Week Six- Post Two: Summary Post

Final Post

I can't believe six weeks flew by so fast! I have learned so much from this class and it has been an unforgettable experience.

I am Lauren Symonds and a child development major at Meredith College this year, 2012. 

I was interested in this class because I love working with animals. I have always enjoyed helping animals find homes and through this class I could do it on a larger scale. 

The most valuable part of this course was finding out how I could make an impact in my community. 

I used photography to help get homeless animals at the Wake County Animal Shelter adopted. 

I learned about using my camera and photoshop to help enhance the photos pf the animals.

 I was not expecting this experience to inspire me as much as it has. The staff and volunteers work so hard for the animals and it has made and impact on me. I am so appreciative of this experience.

Animal overpopulation is a serious issue. Photography can have an impact on the animals be it can show off their true colors which helps them get adopted faster. Photography can also help the public be more aware of animal overpopulation and educate them on ways to reduce the issue.

This is Ricci the volunteer coordinator at Wake County Animal Shelter. This picture shows the positive impact the staff makes on the shelter.

Week Six- Post One: Animal Overpopulation

Animal Overpopulation

Animal overpopulation is when there are more animals than people can take care of. 

Two phrases that come to mind when I think of overpopulation are poor responsible pet ownership and euthanasia. Pet owners must make a commitment to their pet when they first get them. This includes getting the pet spayed or neutered so it does not contribute to the overpopulation problem.

Euthanasia  also comes to mind because the pets that are people do not want or can no longer take care of are put at risk for euthanasia if they are not adopted by another family. Euthanasia is used to help control the overpopulation, however I see it as only a bandaid. If everyone spayed and neutered their pets and were more responsible pet owners the animal population would be more manageable and fewer animals would have to be euthanized.

I'm not really sure that society sees the extent of the animal overpopulation problem. If the society did then I think their wouldn't be and animal overpopulation issue. 

Right now euthanasia is the main way society uses to combat animal over population. Wake County animal shelter requires the animals to be spayed or neutered before they are adopted out. They are also trying to educate the public about responsible pet ownership. 

I think this is a great start but it must be done on a much bigger scale. The importance of spaying and neutering and responsible pet ownership should be given to everyone who owns or is planning on owning a pet.

Top 10 Favorite Pictures

Prestone 

Animal ID: 71054
In foster care

Photo taken on 5/15/12

Mahogony

Animal ID: 71133

Photo taken on 5/16/12

Buddy

Adopted!

Photo taken on 5/16/12

Garner

Animal ID: 71742

Adopted!

Photo taken on 5/23/12

Molly

Animal ID: 72354

Adopted!

Photo taken on 6/6/12

Flame Girl

Animal ID: 72592

Photo taken on 6/11/12

Bonita

Animal ID: 72672

Photo taken on 6/11/12

Queen Jubilee

Animal ID: 72795

Photo taken on 6/13/12

Rabbit 

Animal ID: 72959

Photo taken on 6/15/12

Clyde

Animal ID: 72735

Photo taken on 6/15/12

Week Five- Post Four: To Continue Volunteering Or Not?

Of Couse I Will Continue Volunteering!

I am so glad that I have gotten this opportunity to volunteer at the shelter. I have learned so much about what the shelter has to offer and I love the working with the animals. 

It feels really great to take pictures of the animals one week and see that they have been adopted the next. 

I feel like I am making a difference and it makes me very proud.

This is me volunteering at the shelter.

The pictures are courtesy of Mary Shannon Johnstone

Taken at the Wake County Animal Shelter on June 6th, 2012

I retrieved these photos on June 10th 2012

Week Five: Post Three: Three Step Plan

Three Step Plan

I am majoring in Child Development and love working with children. I am also very passionate about animals so for my three step plan I wanted to combine art, children and the shelter animals. 

Who:

Kids in preschool to high school

What:

The kids would come to the shelter in a summer camp and paint, draw, or take pictures of the animals. They could choose a fabric and cut out triangles to make bandanas for the dogs. 

