Help Portrait in Australia

The Value In Volunteering // Interview With Chris Maait

2011-12-01T12:15:00.003+11:00

Help-Portrait events are run solely by a dedicated team of wonderful volunteers that donate their time and talents for this great cause. When we thought about featuring a volunteers experience with Help-Portrait, Chris Maait immediately came to mind. He's been with us from the start and was willing to give insight on what it looks like to be a part of Help-Portrait.

1. How did you get involved with Help-Portrait? Is there a particular volunteer role you had during the event?

I was lucky enough to meet Mr David Haysom in 2009, at a lunch with mutual friends. He asked me if I was interested in participating and later sent me the link to the USA test event. After that, I knew I had to be a part of this event. Help-Portrait appealed to all of my artistic and human spirit. I volunteered as a photographer. (I've been a photographer for 18 years and had never been involved in such a spectacular, ideal, event). I have used every nuance of photographic skill and experience and all my learning about people to participate in this event, it's exhausting and greatly satisfying.

2. A portrait can mean so much to someone who wouldn't typically have the ability to get one taken. How does it feel to be a part of that experience? Have you seen first hand the joy and value it can bring?

Selfless joy. The simple act of giving another person a photograph of themselves has been pure delight. Enriching, satisfying and bounty for the soul (I believe photographs have a power most do not understand). The ideal of giving all the photos and us not keeping them is a little cherry on top of the dessert that is Help- Portrait.

Over the past 2 years the child-like delight seen on peoples faces as they view their photographs, and these people deserve to be happy, is wonderful.

We have seen shy, broken, disheartened, angry, tormented, sick people look at their photo and smile, truly smile from within, amazed that they have been photographed at their best, thankful for this small gift.

3. Looking back on past events, what would you say is the most rewarding moment of the day?

Simply: Handing over this small photograph to someone / families who really do not normally feel special and they respond with a tearful "Thank You".

4. If someone was thinking about volunteering for next years event, what would you want them to know?

Help-Portrait is a pure joy and amazing event to be a part of. That the sharing of our skills and time, selflessly, with people far less fortunate than us; benefits all involved. It really is love.

Our Sponsors Make It Possible!

2011-11-28T21:55:00.005+11:00

We're thrilled to announce that Help-Portrait 2011 is just around the corner! Excited and anxious doesn't even begin to describe how all of the volunteers are feeling. It's such a gift to give in the form of priceless portraits. The guests that come through are beautiful people who bring such life to these photos.

Both the Sydney & Melbourne events would not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors. We wanted to say THANK YOU to all of the sponsors that help make our events extra special.

2011 Sponsors:

Help us bring Help-Portrait 2011 to more people than ever before

2011-10-17T18:15:00.000+11:00

The days have started to get longer as summer approaches and its a good thing. Lots to do to help make our Help-Portrait events great experiences for our Guests. If you want to do more to contribute to these events being the best they can be we would love to hear from you. At the moment we have these specific roles open and are keen to hear from you if you've got the skills.
Check out our 2011 planning team positions.

Something New for 2011

2011-05-26T20:00:00.004+10:00

Help-Portrait Kids - Since Help-Portrait started we’ve quickly developed a network of friends and contacts in all sorts of places doing all sorts of amazing things. Recently, one of those friends (Patsy) presented us with a wonderful idea. Her passion and love has since allowed us to bring to life a new program of small events planned to run 1 or 2 times during the year (initially in Sydney). Help-Portrait Kids events will be in addition to our end of year more major events with the first running tonight (Thursday 26 May) and the next in July. These events are built around the opportunity for families with sick kids to have a special occasion at an event, complimented by photos of the occasion to remember it by.

Tonight, Help-Portrait is hosting families from Sydney Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House at a performance of Walking with Dinosaurs at Acer Arena, Sydney. We have one of the Help-Portrait volunteer photographers on hand to take photos to help families remember the occasion. This fantastic opportunity is made possibly due to the generosity of TDC (www.tdc.com.au).

