Week 6 Post 2

Summary

This is Zunny and this is one of my favorite images I took this course. I think this image made a positive impact because Zunny did get adopted and it was a great improvement from his original image on the site.

 

• Name: Kayley Jolly 

• Major: Fashion Design with a Minor in Studio Arts

• Year: 2013

1. Why was I interested in this course?: When looking to resister for summer classes I was looking at the different art classes to take and I saw that there were some photography ones. I have always wanted to take a photography class so I could learn to take better photos and edit them. When I started to read this classes description I was sold immediately! I love animals and to have a class where I would be working on helping them sold me on taking this class and I have loved every minute of it! 
2. What was the most valuable part of this course for you?: The most valuable part of this course to me was the happiness I got from helping the animals at the shelter. It was so rewarding working with them and the amazing people at the shelter. I learned how compassionate people can be and  how much I really do care about these animals. It was also great to see how everyone in the class would work together and support each other it was like a little family. 
3. What did you learn that you were not expecting to?: I learned that the animal shelter is not a bad horrible place because they euthanize animals, they only do that to help them and I understand that know. Also I learned how much I really love these animals and I want to help them and the shelter as much as I can.
4. How can photography make an impact on animal overpopulation? Photography can help with overpopulation because it can make the community aware of what it is, what is going on with animal overpopulation, and educate them how harmful it is to this animals.  

Week 6 Post 1

Animal Overpopulation

Animal overpopulation is a growing problem in Wake county and in America. Animal overpopulation is when there an overcrowding of animals and not enough resources to care for this overcrowding. To me animal overpopulation is happening because people are not educated enough on getting there animals spayed and neutered. Many people think that getting their animals fixed is way to expensive and not even worth it; but there are lost cost spay and neuter clinics that offer lost prices for getting your animals fixed. Here is a link to different clinics that offer low cost spay and neutering for animals http://www.ncraoa.com/clinics.html . Another reason I think there is and overpopulation of animals is because people are not responsible about what it truly means to care for an animal. People just love the idea of having a pet but once they get one they finally understand how hard and what it means to take care of a animal which would be have the fiances to support an animal, get it spayed/neutered so there is no overpopulation of animals, and to have the time to care and love the animal. People just need to think before they get an animal and how important it is to spay and neuter their animals. I don't think society really understands how bad overpopulation has gotten and how they are causing it because they do not spay/neuter their animals. Society just thinks that all shelter can actually take care of all these animals when really they cannot and society gets upset when they hear how shelters euthanize animals; but they don't take the time to understand why shelter have to do this and that they try everything they can do to not euthanize the animals. The shelter has to euthanize animals when they are sick or just have no chance to a happy life, they don't just put them to sleep just because. Society needs to start taking responsibility for the problem they have help cause and need to get their animals spayed/neutered. 

     

Week 5 Post 4

 My Home Away From Home

"Photo courtesy of Mary Shannon Johnstone ©2012"

After this class is over I will continue to volunteer at the animal shelter. Since volunteering there I have never felt so happy and like I am making a positive impact on the world. It makes me feel so good to help these animals find homes and to give them love. I have gotten my boyfriend to volunteer with me and it had made us even closer because we are both so happy to be doing something good and helping out creatures that need our help. Since being at the shelter I have learned more about myself and what I want to do in life; I want to help these animals in anyway I can.

Week 5 Post 3

3 Step Plan to creating my Art Auction for the Shelter:

This is what I would want the Auction to look like. Photo courtesy of Youngna Park http://www.youngnapark.com/Art-Auction 6/10/12

1. I plan to send a proposal stating my plan for the auction to the head of Meredith's art department. In my proposal I would describe the event and what is for, about, and my plan for it. I would ask her to help me get in touch with the art students at Meredith that would be interested in donating art to the auction and other artist in the area who would be interested in donating art too. I would also ask for her help to find volunteers that would like to help with the auction. 
2. Next once I got her ok with and her help I would contact all the artist and a place to have the event like I was thinking it could be at marbles kids museum or one of the art museums downtown.
3. I would start out by creating a timeline for how everything needs to be done and I would have due dates for when everything needs to be done so i can keep everything organized.      

