PDX Help Portrait from Heather Knight on Vimeo.
If you’ve been following along on twitter or fb lately, you are probably already tired of hearing us rambling on about this, but now we have a slide show to prove it! Help Portrait is the brain-child of Jeremy Cowart and it has spread across the world in a matter of months.
The thought is that professional photographers in their areas get together, work with charities, and do a free portrait day. Heather Knight was the sleep-deprived mastermind of this Portland group, and we are still on a high from being part of the event. In the unassuming warehouse that’s home to Sandbox Studios, 38 photographers came together to help 46 families, but that’s nothing compared to the thousands that were helped on (and around) December 12th.
This wasn’t a gang of art school kids doing an assignment, these were seasoned professionals coming from portrait, commercial, video, musician, landscape, wedding, etc. fields. It was so energizing to walk into being a part of something so ego-free and collaborative. Macs set up everywhere, people on the floor talking about flashes, kids on the floor eating a donut. Being a photographer is really a lot more “alone” time than one might think in this “digital wonderland of merriment” (said in a voice similar to Ron Burgandy’s.) It was amazing to be part of an instant photo family, that invited us in and allowed us to document a bit of their day. It was quite addictive and we hope to seek out and be involved in more things like this. Can’t wait until next year; I’m sure the energy and enthusiasm will only amplify.
Also makes me think what other industries could do, or maybe already are, something similar. We’ve all had our “bubbles burst” by this economy, and it feels so nice to give as the simplest gestures can go a long way. Thanks to all who participated; it made for the best warm-fuzzy, holiday feeling on a gray Saturday.
Please note that not all of the images in the slide show are ours; they were a joint effort from several different talented photographers.
This Show & Tell Friday is especially tasty! We recently had the pleasure of playing camera in Elizabeth Dye’s boutique-The English Dept. (Located at 11th and Alder here in Portland.) Elizabeth creates amazing dresses, wonderfully styled, and often using vintage fabrics. They also carry a selection of stunning handmade accessories, and designer collections from Jenny Yoo, Vera Wang, Melissa Sweet, and many more. Their new site is in the works, so check back with them as I’m sure it’ll be amazing. (You may even see a few of these images there!)
We first fell in love with her designs with one of our brides. (With Serah’s stunning, custom orange dress.) Needless to say, I was making googly eyes at everything in there and trying not to drool on their stuff. I am pretty sure I pet a few of the hair accessories, too-they just looked like they wanted to be loved.
Many thanks to The English Dept for letting us roll around on your floor and snag a few images of your cozy boutique! Everything in there makes me want to run through a field of flowers, flying a kite, while sipping on a latte. (Indeed that is a lot of multitasking, but in my imagination-it’s possible.) Can’t wait to see what else will come frolicking out of Elizabeth’s hands in the new year!
(If you’re a wedding lovely in the Portland area, feel free contact us if you’re interested in being featured. We adore handmade, local, vintage, eclectic, sustainable, unique, and are excited to share!)
Sorry this is a little later in the day than we’d like, however we just finished entering these images for the Next WPJA Contest. What can we say; we like the thrill of the last minute. 
Going through our own images and analyzing what really stands out is difficult, but enlightening and we learn from it every time. Here are a few that we entered; there were several categories from Other Vendors, Details, to Humor (piñata head!) What is common though is that none of the images are heavily edited, part of the WPJA’s standards, and all are non-photographer-man-handled moments.
I’ve been a proud member of the WPJA for almost three years, and Joel’s going on two. The Wedding Photojournalist Association is a great place to see what other documentary-minded photographers are doing these days. Also check out the {AG}WPJA which is the artistic guild; where anything post-processing goes!
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