The animals of the Lee County Humane Society might look like normal dogs and cats, but recently they have become models for the photographers of the Auburn Aperture Photography Club. Members of the club, whether they are professional photographers or hobbyists, are volunteering their time to take photos of the animals as part of their partnership with the LCHS.
Nancy Hand, member of Auburn Aperture and owner of two rescue dogs, said she first had the idea to create the partnership when she was at the LCHS dropping off supplies she saw on its wish list.
“We had some of the stuff on that list … so we made a little basket of stuff to bring down there,” Hand said. “I had just come from one of the meetings, and it was fresh in my mind, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, if you don’t have anyone taking pictures anymore, I’m here plugged into this group of photographers, why not put them together?’”
Emily Bowling, LCHS employee, said the members of the club were up to the challenge of taking quality photos of the LCHS residents when they first heard about the partnership.
“A lot of the members were really receptive of it, and they were really excited to help us,” Bowling said. “I referenced a few other humane societies that are just larger that are all over the United States that have some really excellent photos, and I said in my dreams our photos would be as good as these and every single member of the group was like, ‘Absolutely. We could do like that but better,’ and so they were all extremely receptive of it.”
However, Hand said getting the animals to participate in their photoshoots is not always easy.
“They don’t stop moving,” Hand said. “And the cats are very curious about autofocus time. When a lens moves back and forth, the cats are fascinated, so I’ve had a couple of them swipe at the camera. It’s like trying to take pictures of kids.”
Bowling said the photos can play a big part in getting animals the exposure they need to expedite their journey to a loving, new home.
“Having high-quality photos of animals really, really does increase adoption,” Bowling said. “I think that that seems obvious to people, but when you see the responses we get on our Facebook posts, and you see the responses we get on our Instagram posts, it’s just like, ‘Wow.’ We just posted pictures of this dog last week, but they weren’t this quality photos and this post got 80 shares where the last one only got two shares.”
Sam Dichiara, sophomore in psychology and member of the Auburn Aperture, said he thinks these photos are helpful in getting animals adopted because they let the animals’ personality shine through.
“When you walk into the kennel room, it is a very poor showcase of the fun and happy personalities that a lot of these dogs have when they are in their real environment,” Dichiara said. “It doesn’t appeal to the fact that they could be your potential best friend … Hopefully with a picture outside of their cage in the kennel room, if it shows them smiling with their tongue hanging out and their ears up and their tail wagging and they’re running around having fun, it shows that future best friend.”
Hand encouraged anyone with a camera to go to LCHS and get involved taking pictures of the animals.
“You don’t have to be a member of our club to go do it,” Hand said. “Anybody can go. If you have a camera and you feel like you want to help out, they need the help.”
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