Hillary Shemin is the co-leader of the PHiladelphia SmugMugUsersGroup (Philly SMUG) in charge of one of four Help-Portrait locations in Philadelphia and shares these stories from their location’s December event:

For me the most impact was in the smiles and good wishes given back to all of us with thanks for their portraits. I loved that one young man saw how good he looked in his photo and said, hey, maybe I could be a model!

Also, one of the people who came in asked for some of the promotion slips we were handing out on the street so he could help spread the word to others. He so appreciated what we were doing and wanted to help US get the word out to others to enjoy the day.

A single mother who had not had money for a portrait of her 16-month-old couldn’t say enough to thank us for the opportunity. Just not something she could do and would treasure always. Bottom line, people are people and no matter where we come from love and attention given to us matters. Giving love and attention to someone else is as rewarding as receiving it. We all went away with a full heart after yesterday, photographers, volunteers and the people we photographed.

A grandmother, daughter and granddaughter came dressed up coordinated in purples and browns they were so excited for the opportunity. ..they looked stunning…they said it was the first time the 3 of them have been photographed together..3 generations of women and their first portrait, that was wonderful. We know they will treasure the fun memory of the experience and the portrait they took home for the rest of their lives. It really meant something special to them.


Here is a shot of our team at The Career Wardrobe, one of 4 Philadelphia locations. We are all members of the Philly SMUG (SmugMugUsersGroup)