Help-Portrait Sydney 2010

2010-12-10T12:00:00.000+11:00

Sydney 2010 - An enormous amount of work goes on behind the scenes to make this great day happen. Here's a look at some of them coming together to give the gift of Help-Portrait.

Thank You to our Sponsors

2010-12-07T11:39:00.000+11:00

Sydney 2010 - The dust is settling and the pack up complete. It's time now to say Thank You to our sponsors. Without them giving in so many ways we wouldn't have the opportunity to give the gift of Help-Portrait.

So this is for you, our Sponsors

International Volunteer Day - Sunday 5 December, 2010

2010-12-06T18:18:00.000+11:00

Worldwide - Sunday 5 December, 2010 is a special day. Not only because around the globe Help-Portrait events were taking place, but also because it is the UN designated International Volunteer Day. It's a day to recognise the contribution volunteers make in our community no matter where we are in the world. Help-Portrait is only possible because of volunteers and so first and foremost we want to say Thank You to our volunteers for giving the gift of your time. Here is the list of all our volunteers that have made Help-Portrait events possible in 2010.

In Australia volunteers bring change to lives every day of every year, but more help is always needed. Give an hour, give a day or find an organisation that you can share a longer term commitment with. It's easy. Start here

2010-12-06T15:35:00.001+11:00

Melbourne 2010- A great video of the Help-Portrait Melbourne 2010 event.

Help-Portrait Melbourne 2010 from HelpPortraitAU on Vimeo.

Help-Portrait Melbourne 2010 - its a wrap

2010-12-03T09:30:00.001+11:00

Melbourne 2010 - The first Help Portrait for 2010 was held on Sunday 28th November 2010 at Sun Studios in Melbourne Australia. Proud as we are being the first it doesn’t come close to the experiences that were had. The opportunity for a four year old to be a princess, a mother to have a celebrity make-over, a father to see his daughter smiling from the inside out and a family spirit lifted for a few hours, was an opportunity that could not be missed.

Four studios each with their own dedicated photographer, assistant and post production person were setup at Sun Studios. One large family studio, a medium sized studio perfect for small families and two smaller ones dedicated to individuals and a more intimate and private setting. Through these studios we photographed 45 guests over a five hour period and captured a moment in their lives forever.

Our precious volunteers, with whom we could not have achieved this if we didn’t have them on board. Our guides, Lyn, Adrian and Maria were the volunteers responsible for taking our guests through their journey. Our Make Up Artists – Megan, Belinda, Jermaine and Candice and her team from Napoleon Perdis Make Up Academy did a stellar job in styling our guests. As did Dianne, Theresa, Sarah and Amanda blow dried, straightened and curled any hair in sight. Our four volunteer photographers Alex, Zoe, Cynthia and Shannon were assisted by a host of talented assistants and post production volunteers – the people who made the photos perfect. The images finally were printed onsite by Stephanie, our onsite representative from Fuji Film.

The success of events like these rely on the selfless and giving nature of individuals and local companies. Our sincere thanks go the following Melbourne sponsors for making the day possible

Sun Studios; donated the fabulous venue and some significant lighting gear.
The Design Depot; donated furniture and props
Breadwinners; donated packaged sandwiches for lunch (YUM)
Café 2 U; came to the party with supporting our coffee habits
Chapman Security; donated office and event support with couriers, postage etc
Chillizone; donated the great bean bags for the kids
Hire Intelligence; donated speakers and plasma TV for the kids zone
Victorian Protection Security Services; donated Tony, a wonderful security officer for the day

Number crunch

2010-11-19T12:06:00.001+11:00

Worldwide News - Melbourne - Sydney - Help Portrait in the United States recently published that they have 585 active groups of people organising Help Portrait events across 57 countries. If you do the numbers, that’s almost 30% of the world’s countries (if you use the United Nation’s current figure of having 192 member countries). That’s up from 42 countries last year. That’s an increase of 35% in participating countries. Imagine how many people Help Portrait could reach next year.

