Gold Ribbon Rescue
Gold Ribbon Rescue (GRR) is an all-volunteer organization that rescues and places Golden Retrievers within central Texas. I first came into contact with them when I and my wife were wanting to adopt a Golden. After going through the adoption process with GRR and seeing the care and commitment those involved gave to the dogs, I knew I wanted to help. I first volunteered my photography skills to shoot their holiday party in 2003 and have been shooting events and rescued Goldens since.
Many folks visit GRR’s website looking for Goldens to adopt. Having good quality photos of the dogs is important; a bad photo of a good dog can easily dissuade a potential family from a meeting. I typically made photos of dogs that were in a foster home that could not easily make photos, or of dogs that were particularly hard to photograph. After just one year of making good quality photographs, GRR was able to produce its first rescue calendar for 2005, generating income for the rescue and additional interest in the community. Another calendar was produced for 2006 using mostly owner-provided photographs. But for 2007, GRR called upon me to produce a bigger and better calendar.
Based on the success of an Atlanta-based rescue, GRR auctioned off the twelve months of the 2007 calendar to the highest bidders. I provided the online auction software. Winners were given the choice to submit their own photo or have me take photos. Six of the twelve winners called upon me to photograph their Goldens. I edited the stories for the calendar and made a design that would convey simplicity, elegance, and focus on the dogs and their stories. GRR was able to sell out its initial order of 200 calendars (more than any other year), and take in the additional income from the auction.
I commissioned my sister, Christie Martinez (http://www.atticartanddesign.com), to create a custom watercolor for the cover. The original artwork was auctioned at the GRR holiday party to raise additional funds.
I also provide graphic support to GRR’s webmaster and newsletter editors primarily in the form of banners and advertisements for special events, fund-raising, and calls for volunteers.
All of my work for GRR is provided on a volunteer basis.
Projects
- 2007 calendar
- Online auction software
- Advertisements (online and print media)
- Photography of events and rescued dogs
Links
Visit the GRR website:
View more of my GRR photos: