Help Portrait 12/4/10 - GIVE BACK

Last year was the first for a gift that thousands of photographers around the world gave to their local communities…a day of free portraits.

That movement is called Help Portrait. The day consisted of many things: joy, happiness, fun, giving, & especially emotion. As I remember here in Philly we had one location and we had about 100-125 portraits taken that day. It was such a rush. We started off moving tables and chairs then brought in our equipment to setup. As soon as we were setup shooting began.

The day isn’t about the photographer, their equipment, Nikon vs Canon, none of that. Its about making someone’s Christmas season better and giving them something they wouldn’t have had otherwise. Each person left with a print and frame, maybe a flower or two & some refreshments. The final item they received was the benefit of a caring person volunteering their time and making them feel special to remind them that they are not forgotten but rather a person just like the rest of us. Our day ended in the blink of an eye, 4-5 hours later, realizing we had just given a group of wonderful people something to cherish.

The Holiday’s are all about one thing, giving. Find your local Help Portrait event and donate something. Someone can use your help, an extra pack of paper, another photographer, or a few dollars to pay for 25 more photo frames. We all have something to be thankful for this season…do the right thing and give back.