This year in Melbourne, we will reach over 100 guests. In Sydney we’ll reach over 300 guests. We will have 110 volunteers working across both events. Our guests will come from 8 different community organisations this year, an increase from 3 last year. There is amazing awareness of the project this year. The countdown is on and we’re really excited.

Help-Portrait Store open for business

2010-11-14T08:51:00.000+11:00

Worldwide News - The US based Help-Portrait store is open for business. Great shirts available to order online for just US$15 + shipping costs. Order online

Special and Beautiful people

2010-11-07T12:20:00.005+11:00

Worldwide News - We had to share this video from the Help-Portrait team in Dallas. We know you'll agree. It's awesome.

Help-Portrait Melbourne event, Sun 28 Nov, 2010

2010-10-18T09:10:00.001+11:00

Melbourne - WOW! When we announced a Help-Portrait Melbourne event months ago we didn't expect the response we've received. The Melbourne event is confirmed for Sunday 28 November, 2010. Locating a venue during the busy lead up to the holidays presented some challenges with over 30 venues being on our research list. We are thrilled to have received the kind donation of venue hire from Sun Studios Melbourne. If you wish to volunteer for the Melbourne event, please register your interest.

Great video collage of the 2009 events

2010-05-20T19:55:00.006+10:00

Worldwide News - The US team have produced this great collage of the inaugural Help-Portrait events around the world. Stay tuned for more news about our 2010 events shortly.

Help-Portrait Melbourne in 2010

2010-03-04T14:20:00.005+11:00

Melbourne - In 2009 US based photographer Jeremy Cowart inspired people around the world to unite and share their skills and time with those in need. Help-Portrait teams are already working on delivering events in 2010. Today, we are pleased to announce confirmation that a Help-Portrait event will be held on the 1^st weekend of December, 2010 in Melbourne. Over the coming months we will make announcements on the specific date, venue and other details. Right now, we would love to hear from people who wish to express an interest in being a volunteer.

What is Help-Portrait? (2009 Video)

2009-12-24T09:07:00.008+11:00

Worldwide News 2009 - In December 2009, thousands of photographers around the world came together to share their skills and give the gift of a portrait photo to those in need. It was a simple idea with a simple definition. Or so we thought. Help-Portrait became far more than that. Volunteers around the world were asked to explain what Help-Portrait was to them. Check it out.

A time of giving

2009-12-22T07:36:00.009+11:00

Sydney 2009 - Christmas is a time of giving and Help-Portrait is just one example of how people and companies come together to give back to the community. Today we're stopping to say Thank you to our many sponsors. People and companies who have given in time, goods and services and so enabled this project.

Uniting Communities Worldwide

2009-12-19T07:50:00.004+11:00

Worldwide News 2009 - The word is out and so are the numbers. The Help-Portrait movement worldwide touched the lives of nearly 50,000 (40,000 individual portraits and 8,300 Volunteers) people in 715 locations in 42 countries. Volunteer photographers, makeup artists and others came together to give the gift a photo, not take one. Founder, Jeremy Coward reflects “For many of our subjects across the world, Help-Portrait provided them with their first-ever family photo. However, we're consistently hearing from many photographers worldwide that this is the greatest thing they've ever done with their cameras."

Social Media played a big part in helping spread the word of this project, with Corwart having over 10,000 Twitter followers. The networks will be going off today as the 2010 date has been announced. Save the date 4 December, 2010. Read the full release.

