Native photographer taking ‘Second Shots” for Pit Bull Awareness Month

TAMPA, Fla. – Adam Goldberg makes use of pictures to assist break stereotypes relating to pit bulls. 

“When we photograph a pit bull right here on the Humane Society (of Tampa Bay), they normally are simply wanting our love and a focus,” Goldberg stated. 

The backstory:

Goldberg’s ardour started in 2013, when he volunteered to take pictures to assist canines get adopted. In 2016, he ran a pet photograph fundraiser for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. It bought out, and the fundraisers skyrocketed in reputation. In 2020, he and his spouse opened up the AGoldPhoto Pet Photography studio. 

Throughout all of it, Goldberg nonetheless volunteers to take pictures of shelter canines. “Second Shot” is a development of a lot of these earlier concepts. 

“‘Second Shot’ is our adoption photo program where we replace their scared shelter intake photo, which usually depicts them nervous and maybe out of focus, and we replace it with a professional photo, a second photo, to give them a second shot at adoption,” Goldberg defined. 

Dig deeper:

October is National Pit Bull Awareness Month, so Goldberg has 16 photoshoots scheduled, with the objective of taking pictures of 150 pit bulls. Last 12 months’s objective of 100 was minimize quick by the hurricanes. Many “Second Shot” periods at the moment are sponsored by companies and neighborhood members. 

What they’re saying:

“Unfortunately, we need it because there are still a ton of stereotypes. That all of them are vicious. They are vicious dogs immediately. That they are bad, untrainable,” Humane Society of Tampa Bay Marketing Manager Regan Blessinger stated. “There are really harmful stereotypes that lead them to being in shelters longer.”

During photoshoots, Goldberg makes lots of bizarre and wacky noises, squeaks toys and even performs a harmonica, all with the objective of getting the canine’s consideration. Their reactions create a lot of the magic behind the pictures. 

“These pictures show their actual personalities, their goofiness, the silliness, what they look like when they’re happy, comfortable,” Blessinger stated. 

Many occasions, a photograph serves because the icebreaker that pushes potential adopters by way of the door. 

“When someone says that they saw one of our “Second Shots” and they saw that that dog caught their attention and they came to the humane society, that means the world to me because that’s really why I’m doing this,” Goldberg stated.