Photographing with a Purpose

 

Photography.  My hobby and side business.  The homeless.  A community that my moves my heart.

And then there's Help-Portrait. A national and global movement of professional and amateur photographers (and make-up artists) who come together to volunteer their time, talents and services to "Give people a reason to smile." 

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to serve as a photographer at a local rescue mission.  The occasion: to show individuals and families how beautiful they are...in God's eyes.  The gift?  Their presence, their smile, their spirit.  Not our photographic images.

Each person at the Rescue Mission has their own story to tell.  For some, it's written on the lines of their face. For others in the brightness of their eyes.  The first two young ladies I took pictures of were "graduates" from the Mission's transitional program.  They were vivacious, fun-loving and confident women whose smiles exploded in front of the camera.  It's been two years since they left the Rescue Mission and they are not simply surviving but thriving in their lives. And then there were others--some rehabilitating from drug and alcohol abuses, some single-parent families, women and children affected by domestic violence, and those who recently lost their job as a result of the economic downturn. Each story, ever-beautiful.

Help-Portrait is a 3-year old movement fueled by photo-groups that spontaneously spring up in most major metropolitan cities.  Each photographic community works with a service agency, community or cause identified by the group of photographers and make-up artists.  Some photographers travel to remote parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America to photograph local tribes and communities that would otherwise never have their photos taken--and hence see how precious, worthy and beautiful they are (inside and out). Help-Portrait photographers are restricted from reproducing, posting or publishing any images they take.  The purpose is to not take from the communities, but to give life, hope and love through something as simple as a camera, a hug, or even one's presence. 

At my site, the Rescue Mission, I enjoyed interacting with the families from the first minute I met them, during the shoot itself, and through the process of helping them select an image on the computer.  The Mission wasn't crowded so we thankfully escaped what could have easily turned into an impersonal "assembly line" event.  Instead, we had six different teams, and were able to spend time with each person/family and make new friends in the community. Each family/person was allowed to select only one photo, but we touch up the images, have them professionally printed (one 8x10 and two 5x7s), and then deliver them.

I had been looking forward to this event for weeks, a meaningful cause I'm committed to serving with each year.  For those interested (my main readers in the U.S., Australia, Canada and the UK) please see help-portrait.com to get in contact with a local organizer in your hometown/country for 2012.

[many thanks to friend and fellow photographer NL for inviting me to be a part of his photo team]