Well, this morning I woke up to an article in a newsletter from the The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland called Poetic Justice. I really had fun reading this one, since the star of the article is one of my best friends from high school, Dave Gallup. He’s also my attorney and has been instrumental in helping me with so many new projects since I started MEI.  

Dave believes in giving back and does volunteer work for The Legal Aid Society.  He provided pro-bono service for one of Legal Aid’s clients who was being sued unjustly by a credit card company but couldn’t afford an attorney. Dave pointed out to the credit card company they hadn’t done their homework and didn’t provide the required evidence against Dave’s client. They offered to just drop the case and walk away, but not before Dave stipulated they pay what would have been his fee as a donation back to The Legal Aid Society.

That got me thinking about another way photographers give back that we don’t seem to talk about much.  Instead of waiving your sitting fee for a charity event, have your clients make their check payable to your favorite charity. If your charity is a non-profit then what normally would be your sitting fee should be tax deductible for your client.

I know this isn’t rocket science and this is hardly revolutionary, but in all honesty, for most photographers, especially those new to the industry, the concept hasn’t been in their thought process.  It’s so important to give back to your community.

People like buying products and services from companies they perceive as giving back. You’re looking for the community to be good to you – well, you’ve got to be good to your community. You can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch life go by. You need to be directly involved.

As we go into the new year think about other things you can do to give back:

• Develop a promotion that ties in with a local or national charitable event and set up a program like my buddy Dave. Your client’s check for your sitting fee is made out to the event.
• Build a promotional day, week or even month where all proceeds or a portion go to a local charity.
• Volunteer to help non-profits in your community. This might not involve photography, just your donation of time.  Often just being involved will put you on the map as somebody who cares about the community.
• Work to bring other photographers into the campaign. Nothing helps neutralize competition better than a group of people working together for a common cause.
• Donate your services to events and groups of people who simply need photographs. A few of my favorites are: NILMDTS, HeartsApart.org, Help-Portrait and the F.I.L.M. Project.  Each of these organizations involve your skills in portraiture and they all need help.  Then there’s CFKF, but they need your support using photography and the arts to help build self-esteem in kids who have been abandoned. Founder, Betsey Chesler, also needs gear and here’s another way you can help just by raising funds for her to purchase more point and shoot cameras.

I’ve been collecting ideas from the industry for a long time now and we’ve actually run two rounds of Charity Fest. I’m now collecting new ideas of charitable projects you’ve done for a first quarter Charity Fest.  If you’ve got one, either comment here on the blog or send an email to me at skip@mei500.com. I’ll start collecting them and some time in January we’ll have some fun getting them published. If you’re sending images along with the story, I need 300dpi and no bigger than 4×5.

And, this time there’s an added benefit to participating in Charity Fest. Send me stories of how you’re using photography to give back and you might just be considered for publication in my favorite magazine. Resource Magazine is going to be looking for great ideas on photographers giving back and will be considering images and stories from Skips Photo Network.

I love this quote from Muhammad Ali:

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

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!

Throughout the conversation, I learned about an organization I hadn’t heard about before, the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation.  I don’t want to simplify the incredible work they do, but in regards to David’s assignment, think of it as Make a Wish for adults. 

The Hyde family is dealing with the mother’s fight with cancer and wanted to do a family vacation to San Diego. The Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation picked up the cost and made the arrangements for their family vacation. The Westin Gaslamp Quarter, where David works, was the hosting hotel. As part of their family wish, they wanted to have a series of family portraits done on the beach in La Jolla, CA. Knowing David was also a photographer, the hotel asked him if he wanted to donate his time and expertise.

David jumped at the chance to give back, identifying with the family’s challenge, having gone through so much of their pain when his own mother was fighting cancer.

“I actually got more out of the shoot than the Hyde family did,” David told me. “We’ve become great friends and being able to give back made this an experience that will remain a highlight of my career.”

I didn’t need to hear any more from David to know he had the privilege of experiencing something so many photographers miss, the opportunity to truly have your life enriched by an experience with a unique client.  This is about paying it forward and utilizing that almost magical skill set exclusive to photographers, the ability to capture memories!

In terms of feeling good about what you’re doing as a photographer, it doesn’t get any better than this!

Just prior to Summer School I got a call from Leah Hoskins, of F.I.L.M., asking about being involved in Summer School and exhibiting. As we talked I learned a little about them and I set them up with a booth as a non-profit, together with one of my other favorites, Cameras for Kids Foundation. If you’re a regular reader you know my feelings about being involved in programs that give back.  Having two non-profits involved in this year’s Summer School was a terrific way to get the attendees exposed to two relatively new organizations.

At some point in your life, if it hasn’t happened already, there’s going to be an event that pulls so hard at your heart strings it will leave you with no other option than to get more involved.  There are hundreds of new charitable projects started every year in our industry. Some of them do well, others start out strong and then the people involved lose interest and move on. It’s not an easy task to build a charitable organization from scratch, but it can be so rewarding!

