Help Portrait: a 'good feeling' day

Photographers and photo enthusiasts of all skill levels joined Saturday in a global project called Help Portrait, which provides free formal portraits to people who otherwise would not have the means or opportunity to get such pictures. Help Portrait is an annual event, and its timing in the holiday season makes it special for both the people using the service and the photographers and photo enthusiasts who volunteer their time and services to make it happen.

For the portrait subjects, it's having quality pictures to share with friends and family at a special time of year. And for the photographers, it's the smiles and satisfaction on the faces of the people having their portraits done -- and seeing the results. In some instances, there also is some enjoyable interaction between photographer and portrait subject.

Several members of the Indy Meetup Photo Club that I belong to participated in Help Portrait this year (some also were involved last year). In Indianapolis, the shoots were conducted in the lobby area of the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation's Manchester Apartments at 10th and Pennsylvania streets on the north fringe of downtown and just south of the Old Northside neighborhood.

For various reasons, the main Help Portrait organization prohibits participating photographers to use any of the pictures they take on personal websites or galleries, so I can't include any samples of the shots we took Saturday. However, on occasion between sittings and at the conclusion of the shoot at the HVAF, I did take some candid shots of IMUPC members in action and of the volunteers who helped make this happen. They welcomed portrait subjects; provided hair, makeup and grooming services to them; played courier for the memory cards, running them from the portraiture room to the print room; and made prints for the portrait subjects. Some of those candids are among pictures you see in this post, leading off at the top with a shot of all the photographers and volunteers who were still around the HVAF at quitting time.

Above: Two of the hair and makeup artists flank Chelsea, who coordinated the Help-Portrait event in Indianapolis.

Above: Some of the hair and makeup artists have some fun for post-event shots.

Above and below: IMUPC's Bill provided our club's lighting equipment and backdrop -- and he proved to be our primary shooter and valuable consultant for the duration. Above, he posed for a test shot; below, he posed again, this time for a girl who'd taken an interest in the photography and picked up some tips on the craft from Bill.

   

Above: A videographer circulated the lobby to grab footage of the sessions throughout the day. Below, IMUPC's Jeff liked what the videographer was shooting, so he took some stills of the same. 

Above and next two below: Some shots of the Help-Portait volunteers and HVAF staff at the end of the day. 

Above: IMUPC members Susan, Connie, Sherri and Carol along with a shooter (second from left) who was working at another station.

Above: Two more IMUPC members, Jeff and Dave, taking a break a bit away from the beehive of activity.