Week 5 Post 2

The photographs the class and myself are taking at the shelter help out a lot in getting the animals adopted. For example I was talking to a woman coming to adopt a dog and we were talking about what the class was doing for the shelter and what the class was about; she told me the pictures really do help with getting the animals adopted because some of the pictures on the website are so dark and they don't show the cuteness of the animals. I have noticed the animals with a good picture do get adopted quicker than the other animals with a picture that isn't so good. My artistic skills help these images because I know how to edit a image to make it look better and help the animal get adopted. Also I can use my artistic photography skills to get the best angles in my shot. There are other artistic ways to help the shelter. One idea I had was to have a silent auction where artwork from Meredith College students was auctioned off and all the money made was given to the shelter. To get this charity art event started I would talk to my professor and the head of the art department at Meredith College. There are some many different art venues that could help the shelter, someone just needs to explore them. 
    

Week 5 Post 1

While taking this course I have learned a lot of taking photos, creating and implementing a blog, and how to edit pictures for the internet. This skills have become very helpful because now when I take a photo I know how to use the levels tool to make it brighter, how to correct the color, and many other useful tools. Also I can now put photography skills and blogging skill on my resume when I apply for jobs in the future. I have liked that the class is online because it gives me more time to be in the shelter taking photos or at home blogging and editing instead of sitting in a class for hours getting lectured on things. I enjoy the freedom. This class has also got me very interested in volunteering at the shelter and planning charity events for the shelter too. I have even gotten my boyfriend Brett to volunteer at the shelter with me and he loves it! This animals can teach you so much about yourself and how to love people/things in the world and make you want to make the world a better place for every living thing! I want to give a special thanks to my wonderful Professor Shannon Johnstone for creating this amazing class and giving all of us Meredith students this amazing opportunity! 

This is Zunny ID# 71842. This is my favorite picture I have taken this semester and I think it is very successful. I really improved this image from the tools Dr. Johnstone has taught me and I got to spend time with an amazing puppy!

 

Week 4 Post 3

Important Photo Editing Tools!

Summer ID#72114

When editing photographs of animals there are different tools that can used to edit your photos to make them look great! Here is a list of the tools I use to edit:

• Crop
• Levels
• Brush tool to lighten the eyes
• vignette
• color correction
• curves
• clone tool
• burning

The tool I use the most and is my favorite is the levels tool. This tool helps you correct the exposure and help make the image brighter. When I use it i make sure the white triangle on the right is at the edge of where the histogram starts and the same with the black triangle on the left. The image above is a example where I used that tool successfully. Summer did not want to come out of the dark corner in her cage, so when editing her image I used the levels tool to make it brighter. The level tool is a very useful tool that I will definitely keep using while photographing these animals.  

Animals Up For Adoption!

ID # and Names Left top corner to bottom right corner: 

1. Sunshine ID# 69523
2. Blair ID# 70083
3. Sora
4. Ford ID# 71668
5. Zunny ID# 71842
6. Jasmin ID#71890 *Foster Care*
7. Puffy Doodle ID# 70082
8. Starista ID# 69538
9.  Ella ID# 72257
10. Stan ID# 69018
11. Big Ole Boy ID# 72081
12. Piggly ID# 72280
13. Cosma ID# 72101

 

Week 4 Post 2

 Little Critters! 

Kyle ID#69020 *ADOPTED*

Big Ole Boy ID#72081

 When I talk to people about how today I photographed a bunny or hamster at the shelter they are always amazed. People always assume for some reason the shelter just has dogs or cats no one expects that there are bunnies, hamsters, snakes, lizards, and other small critter like that. The shelter also sometimes has farm animals up for adoption for example right now they have two Fowls for adoption. Theses animals Come in to the shelter in many ways rather someone finds them, they are surrendered, or animal control obtains them. These small critters seem like they would be easy to photograph but they are a lot harder to control than a dog or cat. These animals don't know commands like sit, stay, or no bite; they are threatened by us humans an want to defend themselves so it can be hard to get them to be still so you can take pictures of them. But once you get these little critters calm they can be just as loving as a dog or cat for example the shelter has a bunny named Big Ole Boy right now and I was photographing him the other day, at first e was so scared but once I started petting him and got him calmed down he loved me and want me to hold and love on him. These animals need good homes just as much as the dogs and cats do. 

