Online exhibition

My name is Kathryn Fairbrother and I am a senior, child development major at Meredith College. I was interested in this course because I thought it would be an interesting way to learn about Photoshop and to help out my community. The most valuable part about this course is the connection I have made to those at the shelter and the help that has been given to the animals. I did not expect to learn so much about how to not get so emotionally involved when you are working with animals. My photos can help with the impact of animal overpopulation by showing the public what happens when animals cannot find homes.

This animal was sent to the shelter by a previous owner, I have been able to help him by taking his picture to help get him adopted.

So many animals, so little time!

Animal overpopulation is a epidemic that is occurring in the world right now. It is when animals continue to procreate even though they cannot realistically have a beneficial life. I do not really understand how to interpret because the sentence is a fragment and I cannot give two examples because I am not quite sure what is being asked. Society does not see animal overpopulation they do not think about the repercussions of having an animal that has not been "fixed." With the shelter having every animal fixed helps the population of animals but they cannot help all the animals that come in. If there was a way to educate pet owners that adopt from other area in the benefits of having your animal fixed could help the overall pet population issue.




Here are my top 10 images from this class

Mallory (55299)

Sunshine (53317)

Cake (55038)

Princess (54435)

Trixie (54667)

Ace (52418)

Rob (54461)

Betty

Bonnie (49512)

Jerri Ann (52921)

Keep it coming!

I will continue to help at the shelter when I am done with this class. I do not believe it will be in photography though. I want to have a little more time to actually play with the dogs. I have also started the process of becoming a foster parent! This option will not only help the shelter but it will also help me as well! My dog gets lonely during the afternoons when I am at work and he sometimes wishes he could just be a "wild dog". By having a foster dog, I can help the shelter open space and socialize my dog with other animals. Both of my roommates are on board and they cannot wait until summer is over so we can foster a wonderful dog.

Here is a picture of me in the kennel with a newer dog named Bobby Jenks (54511) Who looks a lot like one of the other dogs that I fell in love with. This photo was taken  by a kennel worker named Dameon who has been a great help every time I have come to the shelter! Thanks!

My plan

(Step one) I have always been interested in time lapse, whether it be with photography or with video. It can be as simple as setting up a camera in one area and keeping the film going until the desired point. Someone can also set up a camera and have it set up to take a set number of pictures over a set of time. The idea I had for our work is to have two separate videos one for cats and one for dogs. This would lapse over a months worth of animals in the shelter to show how many animals come into the shelter. This could be beneficial to the public to show how often animals get placed into the shelter. It could also help the shelter by having more people volunteer at the facility. 

(Step Two) If we could have everyone in the class collaborate their pictures at the end of our class to create a template for this project. It would require more than the number of people in this class to get the pictures that are needed. You would also need to make sure every animal is accounted for in a register and to be sure that no animals is missed. Cooperation from the facility would be required in order to make this idea a possibility.

(Step Three) Doing some research before hand is critical and I went to google to learn a little more about photography time lapse. I found a website that set up a camera to take pictures of a town square for an extended amount of time. This could be used as a spring board for this idea and can provide us with a better idea about the outcome of our production. Photography Time Lapse

Photos that show extended time lapse

Pictures of a puppy to a dog

Think...

Not only can you get an animal adopted just by a picture but I have found that I can give more and more of my time to the shelter because of how it impacts my life. I don't have a lot of time these days since work has started up (I am a swim coach). The days that I can go into the shelter and take photos of these animals makes my days just a little more manageable. Making the dogs and cats simply irresistible! When you are at the shelter and getting to know a dog or cat you can really capture their personality in a photo. By using forced depth of field you can bring the animal out in the photo making it the focal point of the photo. This can help the potential owner sift through the animals online and see what animal they truly desire. Another example of the impact the photography has is that it teaches us how to function on Photoshop. Being able to do the same things over and over again through the photos makes learning the abilities easier. If it wasn't for the practice pictures I would not have learned how to appropriately make a mask. I think it would be a great idea to make a video of a day in the life of a shelter animal. While it would require a lot of time it might help those who do not quite understand how shelters work and cure some of the misconceptions that surround the center. They could not only place these films online but they can see if a news center wants to run the piece. While this might not be feasible right now I do see this as a positive impact for the shelter and getting the word out their about how the shelter is run. Getting other schools to participate in this class and in the shelter could help with community outreach. By simply extending an arm to our neighbors at NCSU we could increase awareness about the center and about the issues that the shelter preaches about.

