Do you like this story?
A picture is worth a thousand words — and maybe more — for community cats
By Gina Spadafori
November 13, 2009
Troy Snow uses his camera to give voice to animals in need. I have long been a fan of his work, going back to his days at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. He eventually decided the beautiful backdrop of Angel Canyon wasn’t enough for the stories he needed to tell, and now he’s a free-lance photographer.
So he was when we reached out and begged him to be the lead photographer on our “The Ultimate Dog-Lover” and “The Ultimate Cat-Lover” (Equine photographer Sarah K. Andrew, whose RockandRacehorses blog is on the left rail, is the lead photographer on our “The Ultimate Horse-Lover.”)
The photography was just about my favorite part of the books — full-color glories that celebrate what our Dr. Becker calls “The Bond,” that special connection we have with animals.
Troy is drawn to the less fortunate of our animals. He has spent countless hours on the streets of post-Katrina New Orleans, caring for and documenting the animals struggling alongside the people there. The warm weather and boom of rodent populations in the months following the disaster triggered geometric growth in the feral cat population, some kittens born to cats already wild, some to pets left behind when the neighborhoods were washed away.
This morning’s mail brought a note from Troy. He is again using his camera to help animals, this time with modest project: “CATS: Feral Felines by Troy Snow,” a calendar for 2010 with proceeds to benefit the work of Alley Cat Allies.
He apologizes for it being a tad expensive ($17.49), which is also so very Troy. He lives on a shoestring, and is well aware of how many others do, too.
But he needn’t apologize: Having a year of Troy Snow images to enjoy and knowing that the calendar meant a donation for a really good group, well, that’s a bargain at prices far higher than this.
Share & Enjoy
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Google Buzz
|
Digg
|
|
Technorati
|
StumbleUpon
|
Delicious
|
Email
|
Home
In the world of animal photography, Troy is THE best. His pictures are always magical.
Comment by Lorraine Chittock — November 13, 2009 @ 10:27 am
I agree, there’s no better marketing tool, especially for a homeless pet, than a really, *really* good photo. Which is why I have to put in a plug for our local SPCA PR person in Raleigh, NC, Mondy Lamb.
In addition to being a great flack (I know this because I work with her a lot on news stories), she has an amazing way with a camera. She has a book out, too - Shelter Pets - that chronicles some of the many animals Mondy’s crossed paths with over the years. She has a real genius for nailing animals’ personalities.
She doesn’t get paid for the photography — it’s just a hobby for her. Even so, as good as she is at PR, I’m betting her photos have been even more useful than her soundbites at helping pets find new homes.
The book’s available via Lulu at http://www.lulu.com/content/pa.....howPreview It’s worth every nickel, most of which go to support the SPCA in Wake County.
And in case you’re wondering, no, I’m not Mondy, and I don’t work for the Wake SPCA, either. But I’ve got the book, and I know good work when I see it.
Comment by LauraL — November 15, 2009 @ 8:37 pm
Troy has been dazzling me with his animal photography since he was on the scene at the Best Friends rescue of the Pahrump NV seisure cats. I fell in love with a few of his photos/cats (via Flickr) and followed their progress still after through Best Friends. (Cover Girl & Frogger!)
This calendar is a prime example of his beautiful work, bringing beauty to these animals who live in the shaddows. How wonderful that they are now the subjects of art.
PS… lots of Ear Tip action in these pix! Go TNR!
Comment by Julie in Milwaukee — November 16, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
Publishing photos of pets in local newspapers can also do a lot to help homeless pets. Pets featured in the Sunday pet section of our local paper often find their forever homes after their stories are run. Typically these pets have special needs or medical problems.
For example, the newspaper ran several articles and photos starting in March about a dog named Kermit. He was severely malnourished to the point of weighing half his normal weight and losing lots of hair. See the sad photos here:
http://www.santafenewmexican.c.....o-survive#
The local shelter (not a no-kill shelter) decided he had such a strong will to live and positive attitude despite his past that they would nurse him back to health. Hundreds of dollars poured in to help Kermit.
Now take a look at the photos on Flickr taken at his forever home:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/s.....1054/show/
These kind folks had followed his story in the newspaper and took their two dogs to the shelter for a meet and greet. The rest is history as Kermit settles into a wonderful life with plenty of room to run and play on a ranch in the northern New Mexico mountains.
(The story about his new home is at http://www.santafenewmexican.c.....the-family )
Even if shelters or rescues don’t have access to a professional photographer, they can usually find animal loving amateurs, including teenagers, to take very good photos for websites, YouTube, etc.
Comment by Cathy — November 16, 2009 @ 1:34 pm
Thank you for this wonderful offering by an incredibly talented individual with a kind heart.
This is so beautiful.
Comment by indee — November 24, 2009 @ 7:35 am