Week 6, Day 2 A Final Post

Wow! The last six weeks has passed in a blur. Much has been learned on this little journey, but first a little about me.

My name is Karen Baltimore. I am currently a junior pursuing a major in graphic design along with a web design minor. Because my last semester was spent mainly in the darkroom instead of at the computer, I took this class to ramp back up on my Adobe skills in preparation for design courses next year. I also wanted a chance to improve my Photoshop skills beyond their current level.

The most valuable part of this course for me has been an improvement in the skills needed to judge a good photograph. I am much more comfortable evaluating a color photograph than when I began. In Photo I, I learned to judge a black and white image. This class has been a natural extension of that. I tend to work mostly in black and white, so this has been a needed step out of my comfort zone. I feel much more confident in working with color images than I did when we began.

I did not expect to be as affected by the animals as I have been. When I began taking photos, I would just gown up and get started. But a couple of weeks ago, I started my visit with a walk through the shelter to see who was there. Inevitably I would see a dog that I knew who knew me too, so I would stop for a minute or so for a visit. As I said yesterday about London and Cam, I became involved in their stories. Much like people that we meet, our lives become intertwined for a small moment. In seeing a name on the adopted list, I would revel in their new found happiness. For those not on the list, I would grieve. You cannot take this course and not be impacted by these animals. They find their way into your heart.

"A picture is worth a thousand words." That saying is true here. We are bombarded with thousands of images each day, but some stay with us more than others. A picture can say more in a second than any word said or printed. Awareness begins with images. Images move us in ways that words can't. That is how photography can help with overpopulation. It can say more in a split second than I could ever hope to write in this space.

Dogs, dogs, and more dogs!

Thanks everyone! Happy shooting!

Week 6, Day 1 Animal Overpopulation and Top 10 images

Animal overpopulation in its simplest definition is too many animals and not enough good homes for them. I say good homes, because there are plenty of homes for pets but not all of them are good. I think one of the best examples was illustrated one day I was at the shelter.

A litter of stray puppies being separated, boys from girls.

Good homes require responsible pet owners. If an owner doesn't want to deal with a litter of puppies or kittens, they should get their pets spayed/neutered. It's as simple as that. Sometimes I think it's too easy in this increasingly disposable society to get rid of unwanted pets.

Sometimes I think it's too easy for prospective owners to get pets as well. People can make quick decisions without thinking them through. An example of that is Cam. I saw him the day he was going home. He was so excited. I couldn't believe he was brought back after only one day. When I went to visit him, I checked out the return reason on his card. It said, "Needs fenced-in yard." I have to fight sarcasm here, but the phrase "duh" comes to mind.

I think society as a whole doesn't give much thought to animal overpopulation. They think the shelter does that thinking for them. I know my awareness of this issue has increased monumentally from taking this course. I take care of my own, make sure my own dog is spayed...but beyond that, not much. I believe strides are being made. I am grateful that the WCAS was expanded so they could house more animals and in turn decrease the euthanasia rate. I was also pleased to learn the other organizations such as the SPCA are giving low-cost spay/neuter services. But more has to be done about awareness. There is all this great information and resources that people know nothing about.

As far as the WCAS, I believe what they are doing is wonderful. Requiring people to spay/neuter animals that are adopted will go a long way in preventing overpopulation. We haven't mentioned animal control very much, but I believe their efforts should be commended as well. I imagine some of these animals are not easy to bring here.

All in all, good efforts are being made. But as with any business or other type of venture, there is always room for improvement. Who knows? Maybe one of our ideas could bring about positive change. You just never know...

As for my top ten images of the class, that was a very hard choice. Here they are:

Up first is Milt. I just loved his smile!

Here's Jack Dempsey...one handsome dog

A very regal Purrcy

A very somber Drake

A lady-like Patty O'Greene

My first meeting with London. Terrified, hackles
up and growling.

