Photo courtesy of Carol Arscott
This Delaware County pet photographer uses her talents to help raise funds and awareness for animal shelters locally and around the world.
A professional pet photographer from Delaware County, Carol Arscott recently introduced her work to a global audience with her contributions to Tails of the World, a book of dog photography that, to date, has raised more than $25,000 for animal shelters around the world. Arscott is also working on her own book in conjunction with Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue.
MLT: How did you get involved in the Tails of the World project?
CA: I received an email from Caitlin [J. McColl], an organizer who shared her mission. I thought it sounded fantastic, so I jumped on board. Each photographer donated their fees for 10 sessions. To even be included among these amazing photographers is such an honor. It’s so inspiring and humbling at the same time.
MLT: Why is photography so important in efforts to save animals?
CA: We’re such visual people nowadays—look at Instagram. To get a dog adopted, somebody has to stop and say, “Wow, look at that dog!” Especially in larger shelters, they have the intake photos, but the dogs are scared and don’t know where they are. My goal is to help viewers imagine having the dog in their family—to show the beautiful animal they are. There was a time that I’d photograph every dog that came in. Now, rescues bring me in when they have a dog that’s been there for a long time. They typically get adopted within a couple days after that.
MLT: How did you get into photography?
CA: In college, I took a photography class. Most of my pictures were of dogs or bunnies—my professor hated every picture I took. He told me I didn’t have what it takes and that I should put the camera down. I finally picked it up again a few years ago, and I thought, “You know what, maybe I’m not the best photographer in the world, but you photograph what you love.”
MLT: Any other projects on your radar?
CA: I’m doing a book featuring dogs from Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue. Our goal is to raise $4,000 for them. We want to spotlight these amazing dogs and the stories of how they’ve changed the lives of adoptive families. With animal rescue, we think about helping dogs in bad situations, but there’s so much more to it than that. It’s the people—and how their lives have changed, too.
Visit carolarscott.com.
Related: Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen on Her Father’s Disappearance