Here is a photo of a puppy that shows his personality and would have been lost in his previous photo.

Rob (54461)

Value

What I have found to be most valuable about this course would be the animals that I have been able to get adopted because of the skills I have learned in this class. I love being with the animals and being able to connect with them on their level. Without the skills I have learned in Photoshop this outcome would not have been possible. One thing I do wish is that this class would meet in person. I enjoy blogging but find it hard to keep up with without the support of   a more formal setting. Here are a couple of pictures of animals that have been adopted because of the skills I have gained from this class.

The wonders of Photoshop!

I love photoshop! I have never been able to get these results from my photos before and I love having the power that I have seen in the dark room with film! I have grown to love the curves because I love a nice contrast. I was able to take a picture that I had edited before and really make it pop. I have a picture of the dog Henna at the shelter that now has more meaning because of the contrast. One tool that I am struggling with is the masking tool and the forced depth of field. I need to work on the selecting tool because I either end up selecting the whole photo or just half of the dog! I keep re-watching the video online to see if there is something I am doing wrong but I think it just takes a little getting use to. :)

Here are two photos that I have used the new tools in photoshop that we have recently learned. The first is Henna and I did levels, dodging, rotation of image, lens correction and curves! The second photo is Chloe and I did levels, dodging, rotation of image, lens correction and curves.

Tennessee

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned a dog called Tennessee... He is a German Shepherd/ Border Collie mix that turned out a yellow kind of color. I fell in love immediately and wanted him for my own! He is a mix of the first two dogs I had ever owned in my life. Seeing how we are not allowed to adopt animals while we are in this class I held out hope that he would be there when the class was through... Sadly (but not so sadly) he was adopted the other day. I know that this is a very exciting time for him and that he has gone to a family that will love him as much as I do. It is still hard though because I really did fall in love with that little guy. So, to Tennessee I love you little man and I hope you are as happy as you can be in your new home!

Second cutest dog ever behind my wonderful Gizmo :)

Different Animals!

So, I went into the shelter last week and I wanted to try something different, so I went into the little critters room! I ended up taking photos of three rats and a rabbit. I think the biggest fear I had in this room was the fear of getting nibbled on by these furry animals. I know that most animals can sense fear and if I am uneasy with the small critters they can feel it. Since I was uncomfortable with them my friend Sarah (who goes to the shelter with me) held them while I took pictures of them. I now know that I can put more of the focus on the animal if I do a forced depth of field and I hope to apply that option to my future photos!


Here are the little critters!

Obe-Wan (53108)

Ron (53106)

Whiz (53107)

Ruby (already adopted!)

New Home

A couple of the animals that I have taken pictures of have found homes! It was an exciting two weeks at the shelter when eleven of the animals that I have taken pictures of have gone to a happy home! Whether it be because their owners came and found them or they got adopted by a new family. Most of these animals were new to the shelter and had stayed long enough to go through the process and get adopted.

Here are a couple of pictures of animals that have been adopted! 

Appalachia (53031)

Freckles (53629)

Lucas (52711)

New Photos!

Some of these are doubles! I am still learning how to do this picasa stuff!

https://picasaweb.google.com/109894453137326120756/MoreAnimals?authkey=Gv1sRgCK6NuNH5qtDHKw#

Responsible Pet Owners!

Responsible pet owners are different to each person, a member of the shelter team said that " Responsibility for a pet never ends. You wake up in the morning a pet owner who is responsible for the care of that animal and you go to sleep caring for the too! That means the vet bills, the food, the vaccination, and so much more."  It is also an important thing to fix your animals. Litters of puppies come into the center and there are another five dogs that need to be adopted. So much could be done for the pet population if there was less procreation and more responsible pet owners! A volunteers perspective, " I would say, treat your pet like your own child. That means giving the care you would give your child. Caring for it when it is sick and giving it the same time and attention."


Not responsible pet ownership...

(Yellow Jacket 53507)

 Responsible pet ownership!

(Zack the shelter owned cat)

Surrendered Animals

I'm back in business everyone! After losing my internet for the past three days I have accumulated a lot of information about three dogs that have been surrendered to the WCAS. 


Dog number one!

This is Baby Girl (53627), she was surrendered to the local shelter by a family that recently moved and was unable to keep her in their new house. She was also given because they could not afford her anymore. She is a German Shepherd mix. She is a very sweet dog and is very timid when you first get int the cage with her. She warms up quickly and was able to play with me a little before I had to go take pictures of a new dog.

