Happy 2014, everyone! I hope your holidays were pleasant and relaxing. Have you ever embarked on a project and it is all you can think about?! Well that sure is the case around here. Last week I started photographing the kitties available for adoption at the Williamson County Animal Shelter in Franklin. If you have never been to the Williamson County Animal Shelter I encourage you to check it out sometime. This is a shelter that truly cares about the cats and dogs that come through it’s doors. It is also a shelter that has an active volunteer base in the community, which is so wonderful…though more volunteers are needed to tend to the cats.
Photographing kitty-cats in this type of environment is not without its challenges. A good majority of the cats were surrendered by their owners because of moving or minds were they just decided they didn’t want the cats anymore. To a cat lover and guardian this of course is upsetting and makes my heart ache. Pets are a lifetime commitment much like children. How traumatic it must be for kitties to find themselves in situations where they are unwanted by the guardian who cares for them and whom the kitty loves.
Needless to say the kitties are a little frightened, confused and sensitive to every little sound and movement. This scenario makes creating beautiful portraits a little challenging. To most challenges though there is a solution…or multiple solutions. Since this wasn’t a wedding I was photographing (I was a wedding photographer for 10 yrs.) I decided to slow things down and work at a pace that was comfortable for each cat. Taking the time to bond with the kitties…to love on them, calm their fears, play with them and foster a feeling of security in my company was a worthwhile investment of time and energy. Though I am still working out the kinks in photographing the kitties at the shelter, it is my hope these portraits provide a glimpse into the endearing, radiant and whimsical spirits of these sweet loves in need of their real forever homes.
It is my hope the photos pull at your heart strings a little, make you think of a friend looking to open up their heart and home to a kitty and/or another kitty or maybe make you want to volunteer a couple hours a month to a local shelter or rescue. Please help me spread the word about these fur-babies. To check out more kitties available for adoption click here.
