You’re looking for the community to be good to you, so you need to be good to your community. I’m willing to bet this is at least the fifth time I’ve written about this, yet there are some readers who still don’t get it. Here’s the deal – you have to give back. Best of all, whatever you give back eventually comes back to you tenfold!

Look for charitable events in your community and if there aren’t any you like, then start your own! I”m not suggesting you establish your own 501 3c, just get involved with the local school system. Check out organizations like Rotary, Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Lions Club and the local Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few. Offer to help with or without your camera. This is about people getting to know you for being generous with your time. It really is that simple.

PPE opens tomorrow and there are a number of non-profit causes exhibiting. In addition, you’ve got  Cameras for Kids Foundation and The F.I.L.M. Project. Hearts Apart is always looking for talented portrait photographers and Jeremy Cowart just launched new features for Help-Portrait. Then there are hundreds of local programs in support of the military plus all of the national programs in support of breast cancer research, cancer and AIDS research etc.

Actor, Leonard Nimoy said it best, “The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have!”

It all started when Virginia Adams, Ansel’s widow, donated the car to the Center for Creative Photography to help raise money for the Center. I was on their Board at the time. Ansel Adams and Victor Hasselblad were good friends. Some of Ansel’s most famous images were shot on Hasselblad. So, I thought the car would make a great addition to the Hasselblad legacy. I bought the car with Hasselblad’s money for $12,000. The money went to the University of Arizona’s Visiting Scholar Fund.

We put the car up for auction, taking it to the two biggest conventions at the time, Photo West in San Francisco (then sister to Photo East, now PhotoPlus Expo) and later in the year, Photo East. The car was actually on display on the trade show floor.

In order to strengthen the concept, several important players joined the “team”. Hasselblad put a 500 Classic into the mix. Bogen, now Manfrotto, donated an outstanding tripod. Kodak donated one hundred rolls of film.  We chose to donate whatever funds the car raised to Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS.  P+FUAA eventually raised over one million dollars through their art auction for AIDS research.

Then came the real partners, all of the magazines. Today, many of you have almost the same reach as some of the professional photographic magazines, but back in the early 90’s there was no Internet, no blogs or Twitter and essentially the only way to get publicity was through the magazines. Every major photographic magazine ran the following ad at no charge!

The car sold to Helmut Horn, then president of Coastal Hotels who later became a very good friend, introducing me to scuba and adventures that took me underwater all over the world. Helmut is an amazing photographer, having photographed some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve seen.  One of his images even hangs in PMA’s lobby in Jackson, Michigan.  Although he no longer owns the gallery, he originally opened Gallery Sur right around the corner from the Weston Gallery in Carmel.

The sale of Ansel’s car set a standard for cause-related marketing pretty much by accident. Nobody involved was a marketing genius, we were just having fun, which leads me to the key points for any great cause-related promotion:

• You need a newsworthy subject! In this case Ansel’s car was totally unique and out of the norm from what everybody was expecting to see at conventions or in the news.
• A great cause is a necessity! Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS was all over the news at the time. This was all part of their awareness campaign which ended with their fine art auction through Christie’s and raising their million dollar plus for the fight against AIDS.
• Bring in great partners! So many companies and photographers always think they need to do it all themselves and that’s just not the case. Remember that every partner brings more reach to the party – and the more reach you have the more awareness and excitement you can create.
• Give the magazines and today, websites and blogs, something to talk about. Nobody had done anything like this before and it became newsworthy simply because it was so different. The editors and publishers not only ran the ad, but every magazine pulled out stories they had about Ansel and Hasselblad.
• It’s last on the list, but it’s really the most important…HAVE FUN! “Fun” is one of those words so often lost in business today, but it’s so critical. If you’re not having fun then you’re never going to hit the goals you really need – and this isn’t unique to just cause-related marketing!

The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life. Charles Schwab

From long time buddy, Glen Clark at BayPhoto: Flashes of Hope  www.flashesofhope.org

From Jennifer Bunce: Picture Perfect http://www.picper.org/. 

