I am honored to be featured on the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's website as this month's "Good Egg". I have been friends with co-founders Jenny Brown and Doug Abel for some time now... Jenny tells the story in the "good egg" article... and their energy is inspiring. Three years ago they bought some land and a farm house in Woodstock, NY with a vision to start a farm animal sanctuary. Since then they have started a non-profit, drummed up volunteers and donations, built barns, and peopled the farm with beautiful pigs, goats, cows, chickens, turkeys, roosters, dogs, cats and chickens.
It has been an honor and a privilege for me to contribute my photographs and scrambled tofu to their wonderful sanctuary. I look forward to the vegan bus bringing visitors to the farm, and to spreading their message throughout the driveable world.
(From the Woodstock Sanctuary Website circa March 2006, article since deleted)
Derek risks getting deer ticks in this self-portrait. Note his exceptionally good taste in clothing.
If we tallied up the price of all of the incredible photography work that our pal Derek has done for us, we would definitely have to rank him as one of our largest donors. As a professional photographer, we're talking thousands of in-kind dollars in professional skills. Derek has spent countless hours here at the farm—photographing animals for our sponsorship, web, and promotional materials, and covering all of our events. Wielding a lens as long as a baby's arm, Derek can be seen sneaking around the farm in all kinds of weather snapping those perfect shots of our animal residents. And when he's not behind the camera he's often out on the farm volunteering in other ways—cleaning barns, doing construction and helping out in any way he can. Did we mention that he makes the meanest tofu scramble we ever had?
Director Jenny Brown met Derek in 2003 when she worked as an animal caretaker at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. He was working then, as he continues to do now, photographing animals for their website, newsletters, calendars, and more (pro bono of course). We're so fortunate that he now also does the same for us.
Besides working professionally as a photographer, he is the co-host and producer of "Vegan Radio," a podcast which promotes a veg lifestyle to listeners across the globe (it also broadcasts on 103.3 FM in Northampton, MA). He is the photography advisor for Veg News Magazine AND he created and runs Veganica — a popular online gallery space for veg artists to show their work. He's all over the place!
If you have an event like a wedding or a conference that you want documented, hire Derek immediately if not sooner--you won't be disappointed! He can be contacted through his site derekgoodwin.com
"My goal is to create images that become windows into the souls of the creatures, because beyond the appearance of their bodies their souls are much like ours. If I can relate that through my work then I feel my work can change hearts." - Derek Goodwin