Spot ***ADOPTED***

Stan ID# 69018

Kenny ***ADOPTED***

Piggly ID#72280

Cosma ID#72101

     

Week 4 Day 1

This little guy got adopted last week by this nice gentleman!

While I have been volunteering at the shelter these past three weeks I have seen almost four animals get adopted, three go to foster homes, and I have heard of other animals getting adopted while I haven't been at the shelter. It is the most rewarding feeling when you see an animal get adopted! There is the moment of such joy when you here the words the animal has been adopted, it is like that feeling you got when you were a little kid on Christmas and Santa has brought you a bunch of presents. It is so special to see the new owners and their animal interacting with each other before they leave the shelter. You can tell how happy the animals are to be going home with someone; their tails are wagging, they have a little pep in their step, and they are smiling. Most of the animals I have seen get adopted have been at the shelter for a couple of days to two weeks or more but one time there was a dog that was there for only 30 minutes! The shelter has a great and pretty fast turn over rate with the animals, they do a great job at getting these animals homes! 

Coca got adopted with in 30 mins of being at the shelter!

This puppy was going to foster care with this lovely lady whose husband works at the shelter!

 

Week 3 Day 4

This is Alfie getting loved on by one of the volunteers at the shelter.

What is "responsible pet ownership"? That is a good question I was asked by my professor in class; to me responsible pet ownership is when one can provide the necessary needs for their animal, loves the animal, when the person makes responsible decisions when it comes to the animal and can be a responsible adult and afford the animal. A responsible owner needs to be able to spend time with their animal and be able to take good care of the animal. The owner also needs to be able to afford the animal so that is has everything it will need and the owner needs to be able to make the decision if the animal they want is a right fit for them. At the shelter I have witnessed a women coming to adopt a dog and she was a responsible owner because she knew she couldn't handle a younger dog so she wanted a older one and she would get in the kennel with the dog to make sure her and the dog were a perfect match together. Also I have seen my cousin be a responsible owner when it comes to her boxer; when looking for a dog she researched breeds that would be right for her and she did her budget to make sure she could afford her dog which she could so she adopted a beautiful boxer named Bella. I wanted to get others opinions about what they thought the answer to that question was and here is the answer i got from a visitor to the shelter: A responsible pet owner is one who treats their pet like they are one of the family members. Anything you would do for a family member or anyway you would treat a family member you should treat a pet with the same respect.-Brett Banford. Myself and friends Bailey and Brittany interviewed Joanne Duda the foster/rescue coordinator at the shelter the same question and this was her response in the video below.

  When adopting a pet people just need to be smart and make responsible decisions about what they can handle with an animal and what they can provide that animal.

Week 3 Day 3

At the shelter many of the animals are brought in by their owners or as the shelter calls it "surrenders" for many different reasons. The animals could be a stray, someone doesn't have the funds to take of the animal anymore, or they just do not want the responsibility anymore. While photographing a dog named Abby I read her surrender card and it said her owner surrendered her because that person was to old to take care of a puppy; which it was a very wise decision to make to bring it to the shelter so she has a better chance to find a good home instead of neglecting her like some many others do to these animals. I also saw one for a dog whose family had the house burn down and because of the fire they could no longer house her or afford her vet bill because she was injured in the fire ( I was not able to photograph this animal because she was injured). I also read on for a dog whose owner did not have enough yard for the dog to run around in. It is sad to see these animals that get surrendered but I'm glad they come to the shelter instead of being put on to the streets. The shelter has a better chance of helping these animals in the long run than what would happen to them if they were not surrendered. Being at the shelter I have learned you cannot judge why the person is surrendering the animal you just need to focus on the animal and how to help it.

Abby ID# 71472

Harper ID# 71626

 

Week 3 Day 2

This week at the shelter I have noticed that there is a good turn-over rate with the animals getting home but I have also noticed it depends on what kind of animal it is. I have noticed that the little critters like rabbits, hamsters, and other small animals like that find home pretty fast. When it comes to cats, the kittens find home right away before the adult cats do. Now with dogs it really depends on the breed of the dog or if it is a puppy. The puppies at the shelter hardly last a week before they are adopted but with the grown dogs it depends on the breed. For example if you have a Pitt Bull versus a Black Lab, the Lab will find a home before the Pitt Bull because of the Pitt Bull breed bad rep. Or if it is any breed of dog that has a bad rep it takes them a little longer than a "sweet" breed to get adopted. I do not think it is fair to the dogs to be judged by their breed and not their personality; the shelter does a great job at finding the "rougher" breeds a home and making sure people judge the dog on who the dog is not their breed. This week I counted about 8 news dogs in one of the dog rooms I was photographing in. It doesn't really surprise me that I saw that many new dogs because the shelter gets so many animals in a week. I actually find it sad that people are not more responsible with their animals and don't see them as nothing more than just property instead of a living thing that just like us needs love and care.

This is Lady ID# 71625. She is a 2 year old Blue Healer mix. She has been at the shelter since 5-17-2012 and has not found a home yet. One reason she could still be at the shelter is because she is not fixed yet or because lots of people come in to the shelter looking for puppies and over look all the wonderful adult dogs there are at the shelter. Lady is a very good and sweet dog, there really is not a good reason why she is still at the shelter. People just seem to over look great dogs because of the reason I stated earlier about everyone just wanting a puppy.

Week 3 Day 1

The Improvements I need to make

This is a image I took of a wonderful cat name Shadow ID# 69779. His picture I took is step up from the picture he has on the website but there are some things I could improve with my image. For example even though his face is the focus of the image, he isn't in focus. The image in a little blurry and the background is more clear than he is. I could work on making sure I have my camera completely focused when I am shooting the animals. I do think I did a good job of brightening his eyes and playing up his catch lights in his eyes, but I do think I could have brightened his ears up some more using the dodge tool. I could have also added more of a vignette on the edges so you can focus more on his face. I think I did a good job of catch him looking directly at me. Overall I think I did a good job with my image but there are some improvements I could make and I will keep working on what needs to be improved with my images and my blog.    

Featured Animals Looking For a Home!

All these animals are looking for a good, loving, caring home to go to. They are all for adoption at the Wake County Animal Shelter as well as many other animals. You can find them all at this link or just go in to the shelter. If you go in to the shelter make sure you have the animals ID# so it will be easier for you to find that animal. Please help me find these animals a good home!

Kimberly ID# 71191. She is a sweet kitten who needs a energetic family that will play with her constantly. She loves to cuddle up in your arms. She is one of many kittens at the shelter. 

Orva ID# 71144. She is a sweet loving cat who needs a good home!

This is Spicy ID# 71219. She is the sweetest dog. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She is very calm and loveable.

Spicy ID# 71219

Knightington #ID 71191

Baylee ID# 70974 1 year old female, 28 LBS, Jackrussell Terrier/Pitbull

Gooch ID# 69821. Male 10 Months. Pit Mix. Very sweet,energetic, lovey.

Odie ID# 70937 Female. 5 years old. Very sweet, loves to be petted, and cuddled.

Puffy Doodle ID# 70082. 2 Year Old Female. Loveable, loves to be petted, and so sweet!

Shadow ID# 69779. 2 Year Old Male. Sweet, loves to be petted, and held.

String Bean ID# 67267. The most lovey dog. SO Sweet and cuddlely.

String Bean ID# 67267

Sunshine ID# 69523. Loving cat, very sweet, and loves being petted.