Free portraits? Why would you do that?
When I was 12 years old, I lost my mother and step-father when our house burned down on Christmas morning. We lost everything in that fire. Because of that, I only have a handful of photos of my mom, and only two images of her and me together.
40 years later, I'm in a position to help make sure even families who normally couldn't afford it now have access to beautiful pictures of the people they love. The Free Portrait Project is my way of making sure they do.
How do I get free portraits for my family?
It's really straightforward.
1. Sign up for my email newsletter
2. When I'm offering a free session day, I'll send out an email.
3. Sign up for any open timeslot.
4. On session day, arrive at the location ten minutes early and be ready to shoot - your family or children will have 5 minutes in front of the camera.
5. You'll receive up to 5 high-res images within 3 business days.
Yup, it's that simple!
No need to prove you’re struggling. If you’re reaching out asking for free portraits, I’ll take your word for it. Sure, some people will try to get free photos when they can actually afford to hire me, but that’s OK. It will all balance out in the end.
Is it really free, though?
100% free! There are no fees for you at all.
These session days do cost me money to provide, so I will never turn down a tip, but please know: a tip is *never* required.
What You Receive
You’ll get 5 gorgeous, fully-edited, custom images in full resolution! There are no prints included, but you are welcome to print the images anywhere you like. I shoot these sessions with the same care and professionalism I give to clients paying hundreds of dollars, so you’ll be sure to get shots you’ll love.
If you don’t think you need free portraits but my full $499 sessions are too expensive, I also offer a $299 session, with 15 images and a half hour session length.
How Did This All Come To Be?
Not long after the pandemic was announced, I joined a Facebook group dedicated to “sponsoring” kids with gift baskets – many of them had to skip graduation ceremonies and were feeling down because of the pandemic. At the time, I didn’t have the money to sponsor kids, but I knew I wanted to do something to pitch in. It didn’t take long for me to realize I could help in a big way – I made a post committing to donate portrait sessions to every family in that group. The response was huge and immediate, and after seeing all the happiness and smiles these new photos were causing, I knew this was something I wanted to offer forever.
Not Just For Families!
If you are a non-profit organization that focuses on low income, under-served or at-risk youth and their families, I’d love to offer your organization free photography as well! Whether it’s portrait sessions for the people you serve, staff photos for your organization or event photography, I’m happy to help when and where I can.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to serving you!
Namu