Shoot Eight Work Record

Plans for the Shoot

I will take my images using my Nikon D5300 DSLR Camera and will adjust the setting for each specific situation to suit the shot I am taking. The shoot will take place at Mutts in Distress in Little Hallingbury in Hertfordshire, and I plan to focus on taking images in the isolation kennel block, the centres ground, as well as in the fields.

On this shoot I plan to focus mostly on taking images of the puppies that arrived from Romania. I did not capture any images of the two youngest pups in my previous shoot so I want to take photos of them. The younger puppies will probably be rehomed very quickly so I will need to get the images I want before they are gone.  I particularly want to take images showing workers interacting with them or caring for their needs.

I will try to capture another image of a dog being given its dinner through the hatch, so that I can continue to improve this.

I will also take more images of the staff taking care of the donkeys, sheep and hens.

What I Hope to Achieve

I want to capture cute images of the puppies showing them interacting with the staff. I want these images to be captivating to make the viewers wish they were there cuddling and playing with them themselves. I am sure the workers will look happy when playing with the puppies so I will capture the emotions they display. I have asked one of the volunteers to wear a T shirt that has writing on the back advertising that homes are needed for these dogs. I will take images with this message clearly visible to illustrate that finding homes for the dogs is a part of their job too. This takes place at the Centre mostly through their web site and through fund raising events, to make people aware that there are dogs coming into Mutts all the time that need a home. The website/Facebook page also provides information about the dogs that are rehomed and this is a good way of using social media to keep their profile up and involve others.

I will try to take images of the hens, donkeys and sheep being cared for. This will probably be them being fed as I seem to miss the cleaning out of the stables. I will take images that are closer or possibly cropped or at a different angle. This will make the images more unusual and add interest for the viewer. By changing the perspective I can exaggerate a particular feature of the animals and this can make for entertaining images.  

What I Achieved

I managed to capture some images of the younger puppies, although their dark brown/black colouring and the poor light in their kennel made it difficult to get good images. I did capture some good facial expressions of one of the workers showing the fun she was having with them. I also managed to capture a clear image of the worker’s back while wearing the T shirt with the writing saying that good homes were needed.  

I was really happy with this shot I captured of Tom being fed his dinner through the hatch. I feel that this image captures both the dog and the person well and that the dog and worker are both looking at the dog bowl directing the viewer’s attention. The worker’s arm also does this. Also Tom is fairly calm this time so is not diving into the bowl or jumping in the air. The lighting is also good so that Tom is highlighted and framed by the natural light from the hatch but it is light enough inside the kennel to see the worker. This image really focuses on the task being done and is taken I think in an interesting way.

While I was on my photo shoot a small white dog was handed in to the Centre as a stray. He was microchipped so we knew he had an owner and a message was left on their answer machine. The dog was very old about 19 years old and was shaking with fear. His back legs were very weak and he refused to eat anything , even treats.  I captured an image of a worker carrying him and holding him close as she walked about the kennel. This made the dog feel more secure and he eventually shook less. I think the expression on the workers face shows the concern she feels for the old dog. I also took the image slightly tilted to convey the way the dog's feels, showing his world has temporarily been turned upside down. Fortunately, the owner came to collect him an hour or so later, they were so happy he was unharmed and had been taken somewhere safe.  

I chose this image to Photoshop and simply by increasing the brightness I felt I improved it. The subjects pose and her facial expression can now be seen more clearly, as can the top of the dogs face behind the volunteers arm. This helps the viewer connect emotionally with the subjects. Also the brighter image also reflects the affection the little dog is receiving so the image comes across as more positive and happy and not so sad.

I also captured images of the slightly older puppies. In one image there were three pups together in the kennel making the focal point better to achieve due to the rule of odds. However it was difficult to capture them all together so I settled for having the one closest to the camera cropped somewhat. The foreground is slightly out of focus due to the setting of the depth of field and this focuses attention on the two in focus pups in the background. Those two pups are also staring at something out of frame so creating mystery in the image. While the pup in the foreground is staring at me taking his photo. The image therefore has two parts each focusing on the pups, and this makes it interesting for the viewer to explore. I also gave the image a tilted horizon to show that the puppies’ world has changed completely in the last few days from what they have known in their Romanian shelter that was burnt down. This will have left them feeling a little unsure and off kilter and I thought the image should reflect this to the viewer. The first pup near the camera also shows how much the pups have changed as they are now happy to be up close and around people.

I took a number of images of the sheep, donkeys and hens, individually and together. These images show them being fed and I have tried to take the images slightly differently to add interest. Several are close up cropped images of the sheep and donkeys as they accept treats of slices of bread. I have also taken the image at a strange perspective to distort their features slightly by making their nose look bigger. In the first image the two donkeys are in similar poses, resting their chins on the top of the fence and each is waiting for the persons hand to deliver the piece of bread to their mouths. It is a fun image and when one of the donkeys pulls his top lip back and shows his teeth  the image becomes very funny. I think that this image captures the fun that you can get in volunteering at an animal rescue centre.

