Authentic, Non-Traditional Family Photos, For a Good Cause
NOVEMBER 23-24 + NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 1, 2024
2024 - YEAR TEN!!
Way back in 2011, we started a family portrait project in my old Fitchburg, Massachusetts studio space. The goal was to bring friends and family together for quick, simple, fun, and stylish photo shoots around the holidays. We had a few good years, and I was lucky in that I was able to reconnect with folks I hadn’t seen in a while, as well as make some new friends.
As my work shifted from weddings, families, and a little bit of commercial photography, to no weddings, limited families, and all commercial photography, I realized I was missing the joy of working with and seeing my friends as their lives changed and their little ones grew.
So we brought the project back in 2015, and it gained so much momentum. We did it again in 2016, we did it AGAIN in 2017, and AGAIN AGAIN in 2018. I don't see it ever actually stopping. Like always, we're doing it for a good cause. Actually, three good causes. For 2019, at least $100 of every $110 shoot fee gets donated.
We donated a total of $2400 to these charities in 2015. I couldn't have been happier, and more humbled by everyone's support of the project. For 2016 we went bigger, raising $10,000. My goal for 2017 was to match that $10,000, and ideally, push it a bit higher. We raised $15,000 in 2017. For 2018, we raised $16,500. In 2019 We raised close to $18,000. In 2020, I'm not entirely sure how much we raised, because we started a new policy of having the participants donate directly to their preferred charities. A good estimate is $13,000.
For 2021 we brought back the same "donate to whom you choose" concept, and with keeping better track of pledges, we raised just under $15,000.
That brought our seven year donation total to ~$89, 817! Unbelievable!
In 2022, year eight (if you can believe it) we smashed through the $100,000 donation amount with a total of $21,202, bringing us to $111,000 total.
For 2023 we raised $15,800 and when you factor in Giving Tuesday matches and company matches, that brought our total to $29,477!
In actual, non-matched donations, our nine year total is $126,870.
I am as always, grateful, humbled, shocked, pumped, and ready for this year's adventure!
THX...XOXOXOXOXOX
-ed