelter’s animals instead which is more representative of their demeanor.  Photography helps paint visual pictures of the animals, without it the shelter’s website would remain very “hospitalized”.  In addition to adoptive benefits, photography has also helped WCAS to organize their critters and their website in a more professional manor.  Listing the name and impoundment numbers with the images of the critters makes them more accessible to the shelter’s staff.  Also, the website is welcoming and vibrant- photography helps to maintain this virtual atmosphere. 

This is Tioga, Amanda's favorite kitten.  She had asked me
to photograph him because she felt it was necessary to show
his cuteness to the public.  Amanda explained to me everyone
thought he was a mean kitten because he was so scared
the first day he was in the shelter.  Amanda asked me
to capture his true self. I find this image helps the shelter
because Amanda believes our work reflects the shelters
role in society and had the confidence in me to portary this
purr-fectly cute kitten as he is.

     My artistic skills enhance these impacts because I am able to expose the sparkling life from every photo.  I have developed a skill set vast enough to apply my Photoshop techniques in different ways.  For example, I have had many successes in creating an image of what the public might assume to be a feral stray cat based on the shelter’s website into a welcoming, wonderful, house cat.  I have used my editing skills to properly show the feelings and personalities of the animals.  My skills also help maintain the professionalism of the shelter’s website.  As a government funded institution the shelter must up keep their professional environment.  Therefore, my abilities are applied to create photographs using unique complex methods and techniques.

      Art can be but is not limited to painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, architecture, computer/digital design/graphics.  I believe all forms of art can help the shelter, by engaging the surrounding community in compassionate projects which will teach them more about the shelter and its purpose at the same time.  However, I believe computer design or digital graphics may be most beneficial to the shelter in order to keep the shelter up to date with modern society.  Perhaps creating billboards, signs, or propaganda will help expose WCAS to our society.  I can imagine working with a graphic computer scientist. I am not sure who I would physically merge with now but I can consider digital design to create professional shelter posters.