Reprinted from September 2011 issue of PPA Today
You know the power of photography to inspire emotions. So, it probably comes as no surprise that your photography skills are often highly prized by charitable organizations. Photographing for a charity can be a valuable relationship for all involved—just ask Laurie Weaver of TreeTales Photography.
Growing with Charities
This Texas-based photographer actually got her first pro “gig” from a charity! She was asked to photograph the yearly Race for the Cure for the Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “When I saw my images on the JumboTron, I was hooked forever,” recalls Weaver. “Now I see them in the Komen Austin marketing brochures, and I feel like I’m making a difference.”
As Weaver grew in her photography business, she kept working with charities, including becoming a PPA Charities Operation Smile Studio. She says such charities guide her, “providing wonderful opportunities I would not have been exposed to any other way, especially as a new professional.” In fact, she recently returned from one of those opportunities: an Operation Smile mission trip to Ethiopia.
Going on a Mission
“I didn’t know what to expect or what gear to pack,” says Weaver about documenting the Ethiopian mission. There, Operation Smile medical volunteers provided surgeries to children suffering from facial deformities. From the two-day patient screening to the five days of surgeries and follow-up days of post-op, she helped capture the miracles that medical charity is known for.]
“My favorite images were the parent and child interactions,” Weaver adds. “The parents anxiously watching as doctors peered into the child’s mouth. Or carrying the child to surgery. Or best of all, their faces upon seeing their babies for the first time post-surgery—the first time they’ve seen their faces whole.”
Those are the kinds of images that bring the charity’s missions to life for those who aren’t there. Photography is a way to make the cause real, encouraging more donations, more volunteering and more overall awareness. That’s the power of a photograph for charities. And to some of those helped by Operation Smile, the photographs were more than priceless.
Weaver had packed a small printer (and paper and inks) all the way to Ethiopia because she heard that the families might not have any photos at all. “I’ve never been as moved as I was watching those families with their 5x7s,” she says. “The smiles wouldn’t leave their faces as they just stared at their photos. How can a photograph be more precious than when it is a singular treasure?”
©Laurie A. Weaver
This image, made and printed by Laurie on location, is the only photograph this father has every owned. In a blog entry she made after her mission, Laurie wrote this poignant reminder about the value of photography: “Circumstance can redefine a family photography session when you know it may be the last images of an ill family member. Or perhaps it becomes a farewell to a long-loved pet. And how precious of a treasure is a print of your family if it’s the only photograph you’ve ever owned? I met so many families in Ethiopia who wanted only shoes for their babies and a picture to keep forever.”
Knowing the Charity Pros & Cons
Despite Weaver’s positive experience with Operation Smile and others, she urges you to be smart about committing your time. Consider the pros and cons before beginning any charity relationship. She also suggests the following:
Research the organization and their events. If you are asked to photograph a marathon, do you know what will happen to the images afterwards? Are you expected to post, sell or store them?
Ask yourself if you can handle the potential emotional drain. This is an important step in charities like Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, where you volunteer infant remembrance photography.
Define what you are willing to commit and what you hope to receive (like access to contact information). Control the relationship and go in with the terms clear, “or you could be quickly overwhelmed with requests.”
Be aware of potential sacrifices. “Even the best planning can leave you in the position of choosing between a charity’s needs or a client’s,” Weaver says.
Be patient. It took Weaver several years to find the right charities. And once you find them, they may require training, background checks and more.
Making Your Work Matter
“If you are lucky enough to find a charity capable of speaking to both your heart and your business, grab hold and hang on!” declares Weaver. That’s definitely the case with the Operation Smile mission. “Some part of it still touches my heart every day. The parents were desperate to make things better for their children. To have been even a small part of that brought me such intense pride and fulfillment.”
There, she saw again the power of a single image.There, she saw again the power we have as a group, making a difference for others. “It matters,” she says simply. Are you ready to make your photography matter in a similar way?
Portraying Miracles
Of the many heart-touching images that you can see in Laurie’s video below, none tells a more powerful story than the “before and after” image pairs she made during pre-op screening and later following the priceless surgery that will redefine the lives touched by the volunteers of Operation Smile.
