From Brian Muir, Scotland: We set up a team in Ayr, Scotland, two years ago and have some incredible volunteers on photography, process and printing, hair, makeup as well as folks who come along to help with catering, to chat and befriend; we even have teenagers and children volunteers who come along to play with [...]
Jon Adaskin, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: An Open Letter to the Guests of Siloam Mission On Saturday, December 8, 2012, I along with several colleagues took part in the annual Help-Portrait event here in Winnipeg. We were at different venues around the city for the day, giving portraits for free! I was at Siloam Mission. This [...]
Allegra Miller, Los Angeles, CA, USA: Our event took place at a Head Start. We photographed the low-income families there, also providing free food, hair and makeup and childcare. Because our program is government funded, a father said to me, "I'm so grateful to the government for doing this for us..." I explained to him [...]
Shelley Shockley, Cleveland, OH, USA: This event achieved the goal that I believe you guys sought when you started this project four years ago - to make those less fortunate in our communities feel good about themselves. When I decided to try and put this event together I didn't know if it would come to [...]
Tiffany Christina Stewart, Farmington Hills, MI, USA: This year we ran a very small event, doing a senior portrait photo shoot for three high school gentlemen at a local kids residential center. It was wonderful to watch their transition during the shoot from shy and quiet to confident and having a blast. Once they got [...]
Julie Swink, Seminole, FL, USA: We went to an orphanage with 60 children who are not up for adoption. The HOPE home is there to take in abandoned children. They keep siblings together. I wanted to make sure these kids had pictures of themselves growing up. But the mission got bigger than portraits. I raised [...]
Kevin BHookun & Valerie Miles, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: This year, I had the opportunity of leading and organizing Help-Portrait Ottawa. With the help of a few wonderful volunteers and sponsors, we were able to put together an awesome event that certainly made a difference in the lives of the 80+ families on Sunday December 9, [...]
Stephanie Necessary, Myrtle Beach, SC, USA: The family I photographed has been through a lot. It was a mother and two young children. Last year, the woman's estranged husband shot and killed the woman's boyfriend in front of the two children. Their family has been rocked to the core, and it has taken a lot [...]
Jason Ayers, Greenville, South Carolina, USA: We had a woman who was currently pregnant and living under a bridge with her boyfriend. She went to get her hair and makeup done and told the hair person that she had not had her hair done or even touched in the last 10 years.
Rowena Sjovall, Lithia, FL, USA: This was the first time we participated in this event. We weren't sure if we were going to pull it off as we started planning late October. Our community as a whole gave to make this event a success – a homebuilder donating use of one of their models for [...]