My second meeting with a very
excited London! Let me get my camera...

Say cheese London!!
Isn't she cute?

My first photo of Cam...isn't he gorgeous!

And finally my favorite image of the bunch...

You had to know this would be the one...me and Cam enjoying some cuddle time

Hope you enjoy my selections. Thank you for viewing.

Happy shooting!

Week 5, Day 4 A Continued Effort...

When considering if I will continue my work at the shelter, my response is maybe. Having a family and all the responsibilities that go with that sometimes make additional time spent elsewhere more challenging. After this class is completed, I have promised to take the rest of the summer off from all things college and be just mom again.

There is a possibility that I may have to take a semester off for family reasons. If that turns out to be the case, I may very well spend some time with the shelter. If nothing else, I'll keep my Photoshop skills intact. I have loved my time there and would love to continue if my other responsibilities permit.

When considering an animal to get my own picture made with, the choice was easy.

Here's me and Cam enjoying some cuddle time. I love this dog!

Isn't he great? I have greatly enjoyed my time at the shelter and look forward to going back. Hope you've had as much fun as I have.

Happy shooting!

Week 5, Day 3 A Plan For Collaboration

Step 1: The proposal

The Wake County Animal Shelter is a wonderful organization that could use the talents of our local AIGA chapters to spiff up animal photos and bios to make animals more appealing to potential adopters. The website itself has a good user interface, but due to the lack of time and resources the setup is generic and lacks the design needed to grab people's attention. The site is constructed to get the animals up quickly and efficiently. What I propose is to create templates into which a user may import the animal's picture and information into quickly and easily, but that are well designed to make the animals appear in their best light.

Step 2: Identify and contact artist(s)

The next step would be to propose a  joint collaboration of the Raleigh and Meredith College chapters of AIGA. Not only would it give designers an opportunity to donate their talents to a worthy cause, but would be a wonderful opportunity for design students to work hands-on with professional designers and learn some new stuff along the way.

Step 3: Create a timeline and a way for the groups to interact.

Send out the initial proposal during the summer before school begins. Have the first meeting in late August. Set a goal date such as the end of the Fall 2011 semester. Possibly create a Facebook page where designers can swap ideas. Have a face to face check-in once per month. Identify a person(s) to keep track of selected templates and another person(s) to make them web-ready.

One possible idea would be something like this (mind you, these are rough sketches):

Here is Faith, one of the pups I photographed this week. I took
her bio info from the WCAS site and implemented it here.

A variation on that would be this:

Hope this fits the bill. Happy shooting!

Week 5, Day 2 The Impact of Photography

Photography can significantly impact the shelter in how people view the animals up for adoption. I have spoke to several people over the course of this class about what we are trying to accomplish. I am amazed at how many people say they regularly visit the shelter's site. Several of them say that a good photo makes a big difference. If the animal has a bad photo, people are more likely to pass it over and move on to the next one. I decided to pull some photos from the site of two animals I have photographed this week and put their new images alongside to show the difference.

Drake #53952
Unidentified photographer
Wake County Animal Center: WakeGov.com
Date copied: 6/8/11

Drake #53952
A closer look

Nala # 54194
Unidentified photographer
Wake County Animal Center: WakeGov.com
Date copied: 6/8/11

Nala # 54194
Later the same day she arrived; still
scared, but a still a better image

Artistic skill can make a big impact on these images. What is great about the class is that each person brings a different perspective to their work. Anyone can take a picture and post it, but being able to enhance that picture is that much more beneficial to these animals. For an example, I decided to post some before and after editing shots to illustrate this.

Brent #53842
before editing

Brent #53842
after editing

Brent is one little bundle of energy! He has this little trick he kept doing. He kept standing up on his hind legs and waving his front paws up and down. I was lucky to get a shot of him with all paws on the ground. You can see in the first image there is a lot of background clutter and his fur looks very dull. In his updated image, his eyes are bright and he is up close and personal.

