Jessica Cole Photos
It had been years since Deborah Jackson, the head of a group of nine whom she introduced as “grandma and the bunch,” had gotten a photograph with her extended family. Thanks to Help-Portrait New Haven and a group of local volunteers, she and other local people received professional portraits for free.
Deborah Jackson, right, shows off her portrait with other members of her family.
“This was my Christmas present,” said Jackson while waiting for her second round of photographs with her family. “Santa came early.”
The event, Help-Portrait New Haven, took place Saturday, at the old Robby Len swimwear warehouse on State Street. It was the first local version of the global umbrella organization Help-Portrait. It is an annual event, founded by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart in 2009, when photographers around the world spend their day photographing those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to procure a high-quality print.
With even public school picture packages costing upwards of $50, volunteers stepped in to provide pictures to dozens of children whose parents would not otherwise be able to capture this moment of their childhood. Volunteers provided hair and makeup makeovers as desired, took and professionally edited hundreds of photos, and gave out both print and online copies, all for free.
From 11a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, the organizers took roughly 300 portraits with the goal of transforming people into their best selves and capturing them on camera. And the transformations could be astounding.
“They were not the same person from the front desk to the front of the camera,” said Lisa Trusdell, a friend of organizer Lindsay Branscombe, who volunteered at the event.
Courtesy of Lindsay Branscombe
The Help-Portrait New Haven volunteers.
Trusdell, who lives in Hamden, described the varied attendees she met as she worked the registration desk. Some were young, some old, some families. Branscombe had recruited some straight from the Green and other community gathering spaces and driven them. “I didn’t know the impact it was going to have,” she said. “Without a doubt this is going to be an annual event for me and my stepdaughter,” a volunteer at the hair station.
It was exactly the kind of reaction sought by Branscombe (pictured above), who led the day along with her photographer husband, Matt. The two had used Craigslist, churches, news outlets, recovery centers, and Columbus House to get the word out. She was all smiles as she dashed from one station to the other over the course of the day.
She said that she realized that some might question the utility of taking pictures at a time when so many need the basics of life such as food and shelter.
“It has nothing to do with what they need physically,” she stated. “It’s about feeding their soul. A lot of people right now, all they have are their families and each other,” and Help-Portrait gave them a way to capture what was most important to them for free.
Next year, Branscombe and her husband said, they hope to continue expanding the number of people photographed. Photographers are not allowed to use any of the portraits that they take for their portfolios; most supplies are donated.
Rich Rochlin (pictured below arranging the Jackson family), an attorney from Farmington who volunteered as an amateur photographer, already knows that he’ll be back. The people he met are sealed in his memory. One woman said that this was the first time in her entire life that she had had her picture taken.
“It was like we gave her a whole new outlook on life,” Rochlin said. “I could see it in her face. It made the day worth it for that moment alone.”
To learn more about Help-Portrait New Haven or to get involved, check out http://help-portraitnewhaven.com/ or email Lindsay Branscombe directly .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
