Talented Teen Helps County's No-Kill Effort

He was already hooked on photography when he went to check out Manatee County's "Picture Me Adopted" program to promote the county's no-kill efforts and get more animals adopted.

But when Benjamin McGraw, 13, walked into Animal Services on his way to check out the storage-space-turned-photo-studio, a tiny black-and-white kitten shot out a paw and grabbed him. At that moment, Benjamin was hooked on taking photos of the animals.

Benjamin, who is home-schooled, has been going to Manatee County Animal Services at least once a week to photograph the animals. His photos, which show off the cats and kittens in extremely cute poses, help to get the animals adopted more often and faster than before. 

Benjamin is in good company. He is one of a dozen photographers who take "glamour" photos of the animals to promote adoptions. Most of his colleagues are professional photographers.

Ben began taking photography classes about a year-and-a-half ago in a summer arts program at ArtCenter Manatee. It was the first activity he was really excited about, his mother Jami McGraw said.

When she would pick him up from his photography classes, she said, his enthusiasm was obvious. He would tell her about what he had learned that day and the project he was working on. He heard about the "Pitcture Me Adopted" through ArtCenter Manatee.

Benjamin has already entered his photos into competitions and will compete in the kids' art show at the Manatee County Fair. He has entered five photos, including two photos of kittens, a photo of a gorilla, a sunset photo and a photo of his sisters, Hope and Faith.

His photos will be on public display beginning on Thursday. Otherwise you can see them at the Animal Services photo gallery.

Taking photos of animals is a natural fit for him, he said. He prefers nature photography and shooting portraits of animals. The animals up for adoption offer the perfect opportunity for him to hone his skills.

It is also an opportunity for him to spend some time with his family, because he relies on his mother, his aunt and his older brother to drive him to animal services and to help set up shots.

Manatee County Animal Services still needs more volunteers to shoot photos and to act as assistants on photo shoots.

Currently there are 15 photographers, including Benjamin. Each photographer visits the Manatee County Animal Services facility once or twice a month to take pictures of the animals. The photo assistants or handlers bring the animals into the studios where they are dressed with cute outfits, embellished with jewelry or paired with a prop such as a fire truck or toy.

It's not easy. Sessions usually run one to two hours and can go longer depending on the animals and how many photos need to be taken.

The photographers choose the best photos and email them to Animal Services, which e-mails them out to area rescue groups, animal foster homes and animal advocates.

Caryn Hodge, who has recruited the photographers and organized "Picture Them Adopted," has developed a regular schedule for the photo sessions. She hopes that the pictures can appear in local newspapers, online e-newsletters, Facebook pages and area publications and magazines.

Hodge is looking for more photograpers and handlers for the effort. Since the project started animal adoptions have been on the rise.

For more information on the Picture Them Adopted project or to volunteer, contact Caryn Hodge at 941-713-3105 or chodge@chilesgroup.com or visit www.picturethemadopted.com.