The holiday season may be over, but it doesn't mean that you can't keep giving to local organizations. While you could easily donate your time to a cause and do any old volunteer work for them, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities that involve photography. Depending on what you want to do, you could stay local, travel, and even help a child in need of a little guidance. By giving your time and skills to help a cause you believe in, you can hone your photographic skills while also feeling good helping others. Whether you donate your photographic skills, mentor a young person in need of a bit of encouragement, or help out at a local art competition, you can always find a volunteer opportunity to help fill your desire to give of yourself to others.
Donating Your Time as a Photographer
Photographers are generous people, right? I know we sure love sharing our photos and our techniques with other photographers, but what about helping people by lending them your skills as a photographer? For most opportunities, it's a good chance to hone your skills and also give back to a cause you believe in.
If you are interested in helping out at animal shelters, you may find that the local shelter is in need of someone to come in on a regular basis to help photograph the animals and post them on the website. Many pet shelters post photos of available companions to Petfinder and are always looking for help in getting photos up quickly. Being able to get photos up on the site easily is often integral when it comes to getting potential adopters to visit the shelter and look at the pets in person. You can find shelters by doing a local search on Petfinder and calling or e-mailing them to inquire if they are looking for volunteers to help photograph pets.
NGOs (Nongovernmental Organizations)
Not interested in helping at an animal shelter? There are a host of other photography-related volunteer programs, including travel abroad to help document humanitarian efforts overseas. For those of you in the US, one great site to check is InterAction, a site that compiles many great volunteer opportunities by NGOs or Nongovernmental Organizations. If you do decide to go abroad as a volunteer, it's important to make sure that you are very clear on the requirements and fully undertsand the risks involved. It may help if you do some volunteer work with the organization in your home country to familiarize yourself with the group before inquiring about going abroad with them. For some tips on volunteering with an NGO, you can read some tips in on the Transitions Abroad site.
Mentoring
When it comes to volunteering, another good way to give of yourself is to donate your time to helping out a child in the community through a mentor program. Photography may be a good creative outlet for plenty of kids who just need something to do with their time to keep them out of trouble. Some museums and galleries, like SF Camerawork, may have a local mentor program that pairs you up with a young person in need of a little guidance and encouragement. You do not necessarily need to be a very good photographer, but you do need to be enthusiastic about helping young people and willing to commit to the program.
Getting Involved in Local Competitions
You can often find local art or photography competitions for students or even professionals that are looking for help. Even if you don't get the vote on the panel for the winners, they may need you to help promote the competition or perform administrative tasks, among other things. It's one great way to get involved with your local art scene and find other people who are trying to promote art and education in your area. The best places to check are art galleries and high school and college art departments that may know about local competitions in your area.
Volunteering may not always be glamorous, but it will give you those good feelings inside when you give back to the community and help others.
