Well I’m still fairly new to shelter photography, but I've learned that a photo can make quite a difference for an animal faith. A photo can very often determine if the animal is adopted or euthanized. Before the computer age, people would just by chance find that furry friend they were looking for by drive to a few local shelters. Times have changed, while you still have to go to the shelter to pick up your 4 legged friends, you can now browse the many available animals online by zip code with just a click of the mouse. If the cutest pet in the shelter has a poor photo, most people will overlook that pet and move to another shelters gallery. If a funny looking animal just happens to show a great expression or turns just right (like people), you get a great shot and people may drive over to the shelter to see him and perhaps they would bond on the spot. I've seen animals that normally would have been adopted easily, but due to their poor quality photo, they stayed in the shelter until a person just happens to walk through the shelter doors and find him, (or worse, were euthanized) sadly to say time is not on an animals side in a shelter. So volunteer photographers need all the tips & track they can get, I know I do!

Setting the photo/camera skills aside, one of my tracks is to look for the best expression, like the eyes or some cute feature.  It's not always possible to get this in a shelter environment or the animal it self every time, plus many animals are stressed out, however, first do take your time, if you don’t have the time or your animal just won’t pose, come back later or let some other volunteer try later. Many of us on our photographer team have to be fair to the animal and back away for later. So take your time! If I’m with a dog I’ll walk him, give him treats and talk to him, all the while I’m gaining trust and learning his personality a little. This helps me lock in to his potential & gets me ideas. ( it work for me ) The likelihood of a better shot is far greater now. I have a squeaker toy to get there attention too. If you can bring out the expressive from their eyes, whether they express happiness or even a longing sadness, they still tell a story for the camera.

Most people are looking to adopt young animals rather than old guys. However, many animal are 10 years plus.  From time to time people will adopt senior animals too but I like to give them an edge and make them more appealing. I find their best side.  If I was shooting a jet black dog who is a senior, his muzzle is grey, and eyes baggy or blood shot, I look at both sides of his face, one side may have a better profile. I personal wouldn’t take a photo only showing this dog's face, I would back off a little and get a full shot so the fine detail would not be so pronounced “more like a glamour shot”. You can get great expression with this too. I’m not suggesting to doctor the photo but just soften it. This way you'll be giving the dog more of a chance by showing his quality’s rather than just the face shot, which at this point is not his best feature. Another edge for me is background. I don’t want to show a hurricane fence or a poor built wall in the background or my scene. If you have a green or wooded area for dogs this is great and the best natural photo for dogs. If you just don’t have this and you are a little skilled with Photoshop or other graphic editor, you can jazz up your photo by snapping a good shot anywhere, and add the background to the photo. It’s still the same animal with a little flavor. Here is Chuckles an average 2 &1/2 year hound dog. This trick can work only if you know how your shadows fall and sun angle shine and resolution & pixel size. If done wrong it can look silly or fake, plus the extra time needed can whey into the factor. If your not this advanced, ask your shelter if you can make a corner of greenery and paint a backdrop on a wall, just a little imagination goes a long ways. 

 Another idea I was shown (on dogs) was it get to their level. People always view dogs from above but snapping a few shots from eye level or even below can give a new perspective.

  Anyway I’m sure you have thing to add too, so please add your Ideas and hints on our blog too. Thanks Jim McCook