Sunday, June 17, 2012
Last Day! [Extra Post]
I can't believe after 11pm tonight the course is done!! It has been such a great experience. I was able to learn so much by using photoshop on a regular basis and by going to the shelter to spend time with the pets. If anything has really stuck out to me, it has been the reassurance in my mind that animals from a shelter have stories, and these are the pets that really need a home. I hope that I will be able to share this experience with my friends and family.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Week 6: Day 2
My Name is Brittany Jaked, I am a Child Development Major with a Birth-Kindergarten Licensure, and plan to graduate in May of 2013.
I was interested in taking this course because I had to meet the arts and asthetics gen. ed. requirement, and the course description seemed really interesting to me when I read that we would be working with the Animal Shelter. I am glad I chose to take this course because it was exciting and I was able to learn MANY new things.
The most valuable part of this course for me was the volunteering at the animal shelter. This gave me the opportunity to connect with a local organization in Raleigh that I would be able to donate my time to and help out. Although learning how to use photoshop was valuable, I think the relationships that I was able to develop with the animals at the shelter and the shelter itself was more valuable for me!
I was not expecting to learn about the importance of altering your pets and raising awareness about how to prevent the spread of disease from animals. This came as a surprise to me because I never really thought about the importance of educating the community about the importance of cleaning up after your pet to prevent spreading sicknesses between animals.
Photography can have a large impact on animal overpopulation because you can post the photos of the animals avaible for adoption, and the photos make the animals appear more adoptable. Photos can be posted in many locations, and spread easily. Most people's hearts would melt when they see a picture of a cute animal who's eyes seem like they are popping out at you and their ears are perked up like they want to play.
Over this entire course, this photo that I took, on June 1st 2012, is the one that is my favorite and I am most proud of! This is Sam Taylor, he was a stray hold, the next time I returned to the shelter to find him he was gone, which either means his owner came back, or he got a new home! Sam Taylor was such a great dog!! He was about 3 years old and calm as could be, he knew the commands 'sit' and 'lay down' too!
I was interested in taking this course because I had to meet the arts and asthetics gen. ed. requirement, and the course description seemed really interesting to me when I read that we would be working with the Animal Shelter. I am glad I chose to take this course because it was exciting and I was able to learn MANY new things.
The most valuable part of this course for me was the volunteering at the animal shelter. This gave me the opportunity to connect with a local organization in Raleigh that I would be able to donate my time to and help out. Although learning how to use photoshop was valuable, I think the relationships that I was able to develop with the animals at the shelter and the shelter itself was more valuable for me!
I was not expecting to learn about the importance of altering your pets and raising awareness about how to prevent the spread of disease from animals. This came as a surprise to me because I never really thought about the importance of educating the community about the importance of cleaning up after your pet to prevent spreading sicknesses between animals.
Photography can have a large impact on animal overpopulation because you can post the photos of the animals avaible for adoption, and the photos make the animals appear more adoptable. Photos can be posted in many locations, and spread easily. Most people's hearts would melt when they see a picture of a cute animal who's eyes seem like they are popping out at you and their ears are perked up like they want to play.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Week 6: Day 1
In my own words, animal overpopulation is when we have so many animals present in an area and we can not keep the area sanitary and safe due to the population. Animal overpopulation occurs when animals are not altered, and reproduce unexpectedly. The Wake County Animal Center is a product of animal overpopulation. Animal overpopulation occurs at the animal shelter when there are too many animals coming in, and not enough animals going out [to new homes]. Animal overpopulation can even result in animals having to be 'put to sleep'. It means we have too many animals, and not enough caring homes for them.
Animal overpopulation means not having the proper facility to care for the amount of animals we have in our county.
Animal overpopulation also means that there is not enough education in the community about the importance of spaying and neutering.
I feel that our society really just overlooks animal overpopulation, and feels that because they aren't in the situation then they don't have to worry about it. I am not referring to our area specifically, but just the United States as a whole. The most important thing I feel that needs to be done is the continuing education of what animal overpopulation does.
These are my 10 favorite photos from the course!
