This was my first time to be invited to the Volunteer Appreciation Lunch & Awards Ceremony for the City of Pacific Grove because I just became a commissioner on the Traffic Safety Committee earlier this year. So the invitation came as a very nice surprise! It was an honor to be included in an event recognizing people who give their time and energy to the city. As always, I brought my camera even though I was just attending as a guest. Deputy City Manager, Joyce Halabi, is someone I often see at various city events getting photos too, so I asked her if it was ok to get some shots of the awards ceremony. She said yes, and helped coordinate the photo ops as well. Thank you to the whole team at City Hall that helped put this together for the volunteers. Being there as both a volunteer and a photographer felt especially meaningful, and I was glad to help document a small part of what makes Pacific Grove such a special community.
For the third year in a row, and the fourth time overall, I volunteered in Help-Portrait. This annual event happens in cities all over the country where photographers, editors, and organizers give back in the form of making portraits for families. The organizers were really, really good this year as there were at least triple the people that were able to visit Help-Portrait! Here are some of the families I photographed including a 4 day old baby!
I had my third opportunity to participate in Help-Portrait, a national day of volunteering where photographers and others meet to provide a free professional portrait, to people in their local community who otherwise may not be able to afford professional photography. My first time was back in 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida in a space jam packed with photographers. This was my second year in a row in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but first time getting to shoot. Last year I only helped out with editing. This year with shooting it was great to know that something I helped with will be on that family’s wall for years to come.
