Forced Depth of Field Technique on Photoshop

I found Photoshop's "forced depth of field" to be the most valuable technique for my images this past week. With the forced depth of field, I can add softness to the background of the image and bring more focus to the animal. According to this week's lecture, in order to acquire a forced depth of field, the image has to contain the usage of a filter and an adjustment layer. I used these tools to add a filter to my image, giving an appearance of a blurry background. Applying the forced depth of field to my images, I first had to select the animal, select the background, click on the adjustment layer, and add a gausian blur. The forced depth of field technique is a very valuable technique because it really allows the photographer/photo editor to minimize the distractions of the animal's environment, drawing the viewer's focus to the animal alone. The reason why I am taking photographs of the animals at the WCAS is to find these animals homes, not to emphasize the idea of them having to live in large kennels day in and day out. 

Chloe. #88989.
This image presents a nice example of the forced depth of field technique.  Before creating a blurry filter to the background, the bars of the kennel and the vertical lines of the ground made Chloe's environment seem cramped and distracted the viewer's eyes from her. I tried to crop to resolve this problem, but you can only do so much with just cropping. As you can see in this image, Chloe seems to stand out and is the emphasis of the photo because the background is subtly blurred.

Quick and important (and related) fact: According to Janet Scarlett's article that discusses reducing the relinquishments and euthanasias for dogs and cats, Scarlett writes about the true, sad story for mutts: "...mixed-breed dogs and cats and those acquired at no or low cost are at higher risk of relinquishment" (309). I was reminded of this sad, but true fact when looking at Chloe's picture. It is very apparent that she is a beagle mix, but she is not a pure-bred beagle. It's not just Chloe. Most of the animals that I encounter at the animal shelter are mixed-breed dogs and cats. That is why these mixed-breed animals are at a higher risk of relinquishment, because they are the ones who are in shelters. Please don't let this hybrid trait prevent you from adopting or encourage you to surrender your animals. They need to be loved as well!

Little Critters

Today was my first time photographing the "little critters"- guinea pigs, rabbits, and rats. It was much easier than I expected. I thought photographing these animals would be extremely challenging because you can't get them to sit and look at you by giving them a treat or make shaking a string in front of their faces, but it wasn't as impossible as I thought it would be. The most challenging part was trying to photograph them as they were hopping and running around. However, I learned some techniques to calm the animals down. When moving their cages into the light and giving them time to calm down, photographing the little critters became much easier than I expected. I usually focus on taking photographs of dogs, but after today, I definitely want to continue taking photos of the little critters as well. 

Slick & Frizzy. ID#'s 89107 & 89106.

Candy. ID#87831. 

Snowball. ID#88688.

Happy Endings

It's been a couple of weeks since I started photographing at the Wake County animal shelter, and I am thrilled to say that almost 50% of the animals I've taken photographs of have been adopted. Here's the very lucky animals: 

Wally. ID#88346.
Found a home in less than a week. 

Leonard. ID#88682.
Adopted in less than a week.

Martin. ID#88652.
Adopted in less than a week.

Karmin. ID#88710.
Adopted in less than 2 weeks.

Lady Chops. ID#88373.
Adopted in less than a week.

Joanne. ID#85804.
Adopted in less than a week.

Alicia. ID#879857.
Adopted in less than a week.

Galinda. ID#88455.
Adopted in 2 weeks.

Kitty Cat. ID#87933.
Adopted in three weeks-1 month.

Nyasha. ID#88520.
Adopted in less than a month.

Vala. ID#88728.
Adopted in 2 weeks.

Domino. ID#88609.
Adopted in less than a week.

When adopted, each animal is neutered and spayed before leaving with their new family to their new home. This is a WCAS requirement when adopting an animal, which is a great effort in protecting the species of the adopted animal, but the benefits of neutering/spaying don't stop there. According to research found in Janet Scarlett's article, Exploring the Bond: The role of veterinary practitioners in reducing dog and cat relinquishments and euthanasias, neutering and spaying have a great impact in owner surrender rates: "neutered dogs and cats have one half to one third the risk of relinquishment, compared with sexually intact animals" (309). By enforcing the rule of neutering and spaying for all adopted pets, the WCAS is decreasing the likelihood of the animal being surrendered (some for the second time). This is great news! Animals continue to find good homes and neutering/spaying is saving their species! This is truly a celebratory post!

For more information on how veterinary practitioners take action in decreasing the dog and cat relinquishment in Janet Scarlett's article: https://courses.meredith.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-389245-dt-content-rid-613248_1/courses/13U61-ART-949-A/W4_day1_relinquishments%281%29.pdf

WCAS Adoptable Pets

Brooklyn. ID#88723.

Chops. ID#44295.

Golden Oreo. #88515.

Jerry Lewis. ID#88848.

King. ID#83176.

Kitty Cat. ID#87933.

Lady. ID#88913.

Nyasha. ID#88520.

Otis. ID#88881.

Strawberry Cupcake. ID#88297.

Smoke. ID#88757.

Tucker. ID#88031.

Vala. ID#88728.

Domino. ID#88609.

Zoe. ID#85531.

Responsible Pet Ownership

Love your animals and protect their species.
The dog in this photo is Helga Higgins from the WCAS (ID#86330).

What does responsible pet ownership entail? This is a question that is asked by many families and individuals around the globe. This question is extremely important to be discussed before adopting or purchasing an animal companion. When asking a WCAS volunteer and visitor this question, both responded with similar answers: responsible pet ownership requires time, energy, and money to provide the proper care for any animal. I completely agree with their beliefs on responsible pet ownership. Animals are not an accessory or object that you can just buy and be done with. Pet owners need to make sure they have time to care for their animal. Depending on what kind of animal you have, pet owners need to make sure that their animals are getting the right amount of exercise. Also, pet owners need to make sure they have the finances to provide food for their animal, vet visits, and any other necessities. These are commonly discussed topics of what responsible pet ownership entails. However, there is one EXTREMELY important topic that many pet owners overlook.

Responsible pet ownership entails the protection of your animal and its species as a whole. Neutering and spaying are necessary when it comes to owning an animal, particularly cats and dogs. As discussed in previous blog posts, overpopulation is a huge issue that is not discussed as much as it should be. In order to save dogs and cats, we need to neuter and spay our pets to keep them from having a litter, controlling the population of these animals and providing loving homes for as many animals as we can. This also ties into irresponsible breeding. Unfortunately, many pet owners use their animals as a source of income and breed them in an uneducated manner, resulting in an overwhelming amount of homeless animals. Responsible pet ownership entails the love and protection of your animal. Do not be irresponsible. Neuter and spay your animals and do NOT irresponsibly breed them. 

Surrender

Brooklyn. ID#88723.

Tucker. ID#88031.

Jerry Lewis. ID#88848.

The images above show three dogs who have been surrendered by their owners. Coincidentally, these three dogs were surrendered by their owners because they could not care for them any longer. It seems that this is the reason for most owner surrenders at the WCAS. There is no further explanation of why they were surrendered. However, their previous owners did list positive characteristics of these former pets, such as "very obedient", "loves walks", and "loves car rides". After spending some time with each dog, it is apparent that their previous owners were good to them. Brooklyn, Tucker, and Jerry Lewis are extremely friendly and know how to sit on command. Each one would make great cuddle buddies! They would make great additions to loving families.

Overpopulation

The amount of animal turn-over is at the Wake County Animal Shelter is overwhelming. I see new dogs every time I volunteer on a weekly basis. The Wake County Animal Shelter receives an average of 40 animals per day. That is approximately 270 new animals per week. During my last visit, I did not recognize a single dog from the week before in one of the dog rooms. All of the kennels in that particular room were occupied by new dogs, many of them who just arrived a day or two before my visit. I could tell because of the flea medecine that was still wet on their shoulders and the fearfulness of the dogs in the new environment. Although I was aware of the animal turn-over rate at Wake County, seeing so many new faces was a bit of a shock to me, realizing how many new animals the shelter takes in and wondering what became of the other dogs that I was expecting to see again. The animals are there one week and gone the next. It's almost like their just filtered through, in and out, in and out. Unfortunately, some aren't as lucky and have been at the animal shelter for quite some time. 

In the American Humane Association's article about pet overpopulation (http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/issues-information/pet-overpopulation.html)  goes in depth about what is causing the overpopulation of dogs and cats. This article provides substantial information and various reasons, but one point that I want to point out from this reading is the topic of people choosing not to adopt. According to this article, there is more than enough homes to house the animal population. The real problem is that people are choosing not to adopt and are instead choosing to buy a purebred from a breeder or a pet store. Only 20% of pet buyers adopt from an animal shelter. Out of the 17 million shelter animals, only 3.5 million of them are adopted each year. 

"By choosing to adopt, you will not only save a life, but you will also ensure that your adoption fee is going to help the next unwanted pet that comes in the door of that shelter." -American Humane Association. 

Helga Higgins. ID#86330.
Helga is one of the sweetest and gentlest dogs that I have had the privilege to meet. She is always calm and trusting. I saw Helga in one of the kennels last week as I was taking pictures of other dogs and she was still at the shelter today. She has been in the shelter for 55 days, which makes absolutely NO SENSE to me. She is a sweet and kindred spirit- wouldn't hurt a fly. Maybe she hasn't been adopted yet because she is a Pitbull and she's skinnier than the other dogs in the center. Her homelessness could very well be manipulated by the fact that not many people are adopting these days, as discussed earlier. I am 100% honest when I say that I have no idea why she has not found a home yet. There is not a hint of bad in this dog. I miss her already and hopes someone as kind as her realizes that they need her in their lives. 

Helga Higgins. ID#86330.

Helga and I.
Photo taken by Shannon Johnstone on 5/29/13.