Animal overpopulation means not having the proper facility to care for the amount of animals we have in our county.
Animal overpopulation also means that there is not enough education in the community about the importance of spaying and neutering.
I feel that our society really just overlooks animal overpopulation, and feels that because they aren't in the situation then they don't have to worry about it. I am not referring to our area specifically, but just the United States as a whole. The most important thing I feel that needs to be done is the continuing education of what animal overpopulation does.
These are my 10 favorite photos from the course!
Cosma
This was a favorite of mine because it was the first clear 'little critter' photo that I took!
Riley
This is a favorite of mine because this cat showed so much personality while I was taking her photo. It was so hard to say that just one of Riley was my favorite!
Donald Duck
This puppy was so sweet and cuddly, this was a favorite of mine because it was a photo shoot of a puppy (that I did alone) and I was able to get a clear picture from it!
Anastasia
This photo really stood out to me because she was so engaged in what was going on above me, but when I shot the picture it turned out to be A LOT better then I thought it would be.
Felipe
This puppy's eyes were so neat to me. I chose this as a 'Top Ten' because of th contrast that his different colored eyes created!
Sam Taylor
This was such a calm and cuddly dog!! He was great to interact with. I chose this as a 'Top Ten' because it was such a capture of his personality!
Buster
Buster was a dog with plenty of kissees, for EVERYONE. He reminded me so much of my neighbors dog when I was growing up. This was a 'Top Ten' for me because I feel as if he is smiling, which makes him seem like such and adoptable dog!
Tigeress
This was one of the first 'Strong Photos' that I felt I took and I chose it as a 'Top Ten' because it is a good comparision of what I was capable up before and what I am capable of now!
Maui
The colors were very defined in this picture, which made me want to use it as a 'Top Ten' photo. Maui was purring the entire time I was taking photos!
Trevor
He was a 'Top Ten' because he actually just returned to WCAC after being in foster. He was ready to find a forever home, and was actually the only dog not barking in the room he was in!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Week 5:Day 4
Volunteering at the shelter has been a great experience! I really think I am going to continue to volunteer there, even after this course is over. I am hoping to get trained in the fido fitness, and this way I could walk the dogs. My favorite thing to do with my dog is take him on a walk or outside to play, because it is time we can both enjoy together, so doing this for an animal without a home would be a great experience! As a child, I remember my family and I used to take our family pug on a walk after dinner. This was a time for us to spend together and disconnect from the stresses of the day. I feel that this is part of the reason I want to possible get involved in the fido fitness.
Ever since I was a small child, my parents said I always had a spot in my heart for pets. For a long time I claimed I would have MANY pets in my home when I got older. After visiting and volunteering at the WCAC, I feel that my decision about the amount of pets I will someday have has changed. Instead of having many pets, I will have 1-2 dogs, and in return either be a foster mom for the WCAC or volunteer and donate to the shelter on a regular basis. Having too many pets in the home can be more hurtful then helpful to the animals, and because of that I only want to have what I am certain I can handle.
On a side note, on June 9th I had a lady approach me very upset, and she explained to me that she had to leave her dog at the shelter due to financial circumstances. She asked if there was anyway I could help, and unfortunately I had to tell her know. I did my best to comfort her and remind her that the WCAC would try to ensure that her dog went home to a safe and loving family who understood what pet ownership meant. This was a difficult situation for me because as much as I wanted to help I couldn't and what I was saying to her was not enough for her, she wanted more. :(
Below is a picture of me volunteering at the shelter. My dad came by the shelter for a bit on June 1st with me to experience what I have been doing for the past few weeks. This was a great way to spend time together and help out at the shelter, he even said that he would like to come back a few more times to help out!
Photo Credit: Barry Jaked
Date Taken: June 1st, 2012
Date Used and Edited: June 9th, 2012
Location: Wake County Animal Center
Ever since I was a small child, my parents said I always had a spot in my heart for pets. For a long time I claimed I would have MANY pets in my home when I got older. After visiting and volunteering at the WCAC, I feel that my decision about the amount of pets I will someday have has changed. Instead of having many pets, I will have 1-2 dogs, and in return either be a foster mom for the WCAC or volunteer and donate to the shelter on a regular basis. Having too many pets in the home can be more hurtful then helpful to the animals, and because of that I only want to have what I am certain I can handle.
