Paying it forward during difficult times

Writing a bit of a different blog with week with the hope that it may inspire people to do something.

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a nationwide one-day event to provide headshots to people who lost their jobs due to Covid-19. The goal for the over 200 participating photographers was to create 10,000 headshots, and it was a huge success. At our location at the Natick Mall here in MA (a shoutout to Brookfield Properties, owner of the mall, who graciously donated the space and support staff to assist both here in Natick as well as locations throughout the US), a team of 4 photographers created headshots for around 100 people.

The media has covered the story of the unemployed, the sick, the work/stress/sacrifice of frontline medical personnel dealing with Covid patients. But being face to face with someone who has been directly affected by the pandemic brings a different level of reality to the situation. These are not images or sound bites, or words on a page. These are real people. And some of them have been

People have lost their jobs irrespective of age, education, level of success, industry etc.. The people I “shot” ranged from a Cornell engineering school graduate who had started an engineering position at a startup fall and was laid off as part of a broad layoff, to a mid-level/mid career software development manager, to an experienced sales executive selling web-based services, to the massage therapist who’s been out of work since March.

For many, it’s the first time they’ve been laid off or needed to look for a job. Many had stable, successful careers and have always been able to find work. This time is different, with the high rate of unemployment and an uncertain future that is not tied directly to economic factors.  

Other people I worked with told me they had contracted the virus and talked about the weeks of recovery, and still not feeling 100%. And they consider themselves the lucky ones.

I’m so proud to have been part of this initiative, and to have worked with the great group of photographers (who are normally competition!) to have helped people. As someone who gets great satisfaction in helping people, I have mixed emotions from the day – feeling good that I think I contributed to people’s lives, and still a feeling of sadness that people are struggling. And having been there myself in a past life, I can empathize.

I also know that the work we did will help these people – and these gestures usually come back around. Whether from the connections made with those people we helped, the publicity from our work, or just the positive energy of contributing/working, this was well worth the investment we made.

So here’s my ask – if you’re a business owner, do you have something you can do to help, even as your own business struggles. It’s no secret that the business of photography, like many other businesses, have been greatly affected by the pandemic. But events like this prove that you can still do something with your skills and talent to help. It doesn’t have to be a national event – and it doesn’t have to involve hundreds of people – but if we all take it upon ourselves to pay it forward, even just a slight amount, then we can make a difference – and feel better about having done so.