When:

Summer camp

Why:

The summer camp would help the animals get adopted because it would bring more people into the shelter. The children would be using their artistic skills to help the animals get adopted which would make them feel good about themselves. Another component would be that the children get a responsible pet ownership class there they could paint, draw, and photograph what it meant to them. This would hopeful help our future children learn more about animals and that may decrease the amount of animals that come into the shelter. The children's art work would be posted up for the public to see.

The artist would be the children in the summer camp

To further this experience schools could be contracted and programs would be done during the school year for field trips.


In the photos below my cousin is drawing a picture of Molly Animal ID: 72354. In the summer camp she could learn about the animals at the shelter and how to take care of them. She would be able to take pictures of animals she wanted to make the public aware of. She would go back to the room to the room and pick out the materials she wanted to use. She could paint, draw, or sculpt the animal or animals she wishes and they would be displayed for the public to see. This would educate the children about proper animal care as well let the public know what the animals in the shelter.

Week Five- Post Two: The Impact Of Photography

Does Our Photography Make An Impact?

Yes!

Photograph can portray the animals at the shelter in a more positive light.

It can also be used to advertise and inform the public about the animals at the shelter as well as responsible pet ownership.

Our photos make the animals look more adoptable first and formost. The shelter staff are so busy running the shelter they have little time to take good quality pictures of the animals. Many of the shelter photos are unflattering of the animal because of this. 

Our photos also give the public a more positive outlook on the shelter. Their are negative rumors about how WCAS is a kill shelter and that they don't care about the animals (This is absolutely not true!). However our quality photos show the public that the shelter does care for the animals.

Our photos have brought Meredith College closer to the shelter and the community. We are reaching and bring proactive trying to inform our community about Wake County Animal Shelter in the hopes more people will become involved.

There are several other art forms that could be used to have a positive impact on the shelter.

The public wants to come into a building that is well kept. Painters could use their artistic talent to paint murals on the wall to make the shelter look more friendly and inviting. Graphic Designers could use their artistic skills to make pamphlets, signs, posters, and banners to inform the community about upcoming events or educational tips such as what it means to be a responsible pet owner. Fashion designers could use their artistic talents to make bandanas and blankets for the animals. 

I could imagine collaborating with another artist. A friend of mine does a lot of graphic design work. I could work with him and potentially the shelter to make pamphlets and signs alerting the public of up coming events as well as educational facts. 

In the picture below you can see my "artistic skills" while using photoshop to digitally enhance a photo. These photos will be seen by the public and a person who walks in the shelter after looking at a photo online is more likely to adopt an animal.

Skylar

Animal ID: 71775

Adoption Pending!

This is Ricci the volunteer coordinator and his dog at Wake County Animal Shelter. In this picture you can tell the passion Ricci has for animals. The staff are behind the scenes working diligently but often under appreciated. It is important to recognize those who are working hard for the animals. 

Pictures from "behind the scenes" show the staffs dedication.

Week Five- Post One: What Is Most Valuable About This Class

What I Find Most Valuable About This Class is

Learning About My Camera

Before when I was using this camera I had no idea what I was doing with it. I couldn't tell you what the ISO was or what that F on the bottom of the screen meant. 

Now I can set my camera according to the lighting in the room. I know if I might need a higher ISO or not. It is amazing to me how much of a difference it makes to have the camera on the appropriate settings. 

Dori

Animal ID: 72322

In this photo the lighting was very poor. 

I bumped up my ISO from 400 to 800 to get a better picture.

Most Valuable Online Portion

Learning Photoshop

Is another valuable thing I learned throughout this course. I had never worked with photoshop before and the online lessons made it easy for me to follow alone or go back and make sure I was doing a set right. I think the online portion of this class is critical. I would never be able to remember all the steps to edit a photo. With the online voice notes I can go back whenever I need to remind myself how to use a tool or technique. 

