The PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA) recently announced that it is calling for volunteer studio photographers throughout the country to participate in its annual “Portraits of Love Project“, which offers families of deployed military free portraits for the holiday season.
Photographers who volunteer their time will be asked to photograph families stateside and then upload the images to FujiFilm’s SeeHere.com, from which prints will be shipped free of charge to both the family and deployed military personnel. Interested photographers can sign up through the Portraits of Love Project website.
Launched through a joint effort between the photography industry organization PMDA and Soldiers’ Angels, a grassroots volunteer organization serving military families, the Portraits of Love Project provides professional photographers, photo enthusiasts and portrait studios an opportunity to use their talents and resources to show their appreciation for those serving abroad. The PMDA’s nationwide network of volunteer photographers will be asked to open their studios to military families from October 1, 2010 through November 30, 2010. All images will be printed and shipped to overseas personnel in time for the holidays.
“Last year we had more than 400 photographers host portrait sessions for military families on bases and in studios throughout the country,” said Joellyn Gray, President of the PMDA and Director of Marketing at FUJIFILM. “This year we hope to expand the effort and help deliver a small taste of home to those deployed overseas during the holiday season.”
This coast-to-coast volunteer effort represents the second phase of the 2010 Portraits of Love Project. The initiative kicked off in early September with event sponsor JCPenney Portraits opening all of its studios to military families for free portrait sessions. In its continuing effort to bring military families and photographers together, the PMDA will also be organizing on-base portrait sessions on various military installations. For a complete listing of participating local photo studios, and more information on the participating bases, families and photographers are encouraged to visit the Portraits of Love Project website.
