March 17th, 2015, As mentioned in my earlier blog post “Photographing the Underdogs”, I recently did some volunteer work for Underdog Rescue of Arizona. The goal was to photograph dogs up for adoption. While I worked magic with my DSLR, I had my friend Nikki record video footage of each dog in action. I later took the footage and was able to edit a series of videos introducing the pups. Hopefully this will get them one step closer to their forever homes.
March 13th, 2015, Soon after working the Party Safari, I was contacted again by the Phoenix Zoo asking if I’d be interested in running a photo shoot for them. A family at the Safari had won a raffle prize where their children would appear on the cover of the Zoo’s magazine ‘Wild Times’. They would be photographed with animals from the park’s educational program as part of an article highlighting the Zoo’s outreach efforts. I was really honored they offered me this responsibility after only shooting with them once. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. The morning of the shoot I arrived excited and ready to go. My contact within the zoo escorted me to the private area where the fun was to take place. While the zoo handlers prepared the animals, I scouted the location looking for the ideal areas to photograph. It was a sunny day nearing noon, so I wanted to shoot in the shade. That way the lighting wouldn’t be too harsh and the kids/animals would be comfortable. Finally the family arrived and we made the introductions. I could tell the kids were really nervous so I did my best to keep the mood light and fun. First I photographed them with the armadillo, then the porcupine, followed by two enormous rabbits, and then finally a hyper pair of ferrets. After about an hour the shoot was over and the family went off to enjoy the zoo. I however rushed home to see the results of my labor. In the end, the shoot was a good learning experience. Got a chance to work with small kids for the first time and help the Zoo out in the process. Now I just gotta wait for my magazine to arrive in the mail.
