I asked my Facebook followers to describe the typical shelter photos they’ve seen, and they came back with words like clinical, cold, blurry, dirty, and one person described the photos as doing a disservice to the animals. I couldn’t agree more. This isn’t to say that all shelters and rescues are guilty of such poor photos, and with so many of them so overcrowded, it’s sometimes lucky there are photos at all.

“Photographs are essential to our rescue. You can describe an animal in glowing terms but people need to see their eyes and expression to feel a connection,” says Christina Lee of the Lange Foundation, the animal rescue in Santa Monica where I volunteer my time to photograph the cats and dogs that they pull from shelters in the area. (http://www.langefoundation.org)

“People overlook animals that do not have a photo or have a dark, dingy photo where the animal can’t even be seen. So many people say ‘I saw their picture online.. and there’s just something about their face that spoke to me.’ Good photographs attract adopters. There have been times when we put up a better photograph of an animal who has been overlooked for months and that is the catalyst that gets them adopted. We would still rescue without cameras and photographs but it would be much more difficult.”

And this is where photographers come in. Some of you are already volunteering your time to help animals in your local shelters. Some of you want to, but don’t know where to begin or how to take good, representative photos. I want to help give you that push you need to get out there and do some good.

I’ve put together a list of tips that work well for me. This is by no means a comprehensive how-to, but rather a list of pointers that I use. I hope that you can find some ideas or inspiration in them!

1. Find an organization that’s really in need of a photographer. Check with your city’s animal shelters. They usually have the highest volume of new animals and the most potential adopters, which means the greatest need for photographs. If that doesn’t work, look into other local shelters and rescues.

2. Make sure you get along well with those who you’ll be working with. Go with your gut. Not all rescues or shelters are created equal. I got lucky with the Lange Foundation; their employees and volunteers are all wonderful people who care deeply about these animals and their welfare.

3. Go often. This is a commitment! I’d love to go once per week, but it’s usually every other week. There’s no shortage of animals to photograph.

Now, some advice on actually photographing the animals.

4. Get the animal out of the cage or pen (if possible). You’ll get better lighting, better interaction, and all-around better photos. This is especially true with dogs. Get them on a leash and let them stretch their legs – their little personalities will shine!

5. Take a moment and let the dog calm down before you start shooting. Pet them, talk softly, and get them comfortable with you and your camera. Cats are typically calmer than dogs, but the same rule applies to them, too.

6. Be prepared for animals that want nothing to do with you. These animals come from all sorts of situations. Some of them are very friendly and sociable, but others might tremble at the sight of you. These are the difficult ones to photograph. Take your time, give them some extra TLC, and do your best to show them in a positive light.

7. Do not rely on treats as attention-getters. This is a big one. I purchased a small squeaking ball at Petco for $2 and it’s my go-to method of getting a dog’s attention. I’d say it works 70% of the time. Some shelters/rescues might have the animals on strict diets (which is the case at the Lange Foundation), so treats are out of the question. Learn other methods of attention-getting. A lot of dogs respond with that universally-appealing head-tilt when you ask them a question. “Do you want to…” works well, as does making a general fool of yourself.

8. Photographing a dog is completely different from photographing a cat. (Duh.) I can’t tell you how many times (out of desperation) I’ve tried using a squeaker to get a cat’s attention and they just look at me like, “Really?”

9. Get a head shot AND a body shot. Potential adopters want to see as much as they can. The more angles, the better.

10. Have a helper. Whether it’s someone to hold the dog’s leash while you snap away, or someone to dangle a string in front of a cat, a helper is so incredibly… HELPFUL! I’ve got some great ones who make my job a million times easier.

11. Work with what you’ve got. Some organizations let you take the animals outside for photographs. Others don’t. Sometimes there’s a hallway with great lighting that works perfectly. Sometimes the animal is sick or injured and you have to leave them in their cage or pen. Do your best to showcase the animal, regardless of the surroundings.

12. Have a quick turnaround time. Depending on the size of the shelter or rescue you’re working with, they might have a quick turnaround time on getting animals adopted. If this is the case, the sooner you can get the photos back to them, the sooner you can help get them in new homes!

13. Get those photos up on your blog, Facebook, Petfinder, etc.. That’s the whole point, right? “So much of rescue is networking- and getting animals online where they can be seen and shared is important,” says Christina at the Lange Foundation.

I used to put my photos up on both Facebook and my blog. But after comparing my blog’s visitor stats with those of my Facebook page, I realized that many, many more photos were seen on Facebook than my blog. Today they’re on Facebook exclusively. I encourage you to research where your photos are most seen. High traffic = higher visibility = higher adoption rates.

14. Have fun, and take pride in the fact that you ARE helping these animals. I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to know that I’ve helped – even in some small way – to get these animals into good homes.

Thanks for reading! Now get out there and do some good!

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