Michael Sweeney sent me Operation: Love Reunited http://www.oplove.org/

David Michael August was featured yesterday with his story about the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation www.jajf.org

Amanda Eddy at Photodex sent me The Tiny Light www.thetinylight.com

Jason Eiting sent me a really different very cool local association: Admission Possible http://www.admissionpossible.org/ (They’re helping teens in low economic areas in Milwaukee and Minneapolis get into college.)

And my good buddy Brent Watkins summed it all up with his Facebook post:

“…but I also want to remind people that charity begins near home. Give of your time to local events. We are sponsors for our local Relay for Life events – and we photograph them for free and give them the images for their own marketing. Charity is important and CHARITY in your COMMUNITY is AWESOME!”

I love listing all of these charities because it makes the point about there being so many opportunities for photographers to give back, but Brent’s comment really says it all – in your quest to get more involved don’t forget your home turf. Your local schools, churches, hospitals, chamber of commerce and service organizations all need help and whether their needs initially involve photography or not is irrelevant. This is about participating in your community.

Don’t forget that old one liner: Life isn’t a spectator sport – get involved!

First, it feels good! You’re looking for the community to be good to you, so you need to be good to your community. It’s that simple. No matter how much success you have in building your business, nothing feels as good as just making other people feel better!

Second, Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of Guerrilla Marketing, has repeatedly had it in his top 100 list of things guerrilla marketers need to do. People like buying products and services from companies they perceive as giving back.

The best part of this is there is no such thing as a program too small for you to be involved with. Over the years I’ve heard about everything from a Dad helping his son’s school and working with the school newsletter to major programs with hospitals, churches, the military and kids. Here’s the start of a great list of programs going on and actively supported by our industry, in alphabetical order.

www.AkronPhotoSeries.com

www.CamerasForKidsFoundation.org

www.HeartsApart.org

www.help-portrait.com

www.NowILayMeDownToSleep.org

http://www.ppacharities.com/

http://www.specialkidsphotography.com/

http://thirstrelief.org/

http://thefilmproject.net/

http://upfromunder.org/2011/07/haiti-july-2010/

 That’s ten organizations/projects that I know of just off the top of my head, all involved with photographers in our industry. From my own Akron Photo Series that ties back to Akron Children’s Hospital to Nicole Wolf’s efforts in Haiti, Up From Under.  Just these ten involve babies, children, teens, families, the military, Haitian relief and fresh water. The list will go on and on as soon as you let me know what programs to add. 

I want to build a list of links to help photographers connect and I can only do it with your input and experience!  Let me know what I’m missing.  I’m looking for programs you’re involved with in your own community to share with other photographers.  Maybe we can light a fire under photographers who have yet to get involved!

And from Jorge Castillo, class of ‘06 at Washington University: “Your environment limits your perspective. Community service expands it.”
 

I put out the call to action for ideas for Charity Fest on the Skip’s Summer School page on Facebook, asking what things people were doing to give back.  Levi was the first to step up and posted the following:

So that puts me in a great position to hit on a topic near and dear to my heart and just have a little fun - helping photographers think about ways to give back…

This week we raised just over $3500, thanks to Jerry Ghionis (and Melissa too) helping us focus on Akron Children’s Hospital. That puts us over $10,000 since the Akron Photo Series started with Clay Blackmore, Doug Gordon, Bambi Cantrell and Jasmine Star. Thanks to a small group of photographers we raised a little money and everybody got the benefit of five outstanding programs that have helped each attendee be a stronger photographer and business owner.

While at Jerry’s program the other night, Bob Srdoch, a local photographer, asked if at the next program he could talk a little about NILMDTS, another great charity. I’m jumping the gun a little early, but they need help now and need photographers to get involved.  If you’re in the Akron/Cleveland area give Bob a call at 330-475-7166! Or, if you’re just looking for more information about NILMDTS and how to get involved in your community, Bob can get you to the right person at NILMDTS.

Get a bunch of people together with a common interest and it’s like a bunch of friends at a party, when one person tells the first joke. It sparks a memory for another and another.  Within a few minutes there’s a volley going of new and old jokes, as each story ignites another chuckle. Well, photographers are no different and in this case, had time allowed the other night and had I known Bob was active with NILMDTS, we could have gotten that volley going over charitable ideas.

So, what are you doing to give back in your community? The importance here is to just be involved. There’s no such thing as any project that’s too small, as long as it raises awareness. This is about you giving back, and I’ve written about it a number of times.

