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For my NYPP, I decided to concentrate on animal shelters. Many people may not know this, but New York has one of the lowest rate of animal killings than any other states in the U.S. However, this has not always been the case. Originally, animal shelters were originally created to protect horses and mules, which were used as modes of transportation. Cats and dogs, especially in the 18th and early 19th century, did not serve a purpose to society. Many of them were often strays and subjected to death in some very cruel and inhumane ways. For example, in Brooklyn, stray animals used to be clubbed to death. It wasn’t until the work of animals’ rights activists such as Caroline Earle White, people’s opinions on dogs began to change. Dogs and pets were starting to become household pets. Also, with the invention of spaying and neutering techniques, the population of stray animals began to decrease dramatically.  For New York, there was a striking decline in 1970s and this pattern has proclaimed ever since. In 2004, New York had the lowest rate of animal killings. It was 3.2 cats and dogs killed per 1000; compared to the national average of 17.4 per 1000 (Tavernise). In 2010, the percentage of animals killed dropped from 69 percent in 2003 to 33 percent. In 2013,  the euthanasia rates had dropped for the tenth year straight. New York had the lowest euthanasia rates of any major cities making it closer to its goal of becoming a “no-kill” city. Learning this information, along with my deep love for dogs, is what inspired me to center my Photo Project around New York City Shelters. I visited various animal shelters including ASPCA, Humane Society, and Bobbi and the Strays. There is actually a larger number of cats inside animal shelters, but I wanted to focus on dogs only due to personal preference (sorry, to those cat lovers).

Some of the motifs within this collection of photos are black and white, shadows, repition of the number three, action, and slanted lines. 

I decided to make the photos black and whiter two reasons: I thought it was more aesthetically pleasing and it toned down the busyness of the shelters. There was a lot going on behind the scenes at each shelter and I believed adding color only emphasized that, so I decided to remove it.

Action is another motif and what I mean by that is I never captured the animals while they were at rest. If you notice, in all of the pictures, the animals are not looking at the camera because they are either playing or distracted by some other environmental stimuli.

Slanted Lines was also a prevalent pattern found within these photos. For example, in the third photo, of the dog with the hand, the hand is on a slant, but  also the bench in the back creates another slanted line parallel to that of the hand. Also, in the fourth photo of the store front. The dog on the left and the dog in the middle both have slanted backs.

The number three is also something that shows up a lot within the photos. If you notice, majority of the animals seem to be naturally grouped in threes. For example, there are three dogs in the car; three dogs playing with a staff member; and three dogs painted on the walls and storefront. This was not done purposely when taking the pictures, but after analyzing the photos, I began to pick up on this motif.

My last motif is shadows. Shadows are an important quality of each photo because they help to draw the viewers’ eyes to the lighter areas of the photos because of the color contrast, It helps to emphasize the various subjects within the photographs.

I had an extremely fun time working on this photo project, especially getting the opportunity to play with dogs. It was one of my first projects working with photography. I never knew that so much went into taking a photo. For example, being ready to capture that decisive moment. Also, deciding what qualities of photos to let in and crop out. Lastly, arranging the photos and the order of the photos matter. Some photos better compliment others and I was able to develop this skill while working on this project. I would definitely like to do something similar to this again.

Works Cited Nakai, Daisuke. “Percentage of Animals Put to Death in Shelters Reaches Low.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2017. <https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/percentage-of-animals-put-to-death-in-shelters-reaches-low/comment-page-2/?_r=0>.

“Euthanasia of Dogs and Cats at NYC Shelters Hits Historic Low, Says Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals in 2013 Progress Report.” Out of the Cage! N.p., 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.<http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/wordpress/2014/04/euthanasia-dogs-cats-nyc-shelters-hits-historic-low-says-mayors-alliance-nycs-animals-2013-progress-report/>.

Kelly, Kate. “First Animal Shelter in U.S. Due to Caroline Earle White.” America Comes Alive. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2017. <http://americacomesalive.com/2016/03/18/first-animal-shelter-u-s-due-caroline-earle-white/>.

Tavernise, Sabrina. “Fewer Dogs and Cats Are Astray, and Fewer Are Killed in Shelters.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Jan. 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/01/nyregion/fewer-dogs-and-cats-are-astray-and-fewer-are-killed-in-shelters.html?_r=2>.

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