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For over two years, Vickie Holt of
Roanoke Virginia has been trying to
tell the world that better
photography for animal adoption
websites is not only fun, but
absolutely crucial for successful
adoption efforts. Though Roanoke
came to love the Angels of Assisi
website (for which Vickie offers her
services on a volunteer basis) she
found that trying to spread the word
farther than Roanoke’s boarders was
a difficult task, at best.
www.angelsofassisi.org
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In September, however,
that all changed. From
among a hundred animals
rescued from a hoarding
situation in Bedford
County, emerged a star
that would finally make
Vickie’s voice heard.
Her name was Catherine,
and she was a long
haired mixed tabby. She
was no different than
her hundred fellow
refugees, but the
photographs taken of her
(while inside her kitty
carrier) captured the
public interest. Once
one of the photos was
posted on the Angels of
Assisi Rescue Stories
Blog, Vickie was
contacted by Channel 7
News. On October 10,
2010, Vickie was
featured in an evening
news segment.
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-story-roanoke-assisi-photographer-101010,0,5374191.story |
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On October 23rd,
another of Catherine’s
photos was chosen as
“Photo of the Day” at
BetterPhoto.com, an
international site for
semi-pro and
professional
photographers from
around the world. This
distinction resulted in
many member
photographers making
comments, and through
this discussion thread,
Vickie was able to tell
the story of what she
does for shelter
animals, and how
important it is. Read
the photo discussion
here:
http://www.betterphoto.com/forms/discussionDetail.asp?threadID=1317045 On
November 17, the photo
of Catherine won second
place from over 18,500
photographs entered by
photographers from
around the world. |
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During the discussion,
however, fellow photographer, Leslie
Carson Wolfe (Merriam, Kansas) was
inspired to begin volunteering at
her local shelter. Through many
emails, Vickie was able to advise
Leslie about the best methods for
taking good shelter photos. This
included telling Leslie how to
create the very effective “kitty
studio” – a Vickie Holt original
innovation that helps any shelter
photographer to get consistently
great photos of cats and kittens,
quickly and easily. In Leslie’s
hands, the kitty studio proved its
merit, and she is now in her second
month as volunteer photographer for
Animal Haven.
http://www.animalhavenkc.org/
Vickie also recently
discovered that Jess Versele of
Pulaski County Virginia – who had
shadowed with Vickie at Angels of
Assisi several months earlier – had
also been volunteering at her local
shelters, using the kitty studio and
getting the same great results.
These three photographs demonstrate
how the Holt method of shelter
photography can yield consistent
results in different hands. One
photo is by Vickie, one by Leslie
and the other by Jess. The method
works! And the best part is – all
three shelters have reported an
increase in adoptions! |
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While waiting for the
contest results on BetterPhoto.com,
Vickie was also contacted by The
Roanoke Times and World News, and a
feature about her shelter
photography appeared in the November
7 edition of that newspaper.
http://www.roanoke.com/269837
And finally, because of
all the news coverage, Vickie has
just been contact by a
representative from the Roanoke City
Public Library about having an event
centered around her shelter
photography. (dates and details to
be announced) The event will
feature Vickie and her photography,
as well as representatives and
animals from Angels of Assisi. The
absolute best part, however, is that
Vickie will finally be able to speak
publicly about the importance of
good photography for animal adoption
websites, and how thousands of lives
depend on it every day. |
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