Welcome to the Photog Buzz

Welcome to my blog... the Photog Buzz!  In life you pretty much have two choices: you can think about doing something... or you can actually do it!  That's where I'm at with this blog.  I have always wanted to get involved in charity at a little bit deeper level then writing a check or volunteering my time for a day.  I have thought about it and talked about it with my wife for years, but I have never done anything about it.  What with owning my own business (non-photography) and raising five kids, I just always seemed to be too busy.  And the years went by.

I finally decided that I had talked about it long enough, it was time to do something.  So what could I do for charity that I would really enjoy?  I love photography and creating portraits, so I decided to offer portraits for charity... and thus, "Portraits for Water" was born.  I chose to support charity: water with my "Portraits for Water" campaign because 100% of your donation goes towards building wells for people who don't have access to clean, safe drinking water.  Something most of us take for granted without giving it a second thought.  All administrative costs for charity: water are paid for through corporate sponsorships.

This is a work in progress.  It is kind of exciting... but at the same time I don't know if anyone will even be interested in what I'm trying to do.  But you know what they say... "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

So here we go!  Check back in every now and then if you want to see how things are going!

Ryan
Member: Professional Photographers of America

"Portraits for Water"... How It Works

The "Portraits for Water" concept is simple... create a beautiful studio or location portrait, but rather then charge for the portrait session and prints, we ask that you make a donation to charity: water on behalf of the Photog Buzz.  Our goal is to raise $5,000... enough to build a freshwater well in a village and provide 250+ people with clean drinking water.  How cool is that!

You can visit this blog and track our progress towards achieving this goal.  We suggest a $50 donation for a portrait sitting.

At this time we are offering photography sessions by appointment only.  If you are interested in scheduling an appointment you may contact us at photogbuzz@charterinternet.com  We will contact you shortly after receiving your request.

Click here if you would like to learn more about charity:water and their extraordinary efforts.

The Idea Behind the "Portraits for Water" Campaign

For years now my wife and I have been going on a weekly "date night" to the Outback Steak House.  With five kids at home, this chance to get together and reconnect is a very important part of our routine.  Besides that, Outback has a really great Tilapia dish and the seared tuna appetizer is fantastic! 

For as long as I can remember, one of things my wife and I have discussed is my desire to do something for charity that goes beyond just writing a check.  We have always been pretty good about supporting our kid's schools and the various fund raisers they are involved in, but I always felt like I wanted to do just a little bit more, and perhaps... just a little bit different.  In fact, I talked about it for so long that my wife finally got tired of hearing about it.  You can only "talk" for so long... eventually you need to "do".

We own a successful landscape architectural firm, but over the years I have also pursued my passion for photography, going so far as to set up a fully operational portrait studio.  I always figured that when I "retired" from landscape architecture I would do portait photography.  I have been content doing photography "on the side."  Over time people have found out about my "side" passion and mention that they want to have me do a family portrait for them.  I also take a lot of photos at local sporting events and am frequently asked by parents if they can pay me for some photos of their kid?  I always say... don't worry about it, I'll just email the pictures to you.

The more I thought about it, though, I started thinking that instead of saying "no" when people make the offer, why not say "sure," and donate that money to charity.  That it how the idea for the "Portraits for Water" campaign was born.

If you want to learn more about having a portrait done for charity click here, or on "PFC... How It Works!" in the blog sidebar.