I also took a more conventional image of the donkeys, sheep and hens being fed altogether in one image by the worker. The worker is standing on one side of the fence while the animals line up on the other side in the field. The sheep and donkeys crowd around in front of the worker with the smaller sheep nearest and the taller donkeys behind, while the hens who are a little scared of the sheep make their way to the clear stretch of fence on the right of the frame in the hope that they will be seen and get some treats too. This makes an interesting picture as the fence leads your eye from right to left the scene gets more congested. It’s as if the animals know their place and assume these positions automatically. I also think the sun beaming down on them from the top right of the frame adds a little interest to the image and makes it look like a lovely day to be outside enjoying the sun and interacting with animals.  

Finally I took a few portrait images of several of the dogs, most with a worker being partially visible in the shots to illustrate they were present and were interacting with the dog. I took these fairly close up to make them feel more intimate and convey emotion.

What I am going to do Next

The next shoot will probably be my last one so there are a few things I want to complete and finish off.

I will try to capture more images of the young puppies.

I have not yet tested my decisive moment inspired image from the back kennel runs with dogs present in the runs. I want to make sure the dog’s forms are big enough to be noticeable.

I also want to catch some freeze frame images of the cleaning of the kennels. As most of the cleaning I have photographed has been inside the kennels it would have been difficult to capture this due to the poor lighting. I will therefore take my freeze frame images in the  outside run where there will be good natural lighting.

Shoot Nine Work Record

Plans for the Shoot

I will take my images using my Nikon D5300 DSLR Camera and will adjust the settings for each specific situation to suit the shot I am taking. The shoot will take place at Mutts in Distress in Little Hallingbury in Hertfordshire, and I plan to focus on taking images in the isolation kennel block and the kennel runs.

I have looked through my previous shoot to see if there are any images that I had planned to take and have not done yet or any that I did not capture the type of shot I wanted. These are listed here.

·         I intended to capture workers doing tasks involving administering medication to the dogs, and have not captured this, so will ask a volunteer to go through this just so I can take images.

·         I wanted to show the large amount of bedding that the workers have to deal with. While I did capture this I feel I could make the image more impactful by showing a much larger bundle of bedding being carried.

·         I wanted to capture a freeze frame image of the cleaning and disinfection of the kennels with the water being thrown about. This I have not done as the lighting was not very good in the kennels. So I will instead take the freeze frame images in the runs at the back of the kennels where the lighting is better.

·         I will try to capture more images of the young puppies, to try to improve on them.

·         I have not yet tested my decisive moment inspired image from the back kennel runs with dogs present in the runs. I want to make sure the dog’s forms are big enough to be noticeable.

What I Hope to Achieve

I want to capture a more dynamic image showing the cleaning of the kennels. I will attempt to do this using the motion implied by a freeze frame image. I will capture this when the workers are cleaning the runs at the back of the kennels and will take the image showing the scoops of disinfectant and water being thrown onto the floor of the runs. This will give the viewer a better idea of the amount of water that is involved in the cleaning process as well as the action of the process and the potential to get wet.

Many of the tasks at the centre are physically demanding and some of these are due to the volume of work involved. This includes the changing of the bedding in most of the dog’s baskets every day, which then has to be washed or burned. I want to take an image showing  a worker struggling to carry a huge bundle of bedding, as I feel this is a good way to visually demonstrate the volume of work involved.

Some of the dogs at the kennels have health issues and all need to be vaccinated and treated for fleas when they come in. Part of the job of the staff is to keep track of and administer any medication. As this is a task involving a lot of responsibility I think it is important that I document it as it will reflect positively on the staff.

I still have not completely tested my decisive moment image of at the back of the kennel runs as I have nor checked that the dogs will be a good size to see from that distance away. My hope and expectation is that they will be, and I will check this by taking an image there with the dogs in the runs.

What I Achieved

I achieved some good freeze frame images of the water being thrown onto the run floor. These images illustrate the large amount of water that is used in the cleaning process as well as giving the perception of motion to the task. This makes it easier for the viewer to relate to the physical aspects of the task making the task become more alive to them.  It allows the viewer to perceive this dynamic action and more easily imagine the noise and feel of the sloshing water as it lands. In the image I have cropped off the top of the worker as this was not an important part for the viewer to see. This allowed me to focus in more on the water frozen in mid-air and to fill the frame more with this. The large amount of clear water being thrown onto the floor is the focal point of this image and covers a large part of the frame. In addition behind the worker there can be seen several more runs that need to be similarly cleaned and this makes it easier to multiply the scale of the task.

