​Thursday, 3:32 PM – Sassy and Simi were two feisty little kittens that were brought into the shelter on May 11, 2017. Probably the babies of a feral mom, they needed a little work before being ready for a home.
 
Simi came around quite quickly. In just a short period of time she wanted to run into my hands rather than to run away from them. But the gray kitten, Sassy, was a bit of a pistol. She bit my finger three times during the course of our photo session. It was a bit difficult to photograph a kitty that is constantly hissing and backing away. I propped Sassy on the bookshelf so she couldn’t retreat and hide from me. 

Wednesday, 3:27 PM - Just this week the kitten impounds were really on the increase. One batch was picked up with their mother and brought to the shelter on May 10, 2017. They were cute enough to “sell themselves”, but I did some photos in the kitty studio anyway. Shooting every day gives me practice behind the camera and with post-processing.

I had a pretty good feeling that they would get applications, but was a bit shocked when Phantasy had an adoption application submitted within an hour of posting!  Thanks to Facebook, and to Gianna for posting our pets there! 

​Wednesday, 8:15 AM – being caught up on shelter animal glamour photos, I took a short morning walk behind the animal shelter and added a new bird to my Life List!
 
At first I thought I was looking at a White-breasted Nuthatch, but the long tail told a different tale.

​After skimming some photos, I realized I had been watching a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  www.allaboutbirds.org says “Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are tiny, slim songbirds with long legs; a long tail; and a thin, straight bill.” That just about described it perfectly!
 
This little gem was pretty high up in the trees, quickly skipping around from branch to branch, probably skimming bugs. Cornell Lab again states, “In spite of their name, gnats do not form a significant part of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher's diet."

​“Merida” is a sweet, tiny kitten that was brought in to the Walton County Animal Control shelter on May 8, 2017. She was a friendly little kitten, so I was able to photograph her outside without fear of her running off.  I picked a shady spot with sunlight streaming through the trees behind her. Shooting with a 40mm macro lens at f/2.8 produced that nice background effect (called bokeh by us photography snobs).
 
I normally have a problem with a blue hue on the coat of black animals. I previously had reduced it by by desaturating the blues, but that can sometimes result in a flat or dull looking coat. Last week, while the intake was slow, I had the chance to explore some more tutorials on the web. While perusing pet photographer Charlotte Reeves’ site (which is awesome), I came across her tutorial on removing color casts from black animals' fur. Following Charlotte’s tutorial worked beautifully! 

​Friday, 8:56 AM - Starla is no junkyard dog! This pretty pittie soaks in attention, but doesn’t jump all up in your business. She sits on command and does great on the leash. She doesn’t seem like too old of a dog, but her teeth are pretty worn down. She’s probably chewed on a lot of sticks, rocks, and junk to ease the boredom of backyard life. (I have to confess, she’s even shredded a few shelter blankets the last few days!).
 
Starla looks to be in good health. She tested heartworm negative and has been vaccinated and dewormed. We can’t see if there is a spay scar or not, but she doesn’t look to have ever had puppies.
 
When she was picked up by an animal control officer, she was wearing three rabies tags. The most recent tag was from Alabama issued in 2010. We called the owner on file and she said it had belonged to her Bernese Mountain Dog which had passed several years ago. She wasn’t sure who would now be wearing that tag.
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I’m sure Strala will adjust just fine to your sleep-number mattress firmness setting and not complain one bit. Oh so happy to get out of the backyard and into the good life! 

​“All the boxes are loaded into the backseat. On the next trip they’ll take me… The mattresses are strapped to the roof of the car on this run. On the next run I’m sure they’ll get me… There goes the kids’ bicycles. Surely the next ride is mine. All the trash is left out at the curb… and so am I.”
 
“Sadie” was signed over to Walton County Animal Control on April 26, 2017 by a property owner who said their tenant moved off and left her behind. She has sat for over a week in the pound and no owner has come for her… and no rescue or adopter either.
 
She is a happy girl that is always ready to see people and other dogs. She gets pretty excited, but you can’t blame her after being ignored out in the backyard for so long. She doesn’t show any aggression with other dogs, but is a bit “in your face” at times, which might annoy some dogs. She kept jumping up and nipping Cosmos’ jowls to get his attention.
 
She looks to have some muscle atrophy or a birth defect in her front left leg. But it doesn’t slow her down any and only adds to her already wonderful personality. Thanks to a donation to the shelter from Laura, she tested heartworm negative and was vaccinated and dewormed. 