Curtis- Before Editing

Animal ID: 72170

Curtis- After Editing

Animal ID: 72170

In this photo I used the Blur technique. I hadn't used it yet and went back to the online voice note to make sure I was doing it the right way. I liked the fact that I could blur out the bars and food behind Curtis

**Week Four: Featured Tails**

**Week Four Featured Tails**

Beauty
Animal ID: 66811

Gorganzola
Animal ID: 67022

Mellow Mushroom
Animal ID: 67147

Zima
Animal ID: 70075

Striker
Animal ID: 71609

Princess
Animal ID: 71734

Chief Finn
Animal ID: 71816

Heinz
Animal ID: 71928

Lucy

Animal ID:71939

Midnight
Animal ID: 71948

Bruella
Animal ID: 71999

Wee Man

Animal ID: 72003

Coco
Animal ID: 72179

Bobby:
Animal ID: 72229

Bobby:
Animal ID: 72229

Roger Rabbit

Animal ID: 72068

Cosma

Animal ID: 72101

Week Four- Post Three: Most Valuable Technique

This Week's MVT Is...

(Most Valuable Technique)

Levels!

"Levels is a tool in Photoshop and other image editing programs which can move and stretch thebrightness levels of an image histogram. It has the power to adjust brightness, contrast, and tonal range by specifying the location of complete black, complete white, and midtones in a histogram. "

Information courtesy of Cambridge In Colour

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/levels.htm

Information Taken  6-2-12

I levels tool really helps me adjust the brightness in my pictures. The shelter has poor lighting especially on rainy and gloomy days. Now I don't have to worry too much about the lack of quality lighting because I can always go back in photoshop and brighten up the picture.

Coming In Close Second Is...

Curve!

"The Photoshop curves tool is perhaps the most powerful and flexible image transformation, yet it may also be one of the most intimidating. Since photographers effectively paint with light, curves is central to their practice because it affects light's two primary influences: tones and contrast. Tonal curves are also what give different film types their unique character, so understanding how they work allows one to mimic any film — without ever having to retake the photograph."

Information courtesy of Cambridge In Colour

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/photoshop-curves.htm

Information Taken  6-2-12

As Professor Shannon Johnstone says, "Use this tool like salt" only a little so you don't ruin the over all product. This tool in combination with the levels tool is really amazing. I can go back and edit bright spots and shadows to make them more unified. The end product looks great!

Roger
Animal ID:  72068

The photo below is an unedited photo

This photo has been edited using both the levels tool and the curves tool.

Notice how much more detail shows and how these two tools improved the overall photo.

Week Four- Post Two- Different Critter

Bunny Rabbits

I typically photograph dogs and sometimes cats. 

Until today I had never attempted to photograph the little critter like the bunnies. 

Some of the challenges I faced were:

Not knowing exactly how to handle the bunny.

I grew up with dogs and cats but never around bunnies. It felt a little uncomfortable holding the bunnies.

There was a lot of distracting objects in the cage.

The bunnies had grass in their cage. It was difficult to move the grass away and off of the bunny to get a good picture of them.

There was poor lighting.

The little critter room has poor lighting plus the bunnies were in the back of the cage. This made it difficult to get a good picture with enough light.

I learned:

The best way to photo graph the bunnies was to try and get them to the front of the cage where there was more light.

To move the grass away from the bunny and off of the bunny so less editing has to be done.

It was a good experience but I think I will stick to the animals that I am more comfortable with.

Roger Rabbit

Animal ID: 72068

Cosma Rabbit

Animal ID: 72101

Week Four- Post One: Who Has Homes?

Who Is Where?!

Animals Who Have Found Homes!

Elrod

Animal ID:70966

Kent

Animal ID: 69563

Kamrin

Animal ID: 69564

Jake

Animal ID: 713006

Buddy
Animal ID: 70976

Animals Who's Adoptions Are Pending

Sandy

Animal ID: 71773

Animals Who Are No Longer At The Shelter But I'm Not Sure Of Their Where About's

Tama 

Animal ID: 71733

Tigress

Animal ID: 70163

Mahogony

Animal ID: 711333

Patches

Animal ID:71540

I am not sure how long they were at the shelter for since their information is no longer on the site. Hopefully more animals will find homes this week!