Laughter, hugs and a few tears

2009-12-18T11:25:00.005+11:00

Sydney 2009 - While we are the sum of all our life experiences, most of those memories fade away as days roll into years. Then some days deliver life experiences that stay with you and can change the way you see things and each other. One of those days was the Help Portrait day in Sydney. Fifty volunteers, most of who had never met joined together to share the day with 120 individuals in 51 families. As was the gift of Help-Portrait events around the world, these families and volunteers shared life experiences filled with laughter, hugs and a few tears. These people and moments in time have left a lasting imprint and will inspire me and energize me to do more and to see things differently. Thank you. David Haysom

Its a wrap in Perth!

2009-12-16T17:35:00.005+11:00

Perth 2009 - After an intense weekend of shooting, I feel fantastic, albeit a little tired. On the day, I was joined by photographers, Jon Hammond, Jeremy Hall, Tom Crammond, and Talia Greenhalgh. And towards the end of the day, another photographer, Lucas Catalano joined the team as well. I so desperately wished throughout the day that I could take a few photographs documenting our efforts on the day but I was often out talking to people or taking portraits to give. There were a number of friends who dropped by to lend words of support. Some chose to have a portrait taken, others did not. We didn’t mind. The day wasn’t just about taking as many photos as possible. (We cracked the 100 mark.). Read more about the Perth event by Magdeline Lum. Stay tuned. Magdeline is already planning Help-Portrait Perth in 2010.
Photograph courtesy of Jon Hammond

Yikes! Order more chairs!

2009-12-11T21:43:00.006+11:00

Sydney 2009 - What Jeremy has done is help us all realise what a great opportunity we all have to give back into our communities. Cherelle Martin, the studio coordinator for the Sydney event said. The Sydney team have partnered with established organisations Mission Australia, Saint Vincent de Paul, the Sydney Children’s Hospital and The Salvation Army to confirm they have 177 Guests scheduled to be photographed on Sunday 13 December. Martin is just one of fifty volunteer Photographers, Makeup artists, Hair stylists and others making the Sydney event possible on Sunday 13 December.

Photographers capture the spirit of Christmas

2009-12-11T18:55:00.004+11:00

Australia 2009 - The Walkley Foundation, a non-profit body aimed at supporting and encouraging professional and ethical journalism take a look at the Help-Portrait Sydney event in an interview with one of the Sydney team. Check it out.

Get the gift at Perth Cultural Centre Markets

2009-12-10T05:47:00.008+11:00

Perth 2009 - Help-Portrait events come in different shapes and sizes, but all have the common goal of giving. In keeping with the spirit, Photographer Magdeline Lum, will be joined by four others Jon Hammond, Jeremy Hall, Tom Crammond and Talia Greenhalgh for a Help Portrait event at the Perth Cultural Centre on 12th and 13th of December, 2009. Recipients will be able to take home the photos on the day thanks to two print stations Magdeline and the team have setup.

Canberra team making it happen on 12.12.09

2009-12-09T17:53:00.005+11:00

Canberra 2009 - Just two weeks ago Canberra student Daniel de Witte decided the Help-Portrait project was a great way he could give back to his local community. While Daniel and his mates are hard at work finishing up studies in a Bachelor of Photography course, they've also been hard at work bringing together a Canberra Help-Portrait event.

The Canberra event will take place at a local youth drop in centre run by Anglicare. As is the way, they have the wonderful support of many including makeup artists from the Canberra Makeup Academy and a number of teachers from the institution they attend. Daniel is expecting to give the gift to 30 to 40 individuals on the day.

We love wonderful Supporters

2009-11-20T18:18:00.007+11:00

Sydney - At the core of the Help-Portrait movement is great volunteers, but these events can't happen without a logistical element. The Sydney team have announced a long list of organisations that have come to the party in providing goods and services to support the Sydney event being held on Sunday 13 December.

Aiello (Hair & Health) & team, Australian Technology Park, Coca-Cola Amatil, Coles, Fuji Film, Fuji Xerox, Gourmand du Morgan, Hire Intelligence, Jones XL, Moreton Hire, Off Site Connections, OzHarvest, Proj-X

Interested in being a corporate supporter or maybe a volunteer in 2010. register your interest.