Sedrick # 53947
before editing

Sedrick #53947
after editing

Sedrick was another little fella on the move. I never could get a good crisp picture of him because he was constantly running around and barking. I was able to make this one look better with some extreme rotation and brightening of the eyes and fur. I also used a mask to desaturate the blanket a bit.

Two other art forms come to mind that would benefit the shelter. The first is graphic design. This being my major, it is almost always the first to come to mind. The white cards in the shelter are frequently decorated with stickers. I wonder if making their pictures on the web somewhat like a scrapbook with messages that play to their strengths as pets, such as "Loves to fetch" or "I love other dogs." Maybe adding a frame or having the bio info added in around the image...

Another venue would be through video. Capturing them with a handler so that potential owners can see more of their personality would be a great benefit. Sometimes these animals are so intimidated when a stranger approaches, they will act counter to their true personalities. Seeing them with someone they are comfortable with would give people a glimpse of what they have the potential of becoming as a pet.

Just giving these animals a better picture is a huge step to getting them adopted. What better way to hone my Photoshop skills!

Till next time...happy shooting!

Week 5, Day 1

This being my first online class, I was curious to see how well it would work out. The online format has been especially helpful due to the inclusion of Voice Thread instructional videos. Seeing the techniques in action made them much easier to understand. This format has also been helpful because so much of the class is technology based (i.e. blogging, Photoshop, emailing images, etc.). I do believe some face-to-face time is important to help iron out any misunderstandings of requirements or just to have personal help on a technique one is struggling with.

That said...the technique I have found most helpful is the color corrections. I am still trying to get the hang of it, but my images have gotten better for the most part. I have to color correct all of my images to some degree because I mainly take pictures of dogs in the older section of the shelter. Those lovely yellow walls...every image has a yellow cast over it. It reminds me of the layer of pollen that blankets everything in sight in the spring. Here is an example of one of my images that hasn't had any editing except resizing:

London before makeover, yellow overcast and
much duller fur

Here is the edited version:

London after makeover, much brighter with
richer color in her fur

In the edited image, the color of London's fur is richer and less dull. I'm sure the other techniques contribute to that as well, but the color corrections make a huge difference. If you look back at my post about the benefits of metadata, you'll see how yellow Milt is. This was before we learned about how to color correct. I've since edited his images, so they look better now.

After reviewing the list of adoptions, transfers, etc., I put together an updated list of my critters. Here are some of mine that have found a home or have transferred out; one of them was reclaimed. Hope you enjoy them. Happy shooting!

Dallas-adopted

Precious Angel-adopted
(This is the one from a previous post that
got adopted and returned the next day)

Little Bo Peep-adopted

Sunny-adopted

Lucky-adopted

Harley-adopted

Alli-Transfer

Morah-Reclaim

Bear-adopted

Snop-adopted

Petunia-adopted

Parker-adopted

Week 4, Day 3

We learned some great new techniques this week. The have been a huge help in the editing process. The one that has helped me the most is the "Rotate arbitrarily" demo. When the continuous shutter click is firing, the doggies I work with inevitably cock their heads to the side. It's an adorable reaction, but I can see how making their heads tilt less to the side makes for a better portrait.

One of my images benefited a great deal from color correcting. I frequently have the beloved orange grate show up in my images, so this week I made a point of trying to get the pups on the other side of their kennels if their was enough light. But their were a couple that I couldn't persuade to join me. Here's one of them. Please welcome Boogy!

Boogy (#48066)



As far as forced depth of field, I found that many of my images benefitted from even a small amount of Gaussian blur. My best example is Sarah.

Sarah (#53861)

There was a lot of stuff  in the background even after cropping. This helped tone it down quite a bit.

As Professor Johnstone has said many times, our subjects are moving targets. It is really hard to get a sharp image. The Photoshop tools help a great deal in helping these critters look their best.

Until next week...happy shooting!