“Happiness is like perfume: You can’t give it away without getting a little on yourself.” ~ Anonymous.
Help-Portrait is a community of photographers coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community. The overall idea of Help-Portrait is simple to implement. Photographers and volunteers grab their cameras, find people in need and take their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered.
In Ahmedabad too, we have an active Help-Portrait community of photographers and stylists who came together on December 7th 2013 for the 1st Help-Portrait Ahmedabad event.
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: The signage being put up | Photo Credit: Shalin Patel
As the event organizers, the team in Ahmedabad had to take care of the logistics like printers, camera equipment, computers and photographers before hand. Help-Portrait Ahmedabad team made a final plan to photograph 200 kids at Memnagar Sarvajanik Vidhyalay, a municipal school in Ahmedabad. Most of these children had never dreamed of having a professional photo taken. With the Help-Portrait event, every kid would be given the opportunity to feel like a celebrity.
On Saturday morning, Ahmedabad saw a young brigade of photographers at Memnagar Sarvajanik Vidhyalay who were enthusiastic about giving pictures and not just taking them. The team of photographers and volunteers reached the venue by 9.30 AM and started working on the entire setup including lights and backdrops. They created a separate area for each activity – The Welcome Desk, the touch up station, photobooths, printing station, framing station and the gift bag station. By 10.00 AM the eager children rushed in.
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: The welcome desk | Photo Credit : Shalin Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: The welcome desk | Photo Credit: Shalin Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: The eager children awaiting their turn | Photo Credit : Shalin Patel
Hair and make-up artists provided free makeovers to the children post which photographers clicked the portraits in a studio type of setup. This was followed by a quick post production touch up by photo editors and the photographs were rushed into printing on-site. These freshly printed photographs were inserted in smart photo frames and given to the respective children along with a gift containing school supplies. Each child walked out with professionally printed photos and a smile on their faces.
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Children posing for camera | Photo Credit : Shalin Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Children posing for camera | Photo Credit: Shalin Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Editing of pictures | Photo Credit: Kiran Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Printing of pictures | Photo Credit : Shalin Pate
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Framing of pictures | Photo Credit: Shalin Patel
In the end all we can say is that the Help-Portrait Ahmedabad team gave every child a reason to smile, laugh, play, open up in front of camera and an experience they will cherish for long.
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Children receiving the frames | Photo Credit: Shalin Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Children checking out their portraits | Photo Credit: Shalin Patel
Help-Portrait Ahmedabad 2013: Children receiving the school supplies | Photo Credit : Shalin Patel
The Ahmedabad Blog thanks and appreciates the Help-Portrait Ahmedabad team for spreading some joy in the city! We wish them good luck for their future events!
Hemal Mehta
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Good job, loved the happy smiley faces of the children.