So many of the animals seemed delighted to see someone coming near them. I hated not being able to pet each one. My heart broke for the ones who were shaking so bad from fear. My own pup does that during thunderstorms and the only thing that helps is her being close to her pack. I know that is all these critters need. I expected the smells to be worse, but found it only somewhat smelly around those kennels that were in need of attention and even there it wasn't too bad. That tells me that it is being kept very clean overall.
I imagine when an animal first gets there, the first week or so is pretty traumatic. I'm sure each employee there finds one animal or another that becomes a favorite. But with so many animals, there is no way humanly possible to give them the love that they need. Amanda pointed out a favorite kitty of hers today that wouldn't come out like she usally would. Amanda said she was depressed. I would imagine that is a recurrent problem, especially with the ones who have been there longer. I got to the point towards the end of the visit that I didn't even want to get too close to their crate. I didn't want to sadden them when I couldn't pet them or stay with them.
Not many things get my ire up like irresponsible pet owners. That thought was prevalent in my mind as we passed from one kennel to the next. I also did not have the heart to photograph them with the bars in the way. To me, that just puts a major barrier between me and them-there is nothing intimate about it. My strongest desire with this class is to create images that give the viewer a glimpse into the animals' personalities, something to connect with. Here is a favorite image from today:
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| Kitty and Kathryn |
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| Time to eat! |
As an added bonus, I'm throwing in an image of our fearless leader! :)
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| Boss lady with Boss kitty |
Excellent images!! And that is not just because one of them features me :) You are exercising very good control over your exposures and focus. Beautiful cropping. Your choices are flattering the subjects well. Zak's expression really makes me laugh. He is completely over me and ready for a walk outside. In the bottle feeding image, we really get a sense of how tiny this kitten is because of the hand that is feeding him/her. And in the kitten over the shoulder photo, the tenderness by the brush against the cheek is such a beautiful gesture. Once we get into Photoshop we can color correct the image to decrease the redness that is reflected from the shirt on to the kittens fur.
ReplyDeleteI really respect your photographic intensions and I am looking forward to more gorgeous imagery! Great observation of your senses too.
I also wondered if today was going to be sad or happy. I felt a mix of both while I was there but overall very pleased and eager to help.
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction to the experience of photographing with the animal behind the cage. I took several of the dogs during the orientation but found I didn't want to use any of them or even revisit them to look at. In total contrast, I loved the photos I took of the cats which I've enjoyed seeing over and over as I've edited and viewed them. Each time I see the possibility of total enjoyment with that animal in some loving home.
ReplyDeleteSomething about a photo with the cage just seems to negate that idea, bringing me the feeling of guilt at being on the outside of the cage, free and powerful while the animal is the locked up being on the other side of hope.