For me personally, I love projects that involve kids and it all probably started at the Lake County YMCA when I was in my early teens, helping to teach swim classes, which lead to being a camp counselor in the summers, (I was Bill Murray in Meatballs, before he even read the script!)

Hey, I warned you in the beginning, I had no plan this morning except to have some fun with the blog. The point is that it doesn’t matter where you get your inspiration from, as long as you’re doing something to give back to your community. You’re looking for your community to be good to you, so you need to be good to them.

And, if you’re stumped in trying to find a charity to tie in with, when I started doing this there really wasn’t very much going on in the photographic industry itself. Now you’ve got NILMDTS, Thirst Relief, Special Kids Photography and the latest new non-profit on the scene and a personal favorite, Cameras For Kids Foundation. CFKF was founded by fine art photographer, Betsey Chesler who’s dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the abandoned children by exposing the teens to the process of creating art through a camera’s lens.

Remember, the importance is to just be involved in giving back. Look for opportunities to help raise awareness in your community. There’s that old line about life not being a spectator sport – you need to be involved.  When your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, after doing something to help your community, you just feel great!

I respect generosity in people, and I respect it in companies too, I don’t look at it as philanthropy; I see it as an investment in the community. Paul Newman

Personally I like taking describing it a step further – you’re looking for the community to be good to you, so you’d better be good to your community.  It’s more than just feeling good about giving back, it’s about demonstrating you care about something other than the bottom line.

Here’s a prime example, coming up tonight here in Akron.  Doug Gordon is flying in for a program as part of the Akron Photo Series.  From the beginning, when he heard about the tie in to Akron Children’s hospital, he wanted to be a part of the program. 

The platform I set up was for 10% of the gate to always go to the hospital on any APS program.  Doug is flying in at his own expense and bringing an assistant and he’s putting 100% of his speaking fee back into the hospital.  We’ve got a chance tonight to raise the most money yet, for any single event. We’re only taking expenses out of tonight’s gate.

In every community in the country there’s an opportunity for photographers do more with their cameras.  Sometimes you can raise money, other times it might just be about giving back with your skill set.  Scott Kelby, the guru of PhotoShop and Kelby Media started his PhotoWalks – last summer over 30,000 photographers participated.  Jeremy Cowart started Faces of Haiti along with Help-Portrait.  Bert Behnke, when he was president of PPA had a vision to establish PPA Charities.  

The list goes on and on, with one of my favorites, being photographers who are setting up programs in their local communities to take portraits of members of the armed forces and their families before they’re deployed, upon their return, virtually any time the need arrises.  Last year we had a guest blog from Brady Withers, as part of Charity Fest, about working with the military.

So, this is an easy question to ask, but not so easy for many of you to answer.  What are you doing to give back? 

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to launch Charity Fest 3.  Send your stories (2-400 words and images 4×5 at 72dpi) to skip@mei500.com.  Let’s get some new ideas to help other photographers get involved.

My father used to say, “You can spend a lot of time making money. The tough time comes when you have to give it away properly.” How to give something back, that’s the tough part in life.  Lee Iacocca

Well, some of the points I’ve made about marketing and expanding your reach into the community have been said over and over again, but so many of you still aren’t making the change.  In this case I’m referring to your involvement in the community.  We’re coming into the fourth quarter and holiday season.  There is no other time of year where there are so many opportunities for you to be involved in the community and get a little visibility for your efforts.  So, here’s a short list of things you could be doing and I’m sure you can think of others.

Remember how you feel as a consumer yourself?  People like supporting companies they perceive as giving something back to the community.  You’re looking for the community to be good to you – Well, you have to be good to your community!

1) Get involved with a local fund-raiser.  Whether it involves your camera or not doesn’t matter.  You need to be involved and your community needs to know you’re out there and not just another retailer.

2) Look for local events around holiday time.  For example, anybody doing portraits of couples at the Kiwanis, Rotary or Exchange Club holiday event?

3) Get to know the president of the PTA for any of the schools.  How about portraits instead of a bake sale to raise money this year?

4) Every high school football team, band, yearbook and chorus are looking for new ways to raise money – you’ve got the gear and the know-how – so how about working with them to create a new idea for fund-raising beyond hot dog sales at Friday night’s games?

