John shared with me a cool event that has been happening the last couple of years, called Help-Portrait. In December, around the world, photographers hold events where they take portraits for people. The portrait is taken, printed, and given to the individual. Free of charge. No strings attached. Professional photographer, Jeremy Cowart, founded the movement. Jeremy was kind enough to take some time during the busy Christmas season to speak with me about the heart and inspiration behind Help-Portrait. Here is a transcript of our Q&A.
I just wanted to do something to give back during the holidays. So in Nashville, we just did it locally in 2008 and got a few photographers together and we did portraits for about 60 people that year. After the event, we put a video on Facebook, kind of documenting the day. I got a ton of feedback from other photographers that said "Hey if you ever do this again I'd love to participate." So, it was then I realized that this could be a much bigger deal with photographers everywhere. And so we spent a good part of 2009 getting printed materials, designing the logo. I launched a video in 2009 explaining the idea, and Scott Kelby launched a video on his blog. It just kind of took off. A lot of buzz started building and word spread pretty quickly. Last year, our first year, we did 41,000 portraits in 42 countries.
Do you know the results of this year?
We don't know official numbers, and quite frankly the events are still happening. The numbers are still growing. But at last count, there was something like 57,000 portraits taken so far.
Who are you trying to reach?
It is a pretty diverse group. It is anybody from special needs children, to the elderly, to the homeless, to abuse victims, to families of those serving in the military. The idea is to serve anybody that is in need. Anybody in need is a pretty wide spectrum of people. So we let the photographers determine who they think is worthy of getting free portraiture.
Is it an event or do the photographers go out into the community?
It's a lot of both. A lot of photographers will set up at a non-profit, like a homeless shelter where the homeless people already are and serve them there. Or they'll go to them on the streets. Or they'll have them come to a photography studio. It just depends on the photographers and the non-profits involved.
How has Help-Portrait impacted the way you do photography? Has it impacted your life in any way?
Yes, certainly. It has been pretty profound to see what photography means to people. It gives them value. It gives them dignity. It makes them feel special for the first time ever in their lives. We've heard all kinds of stories. In fact, if you go to my blog, there is a video of me talking about my 2010 Help-Portrait story. I tell a story of a Palestine woman that is pretty powerful, that happened just a couple weeks ago.
Going back to 2008, was there an event that happened that got you thinking about doing these portraits?
There's the whole Advent Conspiracy movement that kind of got me thinking along those lines. Where they encourage people to not spend a ton of money at Christmas, and instead do something with your time or your talents. And make it about serving people instead of just buying presents. That definitely was a part of the inspiration.
From your interpretation of what good news is, how do you see Help-Portrait as good news?
I think it is one of the few truly, truly selfless acts. A lot of people think there is some hidden agenda, or there is some catch to Help-Portrait. But there is absolutely not. There is no catch. No hidden agenda. It is simply photographers serving people. And it's different because the photographers aren't allowed to show their pictures. Which means they truly can't have any kind of self-motivation. This isn't about lighting, or portfolios, or cool camera tricks. This is simply about serving people. And so I think that's good news, the fact this is just a truly global act of serving people with no self agendas.
Here is a video showing the impact that Help-Portrait made in the lives of the people who attended in 2009. The joy and hope is so evident in their faces. They can see, sometimes for the first time, beauty. In themselves.
Here is a video showing the impact that Help-Portrait made in the lives of the people who attended in 2009. The joy and hope is so evident in their faces. They can see, sometimes for the first time, beauty. In themselves.
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