Martha’s Vineyard calendars

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Whether for a gift, or your own home or office, calendars are a nifty find. Several Island calendars available now are Wildlife of Martha’s Vineyard, Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank, Peter Simon, and Vineyard Seadogs.

The Wildlife of M.V. calendar, $12, benefits Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. “I started it eight years ago by just deciding to collect photographs from a few local photographers, and I ended up creating this mini-version calendar,” Penny Uhlendorf says. “Every year I send them to a printer on the Cape that uses recycled paper, and I bind the calendars myself.

“The most important thing to me is getting the word out about Felix Neck, and spreading the word about how wonderful it is,” Ms. Uhlendorf said. “The second most important thing is to highlight some of the wildlife photographers out here on the Island. They are always willing to donate their work and their time to the calendar.”

The Wildlife of Martha’s Vineyard calendar includes photos from Skip Bettencourt, Bill Ewart Jr., Lanny McDowell, and Julian K. Robinson. This year’s edition was released in early October, and is sold at many Island businesses, including Chilmark Chocolates, Morning Glory Farm, Patti Linn Salon, The Beach House, Cronig’s Market, and others. The calendar comes with a mailer — an easy and quick way to mail it as a holiday gift. All the proceeds go to Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary.

Another local calendar is from the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank. Now in its third edition, the calendar includes photographs taken by its employees. The calendar is available for free for customers of the bank.

The annual Vineyard Calendar ($18.95) by Peter Simon makes a great gift for off-Islanders as well as Islanders. Personalized inscriptions are available if ordered online at Mr. Simon’s website. Also, by ordering multiples at a time, shipping costs are reduced.

“I’ve been doing this for 24 years now,” said Mr. Simon, Island photographer and creator of the calendar. “The pictures are the main driving force, but the calendar has added attractions, as well. It has historical dates, facts, and annual event dates included, such as the Tisbury Street Fair or Taste of the Vineyard.” The calendar is available at the Simon Gallery, located on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, or by visiting petersimon.com.

The Vineyard Seadogs Calendar ($16) is created by Lisa Vanderhoop, another Island photographer. “I’d like to think that the calendar is fun and joyous, because that’s what dogs are,” Ms. Vanderhoop said. “I love dogs. You can be in the worst mood and just go into a photo shoot and leave being in a great mood. I got started because I have a photography background and because most of the photographs you see of the Vineyard are of lighthouses or boats or landscapes. So one day while my husband and I were out on the boat with our Weimaraner puppy I started noticing all these dogs around us, and I thought it would be fun to capture photos of the sea dogs.

“Putting the calendar together is kind of like a puzzle. The hardest part is choosing the photos and piecing it together. But with any art project sometimes you don’t know where the inspiration comes from. Sometimes it just fits,” Ms. Vanderhoop said. “I tried to make this year’s edition a little more sophisticated.”

As for finding the subjects of each photograph, Ms. Vanderhoop doesn’t seem to have a problem. “Finding dogs now is not so much my problem. I get a lot of people calling me, or I hear about dogs from word of mouth. I hear a lot of, ‘Lisa, I saw this great dog,’ or, ‘I know a dog that’s perfect for the calendar.’ I’ve never had someone say they don’t want their dog photographed,” Ms. Vanderhoop said.

Ms. Vanderhoop captures dogs doing what they do naturally; the pictures aren’t posed. “A lot of times dogs tell me what they want. They either don’t want to go on the rock, or be on the beach, or they want to get in the water,” she continued. “I’d like to think I capture their personalities.”

Part of the proceeds goes to the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard. “I’m a major supporter of the new animal shelter.” Vineyard Seadogs is available at Edgartown Books, Bunch of Grapes, Alley’s General Store, Cronig’s Market, SBS, Craftworks, and other locations.

Caitlyn Clark, a former intern at The Times, is a freshman at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.