5) Visit your local Chamber of Commerce and find out what’s going on in the community.  For a start, we’re just coming into the United Way campaign right now – using your camera to create new ways to raise funds is a great way to show your involved.

6) Sometimes it’s not about raising money directly at all, but using your skill set as a photojournalist, documenting various events in the community and then providing the management of those events and the local paper with your images.  Remember, nobody can do it better than you!

The big issue is about involvement and helping people remember who you are and what makes you different from so many other companies.   I remember Tony Corbell* once talking about when he first got started:

“I wasn’t the best photographer in town, but I was determined to be the nicest!  It was the best way I could seperate myself from everybody else and build my business!”

*Hear Tony’s ideas on how to start a successful business along with Scott Bourne and me at GoingPro Boot Camp on October 24 in NJ at the Newark Hilton. It’s a special all day program designed to help you launch your business or fine-tune an existing biz! 

Copyright Clay Blackmore – All Rights Reserved

Being back in Akron for over a year now, I’m so tired of seeing so much talent in our industry always going to NYC or Chicago, so often missing the Cleveland/Akron area.  Yet, we’re only a short drive from Pittsburgh, Detroit and Columbus, not to mention having two great airports, Cleveland Hopkins and Akron Canton!   So, here’s what we’re going to do, Skip’s Photo Network is launching Skip’s Akron Photo Series.

Following Clay, I’m working on bringing in a different industry icon to the Akron/Cleveland area each month, starting with the King of Lighting, Tony Corbell, here in November.  Then we’ll leave December and January alone, ramping back up in February.  We’re working on bringing to Akron:  Jerry Ghionis, Scott Bourne, Bambi Cantrell, Jasmine Star, Adobe’s Julieanne Kost, Photoshop Hall of Famer Eddie Tapp and Judy Host, just to name a few.   At least once a month, throughout most of the year, we’ll have another great instructor helping you to fine-tune your skill set. 

And here’s a fun aspect, near and dear to my heart – starting with Clay Blackmore, $6 of every registration fee will be donated to Akron Children’s Hospital!  In fact, every program in Skip’s Akron Photo Series will be giving back a percentage of the sales to Children’s. 

If you don’t know about Akron Children’s Hospital, it’s simply an amazing place, having been actively supporting children’s health for 120 years!   They serve half a million patients each year and they are one of only two pediatric hospitals in the country who operate a burn center for children and adults.   Here’s our chance to elevate photography and at the same time help to support a wonderful institution dedicated to helping kids and families.

Circle the date for October 10 and stay tuned for all the program specifics for Clay, as well as the full series, to be officially announced on August 2!

At just about any major convention you’ll find Bob and his wife, Holly, helping out with everything from registration to print competition.  They both believe in giving back and have done a lot to support our industry!

We were talking about my blog the other day and I mentioned Charity Fest and Aurora’s blog last year about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, which lead to the following information about Emotion Media and NILMDTS.

There’s now an incredible service for photographers who are serving the community by photographing infant bereavement sessions through Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. (http://nilmdts.org)

Emotion Media (http://emotionmedia.com) is now providing slideshows set to music free of charge to NILMDTS photographers. All you need to do is go to the Emotion web site, sign up and you find slideshows with appropriate music templates designed specifically for these sessions. This service is extremely easy to use.

Save your session jpeg images in a folder. Download the Emotion Media desktop application, there’s a version for MAC or Windows systems.  Activate the app. Navigate to the Emotion NILMDTS templates, choose the one that’s right for your slideshow. Point the system to the folder of jpeg images. Finish filling out the information like the type of DVD artwork you would prefer and make sure to put NILMDTS in the coupon section and wait.

The images are automatically transmitted to Emotion and the slideshow is created within 6 to 24 hours. You receive an email notification that your download is ready. Back to the desktop  application to download the artwork and DVD slideshow. Burn the disk, print the artwork and you are done.  It’s an extra part of the NILMDTS service that I’ve found families treasure.  

To all of you involved with NILMDTS, thank you for performing this important work. If you don’t already photograph these sessions check it out, you’ll find the work challenging, but extremely rewarding.  Bob Coates, July 2010