On a side note, on June 9th I had a lady approach me very upset, and she explained to me that she had to leave her dog at the shelter due to financial circumstances. She asked if there was anyway I could help, and unfortunately I had to tell her know. I did my best to comfort her and remind her that the WCAC would try to ensure that her dog went home to a safe and loving family who understood what pet ownership meant. This was a difficult situation for me because as much as I wanted to help I couldn't and what I was saying to her was not enough for her, she wanted more. :(
Below is a picture of me volunteering at the shelter. My dad came by the shelter for a bit on June 1st with me to experience what I have been doing for the past few weeks. This was a great way to spend time together and help out at the shelter, he even said that he would like to come back a few more times to help out!
Photo Credit: Barry Jaked
Date Taken: June 1st, 2012
Date Used and Edited: June 9th, 2012
Location: Wake County Animal Center
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Week 5: Day 3
My 3 step plan:
Step 1: My intentions with this plan is to work with local artists who are willing to donate their time and artwork to help raise money for improvements at the WCAC. These artists would always help in raising awareness about the WCAC and the importance of spaying/neutering your pet and knowing the best ways to prevent disease control. This artwork could be hung up throughout the WCAC and visitors/volunteers would be able to view the artwork, the environment would be more welcoming, and it would be a way for the WCAC to raise money!
Step 2: Collaborate with someone local who is into art, or even with Dr. Johnstone! I think talking to some of the Meredith College art students would be a great start, or even some of the current volunteers at the shelter!
Step 3: If I were to do this I would have to wait until the fall (when classes have started at Meredith). I could compile an email, and with the help of the Art professors at Meredith, and then have the professors forward it to their students. My guess is that some of the professors at Meredith know some of the Art professors at NCSU, so once we got the volunteer movement started at Meredith we could ask NCSU students to help as well!!
*Another interesting thing that could be done with this is to involve an art class at a local elementary school!!*
First picture: Example of the type of artwork to encourage the artists to do!
Second picture: Example of a poster that could be hung up at the shelter!
Date Accessed: June 10th, 2012 (I had to find a photo to add into the post)
Accessed from: http://paintingdogs.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/dackelball.jpg?w=500
Date Created: June 10th, 2012 (this photo was added in after the post was completed)
Creator: Brittany Jaked (On Paint)
Step 1: My intentions with this plan is to work with local artists who are willing to donate their time and artwork to help raise money for improvements at the WCAC. These artists would always help in raising awareness about the WCAC and the importance of spaying/neutering your pet and knowing the best ways to prevent disease control. This artwork could be hung up throughout the WCAC and visitors/volunteers would be able to view the artwork, the environment would be more welcoming, and it would be a way for the WCAC to raise money!
Step 2: Collaborate with someone local who is into art, or even with Dr. Johnstone! I think talking to some of the Meredith College art students would be a great start, or even some of the current volunteers at the shelter!
Step 3: If I were to do this I would have to wait until the fall (when classes have started at Meredith). I could compile an email, and with the help of the Art professors at Meredith, and then have the professors forward it to their students. My guess is that some of the professors at Meredith know some of the Art professors at NCSU, so once we got the volunteer movement started at Meredith we could ask NCSU students to help as well!!
*Another interesting thing that could be done with this is to involve an art class at a local elementary school!!*
First picture: Example of the type of artwork to encourage the artists to do!
Second picture: Example of a poster that could be hung up at the shelter!
Date Accessed: June 10th, 2012 (I had to find a photo to add into the post)
Accessed from: http://paintingdogs.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/dackelball.jpg?w=500
Date Created: June 10th, 2012 (this photo was added in after the post was completed)
Creator: Brittany Jaked (On Paint)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Week 5: Day 2
Photography can have multiple (positive impacts) on any organization the photos are in conjunction with.
At the WCAC the photographs being taken have a large impact on the adoption because the photos we have taken as a class make the animals appear more adoptable and friendly. Photography can help to raise awareness of what is going on or the truth about the WCAC without people having to visit, which could then encourage more visitors, which would mean more adoptions!
A personal artistic ability I have is creative and crafty handwriting. By using this skill I would be able to create posters for either the shelter or an event that the shelter was having. The first way I could do this is by creating signs to either put up around the shelter about adoption fees or the rules of the facility. This would add a more pleasent look to the shelter. The other thing I could do is create flyers/posters for any adoption events or other types of events that the shelter is having. These posters would be catchy, colorful, and appealing to the eye, which in return would hopefully attract more individuals to the event.
I think painting would be another form of art for the shelter to use. Volunteer painters could come in and spend time with some of the animals, and then paint portraits of them to be auctioned off to raise money for the shelter. I am not sure who exactly I would collaborate with, but a possible group would be art students at Meredith College or North Carolina State University.
Photo Credit
Brittany Jaked
June 9th 2012
WCAC
June 9th, 2012
At the WCAC the photographs being taken have a large impact on the adoption because the photos we have taken as a class make the animals appear more adoptable and friendly. Photography can help to raise awareness of what is going on or the truth about the WCAC without people having to visit, which could then encourage more visitors, which would mean more adoptions!
A personal artistic ability I have is creative and crafty handwriting. By using this skill I would be able to create posters for either the shelter or an event that the shelter was having. The first way I could do this is by creating signs to either put up around the shelter about adoption fees or the rules of the facility. This would add a more pleasent look to the shelter. The other thing I could do is create flyers/posters for any adoption events or other types of events that the shelter is having. These posters would be catchy, colorful, and appealing to the eye, which in return would hopefully attract more individuals to the event.
I think painting would be another form of art for the shelter to use. Volunteer painters could come in and spend time with some of the animals, and then paint portraits of them to be auctioned off to raise money for the shelter. I am not sure who exactly I would collaborate with, but a possible group would be art students at Meredith College or North Carolina State University.
[I came back and added this photo in]
Eloise, I.D. #72450
This photo could have a positive impact on the shelter because it makes the cat appear to be more adoptable then the one that was on her sheet.Photo Credit
Brittany Jaked
June 9th 2012
WCAC
June 9th, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Week 5: Day 1
Well, to start things off, today is my birthday!!!
Now back to the school work..
There have been MANY valuable things that I have taken out of this class so far. I feel that the most valuable thing for me has been the appropriate ways to edi the photos and still allow them to have a natural appearance.
the first picture is one that I had used picnik on (over a year ago) to edit, and the second picture is one that I have taken for this class and used the appropriate editing techniques to make the image appealing to the eye when viewing it on the internet. This course has improved my eye for visually appealing photographs from others as well!! I hope that within the next 2 weeks my strengths in editing will continue.
The online aspect of the class has been very helpful as well because of the busy schedule I have had this summer. I like that we meet once a week in person though because some questions are just better answered face to face!
Now back to the school work..
There have been MANY valuable things that I have taken out of this class so far. I feel that the most valuable thing for me has been the appropriate ways to edi the photos and still allow them to have a natural appearance.
The online aspect of the class has been very helpful as well because of the busy schedule I have had this summer. I like that we meet once a week in person though because some questions are just better answered face to face!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Week 4: Day 3
This week we were introduced to Rotate Arbitrary, Curves (adding contrast), Sharpening, Masks, and Forced Depths of Field. I found the most useful one to be sharpening. Some of my photos from this week were a little unclear, but after using the sharpening tool the pictures improved greatly.
Before using the sharpen method, this picture had very soft edges that made it appear to be somewhat blurry. After using the sharpen setting I feel that it has improved the quality of the picture. I had to adjust the sharpness many times to ensure that I was improving the appearance of the image and not ruining it. When photographing the animals (while they are their cages, so especially the cats) it is difficult to get the correct amount of lighting and I have notice the poor lighting makes the images appear more 'soft'. I hope to continue to find value in this technique!
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