To add to the feel of motion in the image I Photo shopped the two images together to create a composite image. The motion in the image is shown by making one of the two arms and one of the two scoops more visible than the other, this was created by making one of the layers pin light in Photoshop. Additionally the effect will be enhanced by having an even larger amount of water frozen  in space, and should bring the task to life more for the viewer.

I checked with the decisive moment image that the dogs would be big enough to be reasonably visible in the outside runs and they were. I also captured images of a worker preparing medication for an animal. They were filling a syringe with the animals anti-inflammatory and pain killer Metacam as they were going to administer it to a dog. I cropped the image again to focus in on the task as it was not necessary to show the expression on the workers face.

The image showing the carrying of bedding was relatively easy to take as the staff often have to carry bundles of bedding to and from the kennel block. I just asked one of them to carry a bit more than usual. In the image the bundle is so high the worker has to look around the side to see where she is going. This focuses attention on the amount she is carrying and helps to illustrate the point that a lot of work has to go into the distribution, removal and cleaning of all the dogs bedding every day. I have taken the image with the worker placed in a narrow corridor, this means there is less distracting clutter to take attention away from the subject. The staff would not however usually carry this amount in one go as this would be hazardous.

There was also the opportunity to capture some of the DIY repairs that were going on at the kennels. The isolation block was being cleaned and painted. I therefore captured a few images of the walls being painted and the doors being scrubbed clean. This illustrates that the staff and volunteers are willing to get involved in many other tasks that are required in the caring for the animals and the upkeep of the rescue centre. Coming to the rescue centre makes you feel like you are part of the Mutts extended family and I have a great respect and admiration for the dedicated staff that work so hard here. This is why I felt the need to photographically document this aspect of contemporary life, the hard but fulfilling work that is undertaken at animal rescue centres.

Shoot Nine Straight Images

These images I took to show two volunteers working together to try to put a lead on one of the more excitable dogs so he can be taken out to get some exercise. 



 

There was some maintenance work being done painting the kennel walls and using wire brushes to remove dirt from the wire doors. So I captured this work being done. 

I captured images of a worker measuring some medication to be administered to one of the dogs.













I captured in freeze frame the water with disinfectant in it being thrown on to the floor of the outside run which will then be scrubbed clean with brushes

I selected these two images below to develop using Photoshop.

I combined the two images to make a composite image, but made one of the layers pin light to create this ffect.





I was happy with the effect produced above so repeated the procedure with two more images, where Hades was getting excited about going to the paddock and couldn't keep still.



I combined the images but made one layer pin light. This was in order to show the chaos of the dog jumping all over the place as the volunteers tried to attach his lead.






In Photoshop I removed colour from the background. Then I used selective colour and adjusted the colours to make the volunteers faces seem more red to highlight that a lot of effort had been put into getting the dog ready to be taken to the paddock. This also affected other areas making the colours more vivid.

Shoot Eight Straight Images

In this shoot I tried to improve upon my image of a dog, Tom,  being fed his dinner through the door hatch to its run.



I took some more images of the workers looking after the donkeys and sheep trying to get more interesting and captivating images.



A stray dog was handed in found wandering the streets. He was identified by his microchip and was 19 years old and was very frightened and was shaking. I captured an image of a volunteer giving him cuddles to stop him shaking. Fortunately the relieved and grateful owner came and collected him within an hour.



This is an image showing how vigilant you have to be when working at the Centre. The dogs there can be very clever and have learned how to push the kennel doors so that they bounce back and they can then get their noses in and push them open. This image shows Bart in the process of doing this and trying to get out to play.



I wanted to take an image where the dog dominated the frame and was the complete focus of attention, as the photographer Graeme Williams does in some of his images. I therefore took this image zoomed in close up to Niebla so that it became more personal and intimate but not so much that it was too intrusive. I also took the image as though it was from the perspective of the level of the dogs eyes so that it was more like what he would be seeing. It can insinuate that humans are on the same level as dogs are. We are not superior to them as people seem to think. So this image may encourage them to think of dogs as equals rather than toys that we can do what we want to. If this was the view that people had, then we would find fewer cases of abuse and neglect of dogs. I also felt that this would give an insight to the viewer of what the dog was seeing and would help them to identify and bond with the dog. This would help them understand why the volunteers and staff care for the animals so much.



I made a simple change to this image using Photoshop. By just increasing the brightness I focused more on the protective pose that the shaking dog is being held in. It also makes both the volunteers face and the subject more visible and the expression more easy to see. The brighter image also creates a more appropriate mood showing the affection the dog is receiving as the darker image could appear a bit more sad and depressing.



The light in the kennel block is not very good for taking images so when I took this image of Bart trying to escape the image was quite dark and you cannot see his eye very well. To improve the image I used Photoshop to decrease the contrast and increase the brightness so that now Bart's face is not so shadowed and now more visible to the viewer. Also the slightly orange region on the wall is reduced making it less distracting.