Dog number 2!

This is Precious (53628)

She is a fun loving dog that was surrendered because the family that she was with could no longer afford the cost of keeping a dog. She is a beagle mix and she loves to cuddle and get her belly rub.

And now for our final dog!

This is the adorable Freckles (53629)! She is a Blue Healer Mix! She was surrendered by her family because they could no longer afford her and they were moving to a new location. She is timid at first but is very excitable when she gets to know you.

Animal Turn Over

I found that a lot of the puppies get adopted first mostly because families go in to the shelter looking for a young dog because they are cute. Dogs that are older are less likely to get adopted it makes no sense because the pros of adopting an older dog out weigh the cons. With older dogs they are already trained and do not require a lot of time to learn tricks. They have already created their personality, so you can easily find out if they can interact with other dogs, cats and kids. There are over 8 animals that are still in the shelter from the last time I visited. There are more but I did not make it over to the cats area when I visited last. After being at the shelter for a little while these number do not surprise me even if they make me upset. On Sunday there were multiple people at the shelter to adopt dogs and cats. I had the joy of talking to a family about the pros and cons of adopting a dog. The family was torn to pick between a dog that had been there a little while and a puppy. I told them about how dogs that are older do not usually get adopted and how the black dogs are even less likely to be adopted. They really got into our conversation and were making a choice... They still chose the puppy... That upset me because people know that older dogs won't get adopted but they won't do anything about it. It was still their choice and at least they adopted an animal that day.

 This is Max (53299) ... He has been in the shelter for over a week. He is slightly older and is not as lively as the other dogs... This is why I think he has not been adopted

Likes and Dislikes

I have a hard time photographing black cats... I think everyone has a rough time with this. With this photo there are quite a few things I would change about it. First and foremost, I would have had the cat away from the litter box! Who wants to see a cat in its bathroom?! The overall levels in this picture are something to be desired as well... I would have loved to bring the cat out but I was all alone :( 
What I like about this photo is the eye level of the animal. I feel like I'm looking right at her! I also love the stance of the cat (even if I don't like the location). To be honest, that is really all I like about this photo... I can do better than this. This picture does not give this cat justice. 

Mommy... Where do animals come from?

The animals in this particular shelter come from all over Wake County. They can be strays, brought in by owners, and even given to the shelter from other shelters. I believe that the animals come from all over the county and I believe that some even come from other counties there is no way for people to stop others from dropping their animals there. When I first saw this question for the day it popped in my head... Where do the animals come from. I had to go exploring and read all of the animals tickets to see where they are from. By far the pictures that makes me most proud is the pictures of Bonnie (cat) and Tennessee (dog).

Pictures :)

https://picasaweb.google.com/109894453137326120756/Wholetthedogsout?authkey=Gv1sRgCPaP2uP09vj3ew#


Hope you all enjoy these photos!

Meta-data?

What is meta-data you ask? Why, meta-data is the important information that is attached to a photo that explains where the photo is taken, who took the photo and who the photo is copyrighted to. This will come in very handy in our class because we can send our pictures to the shelter and they will have all the information needed embedded in the photos. It will be very important to me because it will keep all of my photos organized in a way that is simple and easy to read. It will also be nice to have the template so that I will not have to continuously put in my information.


I realized the other day at the shelter that my camera simply did not have a fast enough shutter for the animals. It was getting very frustrating to keep taking photos of blurry animals and I thought there was no way to fix it. That is when I decided to change my camera setting to a preset. I went to action shots on my camera because when I took pictures of football players it was way easier to capture the motion with this setting. I know it is weird to think about a dog as a football player but they are faster and trickier to capture than a game of football. Not only did this help me not waste time ,it doesn't let you review the picture after you just took it unless you want to, but it also was a faster shutter speed. I don't know why this seemed to help my photos but it really did. For example... Meet Ace (52418) A very energetic dog that would not stop moving! In order to get this photo I had to change my settings but I think it came out well overall!




P.S. 
I am currently watching my dog attack bugs that are flying around his head... I wish my camera was closer to me... This is too funny.

Week 2 day 2

So, I went to the shelter and found a wonderful Lab mix called Cinderella! She was a wonderful subject even though she was in a crowded cage. She was admitted into the shelter on 4/19/2011 and has had her picture taken before. I have seen this picture and think it suites the animal very well. She is outside with a nice scarf on looking as free as a domestic dog can be. I do like the image I got but I do not believe it showed how amazing this dog actually is and I do not feel like this photo should be removed from the website.

