About two weeks ago I received and email asking if I would volunteer my time and services for an event called Help Portrait. I have to say that I made it half way through the email when I already decided that I was going to say yes. I was not prepared for the impact that it made on me personally though!
Help Portrait is an event that is the brainchild of professional photographer Jeremy Cowart. A quick idea of what Help Portrait is can be found on their website www.help-portrait.com.
Founded by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart, Help-Portrait is a community of photographers, coming together across the world, to use their photography skills to give back to their local communityOn or around, December 12th, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need, and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered. Yep. It really is that easy. And by the way, we don’t want to see your photos. This is about GIVING the pictures, not taking them. These portraits are not for your portfolio, website, or for sale. Money isn’t involved here. This holiday season, you have the chance to give a family something they may have never had before- a portrait together.Our mission? Our mission at Help-Portrait is simply to equip and mobilize you. We want to make sure you have all the information that you need to successful participate in Help-Portrait on 12.12.09. We want to help you find other people in your area that are wanting to be part of Help-Portrait or have already begun to plan the event. We want you to have the opportunity to give.
So I arrived at Hampton Park in Downtown Charleston, set up my makeup, and began immediately sitting people down in my chair. I heard stories that made me so thankful and grateful that I was able to be there for everyone that wanted my services.
Three stories stick out in my mind the most. This first was from two woman who had been friends for over 15 years, but never had a photo taken together. The second was someone who thanked me for doing her makeup because not many people took the time to give of themselves. The third is perhaps the most defining reason why everyone should be involved next year. A grandmother had come with her two grandchildren, both less than 5 years of age, and was having a portrait taken for their mother. It would be the first portrait she would have of her children and perhaps her last. They were taking the finished print to the hospital where the 30-year-old mother of two was fighting her final battle in the last stages of a disease that was claiming her life.
As a makeup artist I spend a lot of time on photo shoots creating a look for a model that you would typically see on the cover of a fashion magazine, but I must say that the woman I spoke with this past weekend were some of the most beautiful I have had the pleasure work with.
Photo by Grace Beahm/Charleston Post and Courier
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