In response to yesterday’s post, Betsy Chesler, founder of Cameras for Kids Foundation wrote,

I have found that there is nothing more powerful than “giving back” to those less fortunate! Personally my life has taken on new meaning since the birth of Cameras For Kids Foundation.

Leah Hoskins is the founder behind the F.I.L.M. Project and I know feels exactly the same way. They’re a young organization. They don’t have enough funding, but here’s where having heart trumps business logic!  Watch the video below, put together on a shoe string budget and then you’ll understand why I’m so proud to be part of an industry with people like Leah.

They’re only 300 photographers strong as of today, but there’s no doubt in my mind as more people get involved they’ll get their funding and while, like so many non-profits, they might always be short on cash, they’ll never be short on spirit. If you’re looking to find out how you can be more involved visit their home page and make contact at www.TheFilmProject.net.

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:

There is no such thing as a project too small.   As a photographer you have a very unique skill set and the ability to give back to your community in so many different ways.  Your efforts, no matter what the cause, are helping to make the world a better place and if we have to do it one project or community at a time, who cares?

In the last two Charity Fests I received  so many great comments. Reading what other people are doing in charitable causes has given more photographers new ideas on how they too can get involved and create their own charitable moments.  

Two years ago Karen Sperling wrote on face book:

I saw your posts about photographers who give back. At the same time, I was getting feedback that not only were my tutorials helpful, but also that I was good at marketing…Your posts and this feedback gave me an idea: to put this “marketing”–or as I think of it, encouraging– to additional good use, and to donate 10% of all proceeds from the deluxe hardcover edition of Painting for Photographers to charity!

So, you need to share your projects with me so we can share them with other photographers. Send your program descriptions to me by Monday and next week we’ll launch the third annual Charity Fest. Your inspiration will take all of us to new heights and together we just might create a new level of awareness and appreciation for the professional photographic community!

Note:  Submissions need to be in my mailbox at skip@mei500.comstarting now and running through Monday, August 15. I need 2-400 words with images 4×5 at 72 dpi! And if you know of somebody doing something great to give back, send me the information and maybe we can find out more to share with everyone!

My buddy, Nicole Wolf, is working hard to help rebuild houses in Haiti. Jim Hicks, right here in Ohio, founded Thirst Relief working to provide clean water around the world.  I had a chance to finally meet a Tweet-buddy, Parris Whittingham in New York last October. Parris is working with kids in New York’s communities, using photography as a teaching tool and a new way to help them look at the world. Sandy Puc founded Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, now one of the largest non-profit organizations of photographers in our industry, all using photography to help families in pain. The list goes on and on, but this morning’s post is just about one photographer, Betsey Chesler, and how she’s inspiring thousands of kids and photographers alike!

In 2009, fine art photographer, Betsey Chesler was returning from South Africa. She had spent a month volunteering in numerous orphanages.  Chesler’s eyes, normally looking through the lens of her camera to compose her images, had witnessed extreme poverty, illness and a complete lack of regard for human life. What her eyes saw, her heart wanted desperately to change.

“I was unable to walk away from an experience like that and not find a way to make a difference,” Chesler said.  Determined to make an impact in the lives of abandoned children, Chesler purchased the first cameras and began sharing her talent and her passion for photography with kids in need.

She formed the Cameras For Kids Foundation. CFKF is a 501c3 nonprofit charitable organization providing underprivileged children (many living in foster care facilities) with a point and shoot digital camera and instruction on how to create art through photography. The program helps children develop personal artistic expression during the weekly workshops and assignments introducing art and photography. Through a lens, students gain a new view of the world. The program encourages steadfast participation and promotes self-confidence while giving children creative and technical skills. At the end of the course children’s works are proudly showcased in a gallery photography exhibit.

“All children deserve a chance for a productive and positive future,” In the United States there are over 500,000 children living in foster care and 146 million children in foster care worldwide. “Nothing is more rewarding than being able to share your passion and make a positive difference in the life of a less fortunate, deserving child. I am blessed to be able to share the magical rewards of art.”

Following the launch of the first CFKF at a foster facility in South Florida, the organization was contacted by photographers and foster facilities worldwide wanting to be part of this wonderful program. CFKF has since launched in Illinois and New York and will soon be in Los Angeles.            

One child, 16, found himself with his four siblings in foster care six years ago.  A speech impediment triggered his introverted personality in order to avoid being teased by other children.  After undergoing speech therapy and  participating in the CFKF program, he volunteered to speak at the first CFKF fundraiser in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He shared how CFKF sparked his interest in furthering his education and incorporating photography into his schooling and career.    Betsey realized the impact CFKF was making when she saw this child looking out the window of his foster home, waiting for her to arrive each Saturday. He was the first student to greet her and help carry her photographs to the classroom.  He is one of several students that has expressed interest in sharing his new love of photography with other foster children in the future. 

CFKF recently announced the Mentor Program. It begins as a group workshop day including classroom instruction and an actual photo shoot using the donated cameras to implement their new skills.  At the end of the program, those children with the desire to learn more about photography will be matched with a professional photographer in their area to serve as their ongoing Mentor.  This is an opportunity of a life time for professional photographers as well as the children and proves to be highly rewarding to both. 

Think about the way Betsey has taken her skill set and created an application to help children. Better yet, think about all the ways our industry can help make the world a better place, one kid at a time!   To make a difference in the life of an underprivileged child, please contact Cameras For Kids Foundation at www.camerasforkidsfoundation.org or 954-354-5080.

The story was sent to me by Michael Allen, a professional photographer from InDesign Creative.  His “partner in crime” is piano composer John Albert Thomas.  It’s a great connection between two creative types, each sharing a common goal; to ease the pain of a family who has lost a child.  The other common denominator is NILMDTS and their incredible efforts in establishing a membership of thousands of photographers who volunteer their time to help.  

John and I are in production right now of a short inspirational film with interviews from one family who has lost a child and their story of inspiration. I’ve volunteered my services to produce, write and shoot this film. Each year I try to find a project that I can get involved with using my talents as a photographer and filmmaker. Our vision with this film is to help John better describe what NILMDTS does and why it is so important. John will be using this film on his website and in marketing of this project.

Last year I shot images and helped create a short film about a family whose dad was stricken with cancer. Each year I hope to continue to find special projects I can get involved with.  As photographers, we have a gift that needs to be used. 

Since the release of the Canon 5d MarkII, the ability to create professional HD films is so much more affordable. In the past I had to spend a lot of money on very expensive professional video cameras and equipment.  Producing a high quality film used to be a lot of work.  When I saw Vincent Laforet’s first film using the 5d, I was hooked with this amazing new technology.  Michael Allen

This recent Charity Fest submission by Sue Brown is the Grand Buffet of giving back projects.  In fact, Sue’s last sentence says it all, “Giving back is very addicting.  The more we do, the more we want to do!” From working with the local Children’s Museum to helping local businesses with marketing material for the holidays, Sue and her husband are totally involved in their community. 

That’s what it’s all about!  As a photographer and business person you’re looking for the community to be good to you.  Well, you have to be good to your community!   Sue and her husband are totally committed and obviously will continue to look for new events and projects that give a little back!  I just want to know what energy drink they’re on!

Each year we choose 1 or two charities which we support with several annual projects. Last spring we did a special April Showers event In which we raised $400 for the local Children’s museum.

Our biggest project was the photographing and assisting in assembling a calendar to benefit the Lakeshore Community Cancer Foundation(they provide support for adults and their families who are battling cancer).  We also have a free Halloween portrait event in which the proceeds benefited the LCCF as well.

Every year we photograph kids with Santa at a local shopping event sponsored by the local newspaper in which the proceeds go to charity…..We purchased a Santa suit for this event and my husband/business partner really gets into the role!!!   So this year we did a personal project to help some of  the local downtown businesses.  We created “Santa Art”  that they could use in their marketing for the Christmas season.

My husband spent 22 years in the Military and we have a soft spot in our heart for the military. So, we provide free sessions and other benefits to those who serve.

Giving back is very addicting.  The more we do, the more we want to do…Sue Brown

All of the stories I’m normally sharing in Charity Fest are from photographers who are involved in charitable causes, but we tend to forget about the number of executives in our industry who also spend a great deal of time helping others.  Pete might be retired today, but that doesn’t slow him down when it comes to giving back! 

My wife, Regina and I have been directly involved with 2 charities as well as doing volunteer work at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.

One of the charites I got involved with is a Cleveland funded charity called COAR, Community of Oscar Arnulfo Romero. He was the Catholic bishop of El Salvador who was assassinated by guerillas while saying mass. He was the voice of the people crying out for civil justice in El Salvador during a civil war that claimed over 70,000 lives and left many children orphans.

Fr. Ken Myers, a priest from Cleveland who was working in El Salvador at the time of the war, established an orphanage for victim children left without parents. Today COAR is not only an orphanage but a fine school for children in grades K -12. 

I went down to visit in 2004 with a group of people from my church led by our pastor. I was so moved by the children I knew I had to become more involved in helping their cause. The children are well taken care of albeit they manage with little more than the bare essentials; they get a good education and a sense of community. 

Soon after my return I was asked to join their Board of directors in Cleveland, which I accepted. There is nothing like the feeling you get form selflessly helping others, especially children who have nothing, not even family. Since then we have helped by giving of our time, talent and treasure to COAR.

I have also sat on the Board of Directors of Flashes of Hope, another Cleveland based charity that donates professional images of children fighting life-threatening illness. The images are taken at the hospital with family and or friends at no charge to the family, packaged in folios and frames and given to the family. The look on the children’s faces when they are being made up with hairdos and makeup is something you can’t forget. It is about putting a smile on a child’s face when otherwise there would be only the look of despair.   

I encourage everyone to get involved and give of your time, talent and or treasure. Pete Cardello