Last year I took part in a worldwide event called Help Portrait on the 12.12.09. I thought about it again yesterday and wanted to start planning for this year’s event well ahead of the time. What the event entails is photographers giving a day of work back to someone who needs it. You find a person, take their photo, print it and give it back to them.

There is something to taking a portrait. There is a connection between the you and the subject that is sometimes difficult to explain. As photographers we’re trained to focus on the eyes and when you’re looking through a viewfinder and have a limited field of view, those eyes can speak more words than encyclopaedias. Last year I went with a group and we took portraits of babies, toddlers, teenagers, parents and grandparents in Wallacedean in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. It was the complete opposite to what I expected, there were poses and smiles and so much happiness in an environment that feels so sad to people from the outside. I’ve posted some of these images before, but I’m posting them again, because these eyes told me so many stories.

*If you’re interested in joining me for this year’s event send me an email and I’ll keep you up to date. Also, register on the Help Portrait website and join the South Africa group to find out about events that will be happening in South Africa, or search for a group that’s located in your part of the world.

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