goodcause

Jared Polin is Giving Away $92,000 in Camera Gear

Photographer and YouTuber Jared Polin (AKA FroKnowsPhoto) has announced one of the biggest camera gear giveaways the Internet has ever seen. He's giving away 50 camera kits worth a total of $92,000 to young people who could use the help.

How I Left My Banking Job to Become a Photographer for Good Causes

In the summer of 2017, I received an invitation from my CEO at Barclays India, Uma Krishnan, who was interested in collecting some of my award-winning photography work. In order to avoid giving away my photographs for free, I asked her to contribute some amount towards her favorite social cause, and this is how the idea for Create4Cause was born.

Shooting K9 Charity Calendar Photos for the Waterloo Police

The classic cop story: a devious crime, a detailed investigation, an exciting high-speed chase, an intense interrogation, a news conference with flashing popping as the police show off their impressive bust… except this one involves more drool, flying fur, and a gruesome pile of bones -- dog bones, that is.

Focusing the Lens on a Clean Drinking Water Project in Kenya

In 2018, the NYC camera superstore Adorama sponsored 8 water tanks in collaboration with the non-profit Ubuntu Life to bring easier access to clean water to the Maasai tribe of Kenya. Photographer, Sony ambassador, and travel guide Erin Sullivan visited the country to capture the human stories of the effort and to discuss ethical travel photography.

These Photos Show How Much Plastic Enters the Ocean Every 60 Seconds

Photographer Benjamin Von Wong recently came across a statistic that shocked him: "Every 60 seconds, the equivalent of a truckload of plastic enters the ocean." Wanting to make a difference, Von Wong decided to toss an actual truckload of plastic into the ocean to create photos showing the magnitude of the problem.

Shooting a Most Special Wedding on 24-Hour Notice

The other day, there was a posting on Facebook by a groom "putting it out there," hoping on a long shot that he could find somebody to shoot their wedding on very, very short notice.

Photographer Turns 4,100 Pounds of E-Waste into Surreal Portraits

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is the endless low of discarded electronic devices that are thrown out on a daily basis around the world. To raise awareness of this ever-growing problem, photographer Benjamin Von Wong got his hands on 4,100 pounds of e-waste and used it to create a set of amazing surreal portraits.

Portraits of a Couple Who Spent Their Wedding Money Loving Africa

"If you have someone that you think is the one," the comedian Bill Murray once said, "don’t just sort of think in your ordinary mind, 'Okay, let's make a date. Let's plan this and make a party and get married.' Take that person and travel around the world."

A Photo of Bobby: Using Photography to Make a Difference for Others

My name is Eli Dreyfuss. I'm a professional portrait photographer and documentary filmmaker attending Florida Atlantic University and studying film. This past month at my university (FAU), I had the honor and privilege of producing a short film about a man named Bobby.

You Can Donate Your Old Camera Gear to Help At-Risk Children

Sony is partnering with the Photo Start foundation to encourage people to donate used (and new) working cameras, lenses, and accessories to help at-risk children around the world. The project uses photography to teach and improve self-reliance, self-esteem, and self-confidence.

Tombo’s Wound: Portraits of a Sierra Leone Village Without Clean Water

Unity over adversity. It’s a running theme in the story of Tombohuaun, translation “Tombo’s Wound,” a remote village tucked into the jungle of Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province. The community’s founding legend states that a villager named Tombo cut his foot on a catfish in the river, and the then chief ordered the fish to be caught and killed. Back then, as now, the community came together to put things right: they caught the fish, ate it, and went on to name the town after this symbolic triumph.

Photo Shoot Raises Awareness of Toxic Laundry Water

Benjamin Von Wong, a viral photographer turned environmentalist, has released a new project to raise awareness about "toxic laundry" that is full of plastic. An estimated 94% of American tap water contains invisible plastic fibers, and Von Wong felt compelled to do something about it.

Portraits of the Overlooked Black Dogs at Animal Shelters

Black dogs are commonly overlooked at animal shelters. They're the last to be adopted and the most likely to be euthanized. Photographer Shaina Fishman has taken it upon herself to shine light on this problem and raise awareness, hope, and love for these dogs.

I Never Shoot Photos for Free, But This is Why I Did

One of the often recurring discussions among professional photographers is whether or not we should ever work for free. I’ve been known to rail against those who do and against clients who request free pictures... so why did I recently waive my own rule?

Aerial Photos of Wildfire Victims Lying in Their Burned Down Homes

In November 2016, wildfires broke out near Great Smoky Mountains National Park and devastated the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, claiming 14 lives and over 2,000 homes and businesses. Nashville-based photographer Jeremy Cowart recently decided to use his camera to help bring healing and awareness to the area's victims.

What Do You Do when Someone Steals Your Photo for ‘A Good Cause’?

In about one week, we will mark the anniversary of the most traumatic and violent piece of French history in the last decades. On the 13th of November, 2015, several coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Paris, less than a year after the attacks against the newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

A Look at One Woman’s Mission to #GivePhotos to the Impoverished

Given the utter ubiquity of photography in the USA, most Americans probably don’t view photography as special. But in impoverished areas around the world, personal photos can be rare. On visits to her birthplace of Kolkata, India, Bipasha Shom frequently took portraits of people she met, and she was struck by how many people lacked access to a camera and had no family photos of her own.

Shooting an HIV Prevention Campaign to Save Others

I can’t remember when it happened, but there was a point in my career that I started to ask the question: "Who could my photography help?"

It wasn’t that I had made so much money that I didn’t need it. It was because the idea that someone else’s life was better because of what I did meant so much to me. Perhaps it is the progression that is a photographic career, but my portfolio seemed less important than my legacy.

Photographer Pledges $3 for Each FB Share, Will Give $15,000 After Photo Goes Viral

On Monday, Australian wedding photographer Edwina Robertson posted a photo (seen above) on Facebook and made a crazy pledge. For every "share" the photo received over the following 24 hours, Robertson would donate $3 to Tie Up the Black Dog, a charity that helps those fighting depression and mental illness in rural Australian communities.

People took Robertson up on her offer, sharing the photo thousands of times and causing it to go viral. Robertson will now personally donate $14,922, and she has also helped raise many thousands more through crowdfunding.

Fantasy Photo Shoots Bring Hope to Kids with Cancer

Photographer Jonathan Diaz is using his imagