This past Saturday was a very special day for me.  It was the first day for a lot of things.  It was the first time that I have done any serious charity work. It was the first time I really appreciated what some families in this country are dealing with in these hard economic times.  It was the first day that I felt that I really gave something back using my gifts.  It was the first day for the world-wide event Help-Portrait. Help-Portrait is the idea of Nashville photographer Jeremy Cowart.  Instead of trying to explain what Help-Portrait is, it would be better if I can show you… In October, Jeremy put his idea to the test and held a Help-Portrait event in Nashville.  I'd say that the results looked very promising… I think it goes without saying that after hearing about this event and the Help-Portrait movement, I needed to get involved. Steve, Brad, and I feel strongly that its really important to give back to the community in which you live.  Charity is so important especially in these uncertain and challenging times. I promptly signed up at http://community.help-portrait.com, created my account, and joined the Detroit, MI group.  Soon after, I was in touch with the organizers of several events, and decided that I wanted to help out at the City Mission.  The months flew by and all of a sudden Dec. 12th came along, and it was time to make the event happen. That morning I woke up, packed all my gear (I took care of editing and post-processing) into my car and headed out at 8:30am.  I arrived at the City Mission at 9:15 and found many other volunteers already hard at work getting ready for the first family scheduled at 10:00am.  I quickly introduced myself to everyone and joined in on the preparation.  Everything came together just in time, and we were off. 67 people had their portrait taken that day. For some it was the first family photograph that they ever had. For others it was just the thing they needed to lift their spirits around the holidays.  I know for me, it was something that I won't forget and that I will look forward to doing every year. Below is a short video from the day.  Note: you may be wondering why there are no pictures of the families up here.  The pictures look great, but it's really important that we respect the privacy of our subjects.