Free Biz Shots – Gaining Momentum!

I know I promised an informational post about lighting flowers and I will be writing that as soon as I am finished this post. I just have to tell you all how many people are truly inspired by this little project of mine.

I have gotten positive feedback from unemployed people, other photographers, the local TV news (well, 2 out of 4 of them anyway), you name it! I have gotten calls from across the country and e-mails from around the world! On my way to Vermont last Friday I had to pull over 3 times just to take calls about the Free Business Portraits for the Unemployed! This ‘working vacation’ has turned out to be more working than vacation!
But you know, I don’t mind. If this is what working is all about, I have been missing something for the last 30 years. I am consumed by this project. I am so proud to be giving something to people that makes them feel good. Add to that the desire of other photographers to also do the same thing! I just found one this morning that says on their page that they are “considering doing the same thing”. Follow Troutman Photography on Twitter and encourage them to do it. The rewards are amazing!

The project has gotten write ups from Picture Soup and one of my favorite people Beate Chelette who has worked with one of my idols, Helmut Newton. The project itself may become something greater than it already is if people all over the world set dates and do this too! Imagine if at least one photographer in one major city in every state in the US and one major city in every country were to pick up their cameras for free for just one day to give back to their local area. Imagine the energy and the positive emotions that would flow out to the world. Can you imagine it? I can.

To have many more people take the Free Biz Shots to the next level would be the ultimate compliment to me and a fantastic benefit for all the people out of work. I want to dream of it and I want to hear from all the photographers out there that are thinking about doing it. I want to give them all my experience and tell them how to get the idea rolling in their cities and neighborhoods. I want to see the smiles on all the faces of all the people who have their pictures taken and all the smiles from those helping take the pictures. I could go on for hours!

But not right now. I owe you all a blog entry on lighting flowers. After another cup of coffee, I will work on that.

Until then, and I truly, truly mean this, Happy Shooting!