The Free Portrait Initiative

Free portrait days on the central coast!

In 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic, hundreds of students across the central coast were having to skip their graduations. Many people were donating gift baskets to seniors to ease the sting of missing such an important milestone. I wanted to help out, too, but the pandemic had completely shut down my photography business, so I didn't have the money to do even one gift basket.

What I could do though? I could donate my photography to the kids and families dealing with all the stress and change.

And you know what? I enjoyed the response from the community so much that I decided to keep giving my photography away to the community...and that's how The Free Portrait Initiative came to be.

Scroll down to learn more!

Regardless of income, everyone deserves to have beautiful photos of their family...

...and to help that happen, I’ve donated over 190 portrait sessions since 2020.

THE PROCESS IS EASY-PEASY

Four steps. No paperwork.

Join the mailing list

Free session days are announced by email.

Claim a timeslot

Slots are limited so families can move through quickly.

Show up and shoot

Sessions are short, friendly and focused on making good portraits.

Receive your photos!

Each session includes at least 5 finished custom images.

MORE ABOUT ME

I'm Namu.

I’m bald, I've got a big belly and I love sushi and my son. In that order - sorry kiddo, lol.

All jokes aside - not only did I grow up in poverty in West Virginia, I also currently live below the poverty line (it's been a long, slow climb back from the pandemic), so I understand the challenges you face when you're barely making enough to survive. When you're laser-focused on keeping the lights on and the kids fed, professional photography is not only not a priority, it often doesn't even make it on the list.

My goal is to make sure you get at least a few gorgeous portraits of you and your kids.

I TRY TO KEEP IT EASY.

There's only one rule: you're currently low income.

That doesn't mean you have to be dead broke, it just means you're struggling to get by. I don't need you to show me your ID or pay stubs or your EBT card, if you say you need these portraits, I've got you.