12.12.09 Help Portrait

A Post without a Picture for a Purpose

Today is a day that many of us photographers have been anticipating for months. Its the day that competitive walls are shaken and the comrotary that is built between people working for a greater goal shines through.

All over the world today, 7,000 photographers in 55 different countries came together to give what they can give best, the ability to make people feel beautiful through photography.

I participated today in the Atlanta Help Portrait session in Midtown, and I was so thankful to get placed with a close friend as my assistant. Together we had the privilege of creating and capturing a happy moment in the lives of less fortunate families.

Once we arrived at the location, we walked inside to find a room set up with six different portrait stations complete with lights, backdrops, pocket wizards and props. Technically, every bit of gear we needed was there. But the moment I walked into the room, it wasn't the set-up that I noticed first. It was a young boy under the age of two, with his 4 week old sister in his arms held so tight. Both dressed so beautifully, they were sitting in an oversized chair waiting patiently for their photo to be made. The smile on his face will forever be etched in my mind. It was a face that if not captured today might have been forgotten ten years from now.

As a photographer it was the most unnatural yet rewarding feeling to know that when the individual portrait sessions were over and the memory cards sent to post production, that that was the last time I would see the photos I had just made.

As professional photographers we so often shoot for our audience. Today was the exact opposite. It wasn't even about shooting for ourselves, it was about shooting for them. I can officially say that I walked out of today's help portrait session with not one of the photos that I made.

Today, for the first time, I felt the reality of the gift I have been given as a photographer. The ability I have to capture the essence of everything good in that moment, and the rareness of keeping that moment to the ones that experienced it.

So I don't have a photo of the families for you to look at, but instead I have humbled thoughts and renewed drive to keep living the good that is photography and letting the bad be drowned out by every smiling face representing a life that was touched by this beautiful gift I have to give.

Help Portrait Founder Jeremy Cowart said it best, "Today cultural borders were crossed on one side of the camera and competitive borders on the other." It was by far a movement in the right direction for our industry. :)


Ok, Ok so I kinda fibbed.. I guess I do have a photo from today.. but I didn't take it so it doesn't count;)


Photo credit goes to the lovely tripod that made this group shot happen;)

Meteor Shower.. or the Lack There Of...

Nothing like staying up until 3:30am to have the beautiful clear skies clouded up at the last minute. But we were up, and we were determined! So we drove to the cloud line.. Meteorology at it's finest.. "We need to go that way"... my roommate says as she points to the top right of the windshield.. So that way is the way we went!

We had a small window between cloud bands and what we did see was pretty much washed out by city lights.. Really made me miss Sarasota Nights and the clear skies over the beach... 3 Days until I'm FLA bound!!! Can't wait!!

Change of Pace

So A lot of things have changed in the last few months. I've started teaching at The Showcase School of Photography and have done some revamping in the way that I spread out my talent. I'm using everything I know to prepare myself to hone in on a specific direction for my photography in 2010. It's time to move forward at light speed. That being said, I've been spending a lot of time siting at my desk diving deep into social issues I can wrap my heart and lens around. The other day I grabbed a snap of my roommate and her dog.. This is what I see when I look right from my computer screen..He loves to look out the window... SQUIRREL!

L5P - Zombies

I love living less than five minutes from Little Five Points in Atlanta. It is by far one of the most interesting neighborhoods with care free personality. I spend a lot of time there around Halloween and what I found was nothing shy of entertaining. But My life seems to have been a lot about irony this last month, so for today I leave you this. CODE RED!

MIA

Headed south to Miami for some much needed family vacation time. It was an incredible weekend of family, football, sun and beach.. what more could a girl ask for;)



I even got to see the Hurricane's storm through town.. the football team of course;)

Home in the Q

On my way back to Atlanta on my last visit to Sarasota I encountered something I never could have imagined. My flight was delayed 2.5 hours and little did I know that the age old stereotype of "My grandparents live in Sarasota" would visually be played out in front of me during that time.

One arriving airplane, 10 wheelchairs later, it has been confirmed.. ;)



The Sarasota airport is always very special to me because my mom's a contract private pilot and flys out of there very often. So I always try to make a frame or two of this special place.



And of Course nothing says Sarasota like a beautiful Sunset;)

Gift Card Giver Doc

I recently shot a short doc for GiftCardGiver.com and as I was editing I caught myself smiling! Such a good feeling to be working on projects with heart.

Check out their website, great people doing great things:)

Atlanta House Party from Gift Card Giver on Vimeo.