The past two weeks Seniorologie, Fotolanthropy and Altar’d State have been accepting nominations for an inspiring and deserving teen to give the gift of photography to this holiday season. We have gotten some incredible stories submitted and our hearts have gone out to each one of these teens.  I can’t wait to share with you some of these and I am so excited to be able to join the Fotolanthropy Team and Altar’d State to photograph, video and tell one of these stories.

We will be showcasing a story each day this week, and I know that everyone reading this blog, along with Fotolanthropy’s blog, will be inspired by these amazing teens.

Today, I wanted to share with you how you can do something similar with your own photography business within your community.  The giving season is upon us and most of us (I have been guilty of this too) think about our shopping lists, buying those tangible gifts that we give our sisters, brothers, moms, dads, kids, nieces and nephews.  We are not necessarily thinking about our photography as a gift to someone that deserves it.

In our business, clients come to us to take photos around this time of year to document another holiday season.  They want a photo of their family or kids to send out on a Christmas card.  Photography is normal to them and they get photos taken at least every year, if not more.  This is great for us as photographers and for our business.  However, do we ever really stop to think about what they are truly getting?  Or, do we think about those that maybe don’t get their photos taken that often?

I think this time of year is a great time to stop and think.  Think about what photography really means and how it is truly a gift that allows families, seniors and others to have a memory.  A tangible photo that takes them back to that day, that time, that happy point in their lives.  Sometimes photos can literally transport you to that day and sometimes photos can make you smile the same smile you did that day!

I have lots of repeat clients that come to me throughout the years and I love that.  But there are a few times when someone comes to me for something more than to just capture that year in the life of their kids.  What about the neighbor that wants a photo shoot with her Dad because he is going through cancer and she isn’t sure how much longer he has?  What about the mom that wants to capture a moment with her kids before she loses her hair in her battle against the disease?  What about the family that has lost something near and dear to them or is in financial trouble but would love nothing more than to document their family because despite their troubles they have each other?  What about the teen that has been through so much and came out of it better, stronger and more willing to take on what life throws at her?

There is someone in every community that deserves the gift of photography.  No matter what the reason, they deserve photos that document them in their lives at this moment.  Something to treasure for a lifetime.

So how can you implement a program within your own business that will allow you to give this season?  There are many different ways to do this but I think putting something out on your blog and facebook and asking for nominations is the way to start.  Ask for nominations of a deserving family or senior.  If you are specifically a senior photographer, ask your reps to help spread the word that you are giving away a senior photo session this holiday season.

Give them the works…hair and makeup, team with a local boutique to provide the clothing and come up with a unique location that this senior would love.  Share their story and give them a day that really makes them feel beautiful.

Set up a nomination form through Mach Form or any other online digital form system.  Ask questions about why the nominator feels that this senior deserves to win this session.  Get your reps involved to help you determine which senior should win.  There are so many possibilities with this!

Fotolanthropy does an amazing job of giving the gift of photography on a grand scale.  Through their organization, they give the gift of photography to families, soldiers, couples adopting babies and now teens.  They travel all over the country to photograph and film these stories and they truly do an amazing job!!  I am so excited to be a part of it because I absolutely love what they do.

Another photographer that I am great friends with does this within her own community.  So I asked her to share her program so you, the reader, could get a lot of information on different ways to set this up.  That way, you can come up with something that works best for you, your business and your community.

Amii Wroblewski, a senior photographer in Dallas and also one our our speakers at Seniorologie Tour Texas as well as a teacher on Clickin Moms, shares her thoughts on her program below.  I think that with all of these different options on how you can give back, you are sure to find one that works for you and start your own GIVING program this holiday season!

Last year, I was really wanting to do something amazing for a current senior and was really struggling with how to give back.  Since it was November, I figured it was an amazing time to really work on incorporating the giving nature of people during the holidays.  After brainstorming some ideas on how to get it to work, I decided that there was some criteria on how I wanted to go about doing a give-away.

The most important thing to me is that I really wanted to honor a senior that did a lot of good in her community, church, school, etc.  In a day and age where it seems that all we hear about in the news are horrible things, I wanted to focus on those that were doing the opposite and striving to put their own footprint of good deeds in this world.  I ended up with a nomination process where others would write a short essay (only needed to be a paragraph or two) to nominate someone that fit the criteria I was looking for.

I received an amazing essay that was actually from a local photographer and she nominated a truly amazing young woman who was using her God-given talents as a musician to help orphans in another country.  I was blown away by the accomplishments of this senior who truly had a passion for others and it was through another person’s eyes that I could see this passion.

Once I had decided on this particular senior girl as the winner, it was so incredibly heart-warming and also humbling to hear the reaction of the senior’s mom when I called her to give the great news that they had won.  She was overwhelmed with gratitude and sincerely thankful that her daughter had been selected as the winner.  I can’t tell you how nice it was to know that I had made a good choice!

It’s been about 9 months since I worked with this family and even to this day, I will receive encouraging notes from the mom or see updates on what amazing things this now-college freshman is up to.  Now that I have my first give-away under my belt, I’m excited to see the response for my 2nd annual give-away that I’m getting ready to post this week!

Here is the blog post on the details of the give-away:  http://www.amiiwroblewski.com/2011/11/14/giving-thanks-for-a-giving-senior/

And here was the winning essay blog post:  http://www.amiiwroblewski.com/2012/01/08/winner-of-the-giving-senior-give-away/

Have fun with this and know that you will be giving someone so much more than just a photo shoot!  You will be giving them the gift of everlasting memories!!  And you will be giving yourself something too!  “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.”  – Ben Carson