Gift ideas

Waiting to go…

I was reading a blog today and the author was talking about inexpensive gifts for photographers. Each year, I am less and less concerned with buying stuff, rather, I feel the need/desire to give of myself. Now I understand what my mother was talking about when she said that she would rather that I make something for her rather than buy it. My wife says the same thing to the guys.

During the past couple of months I’ve stumbled upon what I think are pretty good ideas. The first, I think that I saw on T.O.P. (The Online Photographer). It’s called Help-Portrait. In this effort, there is no joining or anything. It’s just a date set aside where we, as photographers, can give back. Certainly, you could do this on any day at all, but 12/12 is the date. The idea: Find someone in need. Take their portrait. Give them a free portrait. That easy. You could use this as a way to practice those lighting skills on some willing models, to meet new friends, or to just interact and give back to the community. I already have one in mind and may try to do two, or if it gets really good to me, one a month for the next year, but we’ll see.

The second one, my friend Tom, The Photo Father, told me about. Operation: Love Reunited. This is another good idea. Here, photographers sign up and, if approved, get assigned to cover the return of a soldier to his/her family at a nearby base. The assignment could be at the enlistment, deployment, or return. You simply have to provide a printed album consisting of 4×6 prints to the family or the soldier for no charge.

I think that both of these are excellent ways to give something meaningful and memorable during the holidays. Tom has participated in Operation : Love Reunited. I certainly hope that he will share his experiences.

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