Charity Photoshoot for an Animal Shelter: How the Idea Started
One day, my wife and I came up with the idea of creating a charity photography project focused on cats. Since we already had contacts with an animal shelter, organising a charity photoshoot was fairly straightforward.
At the Murkosha shelter, home to around 500 cats, we didn’t have a dedicated studio space. Instead, we turned the shelter’s hallway into our shooting area. For a non-profit photography project, flexibility is often key — and this location worked surprisingly well.
Animal Shelter Photography with a Creative Concept
At the “Murkosha” shelter, we had access to around 500 cats. The idea behind this animal shelter photography project was to create a humorous and friendly guide on how to “use” a cat in everyday life. When you adopt a cat from a shelter, you might appreciate a few tips on living together.
That’s how the calendar got its name: “Cat: User Manual (Illustrated Tips for a Whole Year)”. Each image showed a familiar situation – watching Netflix, ironing clothes, cooking soup, doing home repairs, or working on a laptop.
Charity Calendar Project: From Planning to Shooting
For this charity calendar project, preparation was essential. We brought a full car of props — pots, towels, books, shoes, and many small details. Before the shoot, we even sketched out the ideas for each photograph.
This kind of charity photography requires a bit more planning than a standard commercial shoot, but the result feels much more personal and meaningful.
Non-Profit Photography That Makes a Real Impact
The captions for the calendar were written by my university supervisor, Oksana Mikhailovna Isachenko, making it a true collaboration. Thanks to this non-profit photography project, all the calendars were sold.
The money raised covered an expensive surgery for one cat. Even more importantly, every cat featured in the calendar was adopted shortly afterwards – including those who had been waiting in the shelter for one or two years.
In the end, we sold all the calendars and raised enough money to cover an expensive surgery for one cat. We were thrilled to find out that every cat featured in the calendar was adopted shortly after, even those that had been at the shelter for one or two years.
For me, this charity photography project is a reminder that photography can be more than just images – it can genuinely change lives.
