The Help Portrait: taking a photo shows people they matter

A simple photo is all it takes to show people they haven’t been forgotten by society. Nicola Depuis meets the people behind The Help Portrait.

IN our selfie-saturated world, it’s easy to forget there are people out there who haven’t have a photo taken of themselves in years. They are society’s forgotten people — the sick, the elderly, the lonely.

But a global movement called The Help Project has set out to change all that. And it’s coming to Cork.

Photographers, hairdressers, beauticians, stylists and volunteers will come together to provide those in need with a day of pampering, as well as a printed portrait.

Defining those in need as “the homeless, elderly, children in a children’s hospital, army vets, the old woman next door that you’ve never spoken to, anyone who could do with a gift”, 34-year-old celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart, the creator of The Help Portrait, believes that in our “selfie” saturated society, where we’re conscious that every photo will more than likely end up on Facebook, it’s easy to forget that there are people out there who haven’t had their photo taken in years, if not decades.

“When you take a picture of the forgotten, their only thought is... you wanna do what? You wanna take a picture of me? Do you understand how ignored I have been by society my entire life?”

Since its inception in 2009, photographers around the world under the Help Portrait banner have taken over 283,000 portraits in 2,128 locations across 37 countries including Ubuntu, South Africa, El Salavador and Ireland.

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and be like, ‘Man, I toured with Britney, how ’bout that’,” says Cowart. “There’s much more to me in this life. And if I’m going to have a platform as a photographer, if people are going to watch me, then I don’t want to absorb that light. I want to hold up a board and say ‘Thank you for listening, but look what’s going on over here’.”

This May 4, photographer Karen Lunnon is spearheading a Help Portrait event in the Bubble Rooms Rehearsal Studios, Cork. With the same motivations as founder Jeremy Cowart, Karen wants to pay forward the many kindnesses she has received in the past year when, following a cervical cancer scare, her boyfriend, fitness instructor Robbie O’Driscoll, raised enough money through a Fund-It campaign page to buy her a camera, as her own camera was broken. “He raised €1,000 with the help of lots of amazing and kind people, to whom I am forever grateful,” says Karen, who has worked with the 96fm Street Fleet for the past eight years.

“But before my birthday I received a phonecall to say there was a package at work for me. My dream camera, a Canon 5D Mark3, had been left anonymously with a birthday card. I was in complete and utter shock. I still have no idea who it came from.

“I was a photographer without a camera... not anymore,” she adds, smiling. “As they say, surround yourself with the positive and kind people. Robbie restored my faith in human kind. The love I received has literally changed my life and I want to do the same for someone else.”

Having enlisted the help of other photographers, hairdressers, barbers, make-up artists and Cork-based milliner Aoife Potter-Cogan, whose vintage-inspired hats and fascinators will be available on the day for those who wish to wear them while getting their portraits taken, Karen and her team of volunteers are busy receiving nominations for people to partake in the day.

On the day, participants can expect musicians, magicians, comedians, face-painters and hair, make-up, hats and a photo shoot. There are also plans to have free coats available to take away, as well as free toys for the children.

“The aim is to make it a day to remember, not just a moment,” explains Belfast-born Karen. “We simply want to show them that they count, they matter and they are not forgotten. As a photographer, I want to use my talent to its potential which in my world means for a better good. I know first-hand how lonely and hard life can be, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Just a simple act of kindness can ultimately change someone’s life forever. The wife who sees her portrait may find the confidence to go back to work or to dance with her husband again. An elderly man may feel warmth and companionship after spending the day getting pampered. For a sick child, it could be an opportunity to laugh.

“Talents are shared, love is shared… anything else after that is a bonus.”

* To find out more about the Help Portrait Cork event or to make a nomination contact: [e-mail]