Cinderella- 51433 Before editing

This image does not have the wow factor that Cinderella brings to the table! She is a very energetic animal and is very much a vibrant girl! Her eyes seem far away and seem to not have the life that is there. The background is distracting and takes away from the photo; cropping would be a perfect way to fix that particular issue. For the eyes, adding a dodge layer would bring out the life behind her eyes.

Cinderella- 51433 After editing

This is a much better photo in my eyes. The levels are fixed so that the dog no longer looks like she is a zombie dog! Her teeth look whiter and her black fur is no long dull but shinny! How could anyone say no to this beautiful dog!

The Wake County Animal Shelter!

This is Ginger and this picture was taken from the WCAS website! 
I love this image... I think it captures the mood of the dog perfectly! I also love the scarf they put on her neck because it shows a little more attitude that this dog has. I believe it was a good idea to add the scarf though to show future owners the patience that can be associated with putting clothing on a dog. The photo is a little dark and I believe the eyes of this adorable animal can be brought to life a little bit more. I still think this is a great photo that will help this animal get adopted.

Another dog that caught my eye was Oscar.

What caught my attention first was the mark across the nose but as I looked closer I noticed his eyes and his ears. If I wasn't in this class... I would have this dog at my apartment right now... well if I had the money. This photo pays up his ready to go vibe and shows that he is a gentle dog. Take a look at that tongue! I'm noticing a theme in my selected pictures. The photo itself is a little distracting from the dog. To see the handler in the photo seems to take away from the dog. All the feature of the animal are there but the distraction takes away from what the dog has to offer! 



This is Travis! He is a lab which makes him ADORABLE! I couldn't help but get attached when I heard he is also a goofball! I'm a major goofball so I think him and I would get along just fine! Also out of all the photos I saw this was the one that followed the most guidelines. His teeth appear to be very white and his eyes are showing signs of those fabulous catch lights. The depth of field is also great in this photo because less attention is being paid to the background and the focus is on the animal itself. 

Adobe issues!!!

So... I am currently trying to download a free trial of Photoshop. I am broke and cannot afford to buy the actual thing. It keeps saying something about connection but I have internet... And I cannot understand the trouble shooter... I was wondering if any of my readers had time to meet with me tomorrow to see if this problem can be fixed :) I NEED help because technology is not my forte. Thanks for reading!

Late Post!

This is Ace

He is a very rambunctious puppy. He needs a family that will be willing to put the time and energy into helping him release all of his energy! Don't go into adoption lightly... They really depend on you!

Oh the craziness that is extended family... Art , my boyfriend, graduated from NCSU this past weekend. After his whole family left, I was able to finally go back into the shelter. It was very interesting to see the shelter again. I didn't think I spent that much time away from it but I really did. I went through the required spots and got to actually hold a kitten :). My heart melted of course! I found out that at the Wake County Animal Shelter it costs $45 to adopt a dog and $15 for a cat. This is the case for animals that do not need to be spayed or neutered. If they need to be fixed it costs 45 extra for a cat and 95 for a dog. The question was posed that why they do not just give dogs and cats away. A staff member said to me "It gives the owner a sense of responsibility. If we gave out animals for free there would be a very slim chance that they would care for the animal. We also have to off set the costs of them being taken care of at our facility." The speaker wished to remain anonymous so the name will not be in this blog. There is a new way to foster animals when they are too young to be fixed or adopted. It is called fostering to adopt that costs a total of 200 dollars. When the animal is fixed and is formally adopted they are refunded the money to their accounts. 

Day Three

I knew that it was going to be a challenge to be around animals in need but I did not believe it would be this challenging. I fell in love with about 50 animals the other day and it broke my heart to leave them there. I had to come home and hug my dog and love on him a little. Ok, ok, I loved on him a lot (extra belly rubs). I have a lot of respect for everyone that works in that building... It takes a lot of big hearted people to run an animal shelter.The smell is something I will never forget either. It smelled like cleaner. When I first got there, I could not believe that I had forgotten my camera... It is a photography class how can anyone forget their camera! This shout out goes to a classmate that was willing to let me use her camera!! YOU ROCK! Way to be prepared for my negligence! One of my favorite images from this camera was a picture of a dog looking through his cage as if all he wants is a hug. I say "he" but I am not sure what the name was or even the gender. You can tell so much about an animal in one photo so to get them adopted I need to get the right photo. This photo screams pet me.

Pictures!

Here is the best image I got from yesterdays class...