Not satisfied merely running his successful celebrity photography business, Jeremy Cowart  launched an organization called Help-Portrait last year. The mission of Help-Portrait is simple, yet profound. Find someone in need and take their portrait. This December 4th, a worldwide movement will be taking place again.

You can watch the video of last year’s mission before reading how to get involved with this year’s mission!

The Back Story:

Hey everyone! We are Help-Portrait – Photographers worldwide uniting using their time, skill, and equipment to give back to their community through Help-Portrait. This is a movement of both professional and amateur photographers from all backgrounds hoping to make a difference during the holiday season. Celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart wanted to give back to the less fortunate during the holidays last year. He wanted to use his talent of photography. He thought why couldn’t the community of photographers get involved and make this a shift in thinking of not TAKING photos but GIVING them. It was simple and people joined in very quickly with the use of Social Media (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook).

Help-Portait idea:
1. Find someone in need
2. Take their portrait
3. Print their portrait
4. Deliver their portrait

Last year the inaugural event took place December 12, 2009 across the world. The results were life inspiring.
41,000 portraits given
8400+ photographers & volunteers
715 locations in 42 countries

Want to get involved?
Simple – go to the website and sign up to be a part of the community (http://www.help-portrait.com). You’ll be connected with a Help-Portrait leader who will get you involved in your local area. Each Help-Portrait location is independent in what they choose to photograph, etc. but everyone will try to have the event on or around the same day internationally – 04 December 2010. The site will be re-launching soon to get the community reunited.

The idea behind H-P is so simple and so easy for anyone to get involved — you don’t even have to be a photographer! Each area needs make-up artists, hair stylists, volunteers with huge hearts. We want each community to embrace the idea and run with it — the sky is the limit on what can be done. We had people photographing children in hospitals, single parent families, girls with eating disorders, elderly, homeless and families who have been recently reunited — we even had pet photos taken last year!

Here are some amazing quotes from last year:

“On December 12th, cultural borders were crossed on one side of the camera and competitive borders on the other. I honestly don’t know which side of the camera was blessed more. 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.”
– Jeremy Cowart, founder

“Poverty steals a lot of things, like your home, car and food, but it also steals something on the inside. Help-Portrait feeds that something on the inside.”
– Annie Downs, Help-Portrait Event Coordinator

“The portrait represented where I’m going, not where I’ve been.”
– Phillip Jackovich, Help-Portrait subject

“Today was the one of the best days I have had as a photographer and as a human being.”
–Kwame Reed Photographer

To get involved visit Help-Portrait online here.