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Do work with local rescue groups? #30512
08/02/10 11:14 AM
08/02/10 11:14 AM
Joined: Jul 2009
Dallas, TX
TeresaBerg Offline OP
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TeresaBerg  Offline OP
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Joined: Jul 2009
Dallas, TX
I do a lot of work with rescue groups and I'm always looking for new ways to help dogs get homeless animals off the streets.

Currently I do an annual calendar for Dachshund Rescue and photograph their adoptable dogs for their petfinder listings.

What is everyone else doing? I'm always looking for new ways to get attention for these wonderful groups.


Teresa

Unleashed | fine are pet photography workshops
unleashed2009.wordpress.com


Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: TeresaBerg] #30513
08/05/10 02:34 PM
08/05/10 02:34 PM
Joined: May 2008
Virginia, USA
Jim Poor Offline
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Jim Poor  Offline
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Joined: May 2008
Virginia, USA
I shoot portraits for "adopt me" photos Used by about a dozen rescues and hold a few portrait fundraisers each year.

Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: Jim Poor] #30514
08/05/10 05:30 PM
08/05/10 05:30 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Kansas
psmith Offline
Pooh-Bah
psmith  Offline
Pooh-Bah

Joined: Nov 2008
Kansas
Whenever Rescue groups set up at cat shows I offer to shoot some of them for their websites. I always choose any black cats to shoot first, because they are usually the ones who are not done well by the volunteer photographers.

I spent today shooting adoptables at a local Pet Hospital.

Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: psmith] #30515
08/05/10 05:31 PM
08/05/10 05:31 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Kansas
psmith Offline
Pooh-Bah
psmith  Offline
Pooh-Bah

Joined: Nov 2008
Kansas
What do you find works best for adoptions? Formal clean portraiture, candid environmentals, studio with props, or people holding the animals?

Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: psmith] #30516
08/05/10 06:21 PM
08/05/10 06:21 PM
Joined: May 2008
Virginia, USA
Jim Poor Offline
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Jim Poor  Offline
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Joined: May 2008
Virginia, USA
Clean portraits free of clutter seem to be the best. If the dog happens to have a favorite toy or cute behavior, I try to showcase that.

The work Julie does with folks holding the animals is also very effective, partially so because of the celebrity value of the people involved.

Typical volunteers holding the animals doesn't usually go all that well. Even worse, there are some rescues that use prisoners on a work-release type basis and they have a lot of photos of the orange jumpsuits holding the dogs.

Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: Jim Poor] #30517
08/05/10 11:54 PM
08/05/10 11:54 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
TN
Julie Offline
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Julie  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2005
TN
All sorts of things work, the main thing to keep in mind is to make it look like a desireable animal to have in your own home. Which is why they do the celebrity photos. If the newscaster, sports players want to hold them, surely that makes them GOOD pets.

Sad photos do not work. Who wants a sad or pitiful pet?

Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: TeresaBerg] #30518
08/06/10 09:10 AM
08/06/10 09:10 AM
Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie Offline
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Jim Garvie  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Teresa,
my involvement in Rescue goes beyond the photography since I'm on the Board of Directors of Gulfstream Guardian Angels Rottweiler Rescue of Miami. Private organizations involved in Rescue require 3 things:

1. money. These organizations are generally 501c3 non-profit entities and they require donations to survive. I help on the fund-raising side by supporting our largest fund-raising event -- Oktoberfest in late October in Boca Raton. This event brings in lots of vendors who donate a percentage of their sales to GGARR. There are costume contests since it is held close to Halloween and I photograph all the participants and donate the proceeds to the club. I also have a portrait setup and donate most of those sales to the club as well.

Each year, Linda and I produce a Rottweiler calendar which we sell at Oktoberfest and later in the year at the Miami dog shows. A percentage of those sales goes to the club. In 2009, the star of the calendar was Sundance and last year it was our Blue Suede litter of puppies. Here are two samples:





The star of this year's August page is our very own Moxie.

2. the organizations need good dogs to put into good homes. My involvement is to evaluate any potential rescue that comes to us in the Central Florida area. I will evaluate the dogs for overall health and temperament with temperament in a Rottie the single "absolute" factor. Any dog that I cannot put my hands on will not come into our rescue program. I'm also involved in fostering -- the girl we just lost recently, Marion Louise, came to us as a foster -- and transport of dogs from anywhere in the Southeast to our boarding/vet facility in Miami. In each of those situations, I generally take the first shots that are posted to PetFinders.

3. Good dogs need great homes so I do home/adopter inspections/interviews in the Central Florida area. This week I visited a veterinarian with an American Hairless Terrier, two cats and an African Grey Parrot who wanted one of our older dogs and explained that she was in a unique position to provide them with care for the rest of their lives. So now it's just a matter of finding a dog that can live with a small dog and cats . But what a great home!

As I said, my involvement is more than just as a photographer although that is a piece of it. I think the things that Jim, Julie and Preston have suggested are great. For PetFinders, we've found that a simple headshot and body shot are sufficient. For our website, we do as much as we can especially with some of the dogs that come to us in horrific physical condition. But with Rottweilers, it isn't as much a matter of how cute they are; it's a matter of how well they will fit into the homes that want to adopt them.

Jim


Jim Garvie
www.jagphoto.biz
Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: Jim Garvie] #30519
08/07/10 03:59 PM
08/07/10 03:59 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
James Morrissey Offline
I
James Morrissey  Offline
I
Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
I have done shoots for several shelters in the last couple of years...Rotts and Pups, Husky House, The Last Resort, etc...most are based in NJ. We have also raffled off our portrait services to one of the local humane groups. IMO, Humane Work is some of the most important ways to show that you are giving back as well as creating a great network base.

James

Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: James Morrissey] #30520
08/07/10 07:40 PM
08/07/10 07:40 PM
Joined: Jul 2009
Dallas, TX
TeresaBerg Offline OP
Tracker
TeresaBerg  Offline OP
Tracker

Joined: Jul 2009
Dallas, TX
Thanks, everyone! I do a calendar each year for Dachshund Rescue and really love doing it.... and I do the petfinder portraits for them, too. It has really made a difference in boosting traffic to their website, etc.

I have been thinking of doing some greeting cards/holiday cards for them to sell...but I hadn't thought of actual holding an event and getting other vendors to participate. hmmmmm.... wheels are turning.

Thanks!


Teresa

Unleashed | fine are pet photography workshops
unleashed2009.wordpress.com


Re: Do work with local rescue groups? [Re: TeresaBerg] #30521
08/11/10 09:26 AM
08/11/10 09:26 AM
Joined: Jun 2005
TN
Julie Offline
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Julie  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2005
TN
Teresa, I do different things during the year. My main charity is the county shelter, which is a GREAT shelter http://knoxpets.org and I have set them up with lights, a dslr and taught them how to take their own photos. They take in 100 animals a day and I cannot keep up with their need for photos. I do go out and do their celebrity photos for them.

I do a "work for food" fundraiser, where people bring a 20lb+ bag of science diet to get their photos made. That usually generates around 700lbs of food in a weekend.

My Christmas season Oct-Dec I do a donation session fee. I cut my creative fee in half, to $50 and have them write the check directly to the rescue. That way it is a double good thing for them, they are donating to a cause they believe in and they get to write it off on taxes. As far as how much it raises for the groups, well, they have to send me people. Golden retriever rescue sends me the most and they probably get close to $1000 in donations without lifting a finger.

I will happily forgo a session fee to get people in the door.

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