Don’t Take – Give Photographs This Christmas

Jeremy Cowart is giving away photographs for Christmas, and he wants you to do the same. Help Portrait is “a movement of photographers who are using their time, equipment and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate this holiday season,” according to the website. On Dec. 12, photographers across the country—and hopefully even internationally—will take pictures of people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a photo session.

The movement formed after Cowart heard about a meet-up in Seattle, in which a group of photographers hired models, shared equipment and spent the day together practicing their craft. “I just thought, what a cool thing that is to get a bunch of photographers together, but how much cooler would it be if instead of models you found people in need that actually needed good photos?” he said. He and a friend got to work on a website and Twitter account that will help photographers connect with each other in their cities, as each location will have its own setup. “I think it’s impossible for me, especially as an ADD creative person, to organize events all over the country,” he said. “So it’s really up to everybody to do the organization themselves.”

But the work doesn’t end on Dec. 12. Every photographer will arrange a time to meet his or her subjects after the pictures are developed. “The idea is to not only shoot them but to go get prints and bring those back to the people they photographed as a gift,” he said. “So the cool thing is you’re establishing a second connection and a relationship.”

Cowart announced his plans via a video that was posted on several websites, including commercial photographer Chase Jarvis’ blog. Cowart didn’t expect his community-service movement to cause controversy, but he received some negative feedback in the comments section. Commenter PaulT wrote, “Jeremy – one of the reasons I left a ‘cynic’ comment is because I work for a soup kitchen several days a month. I often have my camera nearby but have learned to keep the lens cover on. For many people – these are just hard times. They are working for and hoping for better days. A photo is a reminder of a time that many would rather not have: ‘oh yeah – and this is what I looked like right after the bank foreclosed my home’. 

This isn’t being a cynic – I think it’s being thoughtful.
”

Cowart responded with conviction to some of the harsh commenters on Jarvis’ blog, including PaulR: “Great thoughts, Paul, but here’s the deal. The photos are being kept private. We don’t want anyone to showcase them to protect the identities of those being photographed. Also the photos are a voluntary for the subjects. We’re not going around and shooting them like paparazzi. These are for people who WANT to remember and who WANT to capture their babies at that age. Or for people in Africa who have never had their picture taken. Or for a parent who’s about to lose their child in a hospital and doesn’t have any recent photos. This idea goes far beyond a soup kitchen. Again, good thoughts, though.”

At the end of the day, Cowart believes Help Portrait is about more than just photos. It’s about photographers using their talents for a greater good, making connections with underprivileged people and even accommodating some basic needs in the meantime. He expects participants to bring blankets, food, books or anything else their subjects might need—pictures included. “People need a reason to feel normal, people need a reason to have a sense of dignity, people need a reason and a time to feel beautiful, people need to remember, to have pictures of their kids at the age of 3 or a parent to have a photo of their child who has cancer and may not be alive in a year,” Cowart said. “There’s a million reasons that I think people need photos, whether they realize it or not.”

WEB

http://www.help-portrait.com/
http://www.twitter.com/help_portrait
http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2009/08/jeremy-cowart-help-portrait.html
http://blog.jeremycowart.com/
http://jeremycowart.com