The series below shows the stages from the in-camera shot to a final image. 

If Queenie could talk, she may have a story or two from her life. Queenie has two long scars from her hip down her back right leg. She’s also a little weak on that hip. Perhaps many years ago she had an accident or surgery. But she has adjusted just fine. Maybe at her age the arthritis in that hip creeps up on cold mornings. But doesn't age creep up on us all?! 

Queenie was picked up stray by an animal control officer on May 1, 2017. She’s a funny girl full of personality. She wants to bark to get your attention, but only manages a raspy breath and faint bark. She is content just to stand or lie nearby; a calm girl, confident at her stage in life. At one point during her photo shoot, she rolled over on her back, twisting and turning to scratch her back on the pavement… like a seal on the beach! She looked so content and with a happy twinkle in her eye.  
 
Queenie did fine meeting other dogs in the shelter. She didn’t really care to interact too much or go for a romp. But when they stopped to sniff her, she obliged without any aggression or growling.  I was pleasantly surprised when she tested heartworm negative. She was also vaccinated, dewormed and de-flead! 

Her duct-tape and wire-tied collar shows somebody "cared" for her, but nobody has come to claim this sweet senior. 

Last month I was able to get the full version of Photoshop.  I had been using PS Elements 11 for quite some time. But with new software comes a whole new level of learning. In my spare moments, I’ve been soaking up tutorial after tutorial on the internet and really taking advantage of editing in layers.
 
However, I’ve found there can be no end to tinkering with photos in Photoshop. Each adjustment can make the photo look intriguing. I can spend 20 minutes and settle on a final, awesome edit. Then I go back through making different adjustments, and now a better final, awesome edit. Then I go back through… well, you get the idea.

My first few shots were accidentally over-exposed and discarded. But on a rainy afternoon I played with those images in Camera Raw and Photoshop CS6 for fun and practice.  
 
In the long run, all that is needed is a decent photo so potential adopters have an idea of what is in the shelter. And perhaps all those meticulous edits aren’t that noticeable. But, if a little bit of extra editing can grab an eye, why not? Attracting a second look might mean the difference between adoption or euthanasia. Well worth every perfectionist edit!

Wednesday, 8:57 AM - “He’s a big ol’ bear!” That’s what a shelter co-worker affectionately exclaimed as I walked Cosmos out for his glamour photos. And truly, at 82 pounds, he is a big, fluffy, teddy-bear ready to give some lovin’. His calm demeanor, wonderful heel while on leash, and willingness to sit on command endeared him to my heart. 

Cosmos was picked up stray on Monroe Jersey Rd on May 2, 2017. He had no collar, tag, chip or other way to find his way home. It is hard to believe that no owner came looking for him.

Other than being heartworm positive (which the antigens are very low - - the positive dot barely showed up), he seems in perfect health. When I knelt down to draw blood for a heartworm test, he bowed his head and tenderly licked my hand, even as that evil little needle poked his arm. I vaccinated, dewormed and gave him a shot of flea spray. His teeth, eyes and coat all look great. But the greatest thing about him is his big loving personality!

I remembered a blog post on woofliketomeet.com I had read several months ago about photographing black dogs on a black backdrop. Why not give it a try? Simple enough, hang up a black sheet and fire away!
 
I draped a cheap, black, twin sheet over the fence in a shaded spot next to the shelter. Next to it I hung my more expensive muslin background. I used a carabiner to attach the leash the fence just below the backdrops and paraded out “Cosmos” for head shots.

He sat pretty well for his session, but was a bit antsy that I didn’t walk him first. So, in protest, he hiked his leg on peed on my backdrop!  Of course, he missed the cheap black sheet and instead drenched my more expensive muslin. 
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The in-camera results were okay, but really began to look good with some post-processing. I used adjustment layers to darken the backdrops a bit more, and some dodging and burning to bring out their eyes and coat highlights. A nice change of pace from the “dog in the woods” shots I’m always posting. 

​Friday, May 5, 8:11 AM – since Cosmos’ previous photos were all headshots, I wanted to get some full body shots… and to take him on that long walk I didn’t deliver before the last photo session! We out back behind the shelter near the pond and, once again, he was the perfect gentleman, posing for his photos while gently wagging that curled, fluffy tail!