A Fun Way to Volunteer

It is photography week at Peace, Love, & Fostering.  She is giving some great advice on how to improve your photography skills, even if you have a regular old camera like me.  Some of her tips very much make me want to upgrade to a nicer camera though!  These posts have inspired me to write my own post about volunteering.

Elwood in the Snow!

You may be asking yourself how photography brought up volunteering in my head.  It is quite simple: great photos help adopt dogs.  Have you seen those oh-so-sad photos of a dog tied to a wall with its tail between its legs?  Or have you seen the photos with sad eyes peering through a chain link fence?  While these photos may gather sympathy, they do not show the dog’s true colors.  

A photo with a smiling, at ease dog is much more likely to project the image of a family dog to a prospective family.  The internet is the biggest tool adopters have to search for their next best friend.  They have to see something in the photo that catches their eye or they just keep on scrolling.  An awesome dog can be passed up in a heartbeat due to an awful photo.

This is where the volunteering comes in to play.  Photographers, no matter your skill level, can volunteer your time at no cost.  You can practice your techniques, try new ones, or just have fun with it.  The dogs would be truly grateful for a chance to get out of their kennel for a little while and have a little interaction.  Not to mention the socialization would do them some good as well!

Not only would you be helping the dogs, but you would also be an immense help to the shelter staff.  These hard working people are usually stretched thin as it is, so any extra help is greatly appreciated.  Although they might love to spend an hour or two doing photo sessions, their time is usually spent elsewhere.

Just imagine how fun it would be to hang out with some four-legged models for a bit.  They would love the treats and the attention.  I have never seen (and never will) an ungrateful pup.

Hunter looks marvelous with her green backdrop!

I am sure if you called up your local shelter and volunteered your talents, they would be more than happy to let you come have a photo session.  Volunteers are always welcome!

And don’t forget to check out the awesome photo tips at Peace, Love, & Fostering!  She has some great ideas and tips that will make your photos shine!  I am not a great photographer, but I love it and am excited to learn new things!  I hope you are, too!

Please consider adopting your next best friend from your local shelter or rescue group.  You most certainly will not regret it!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Laura

-In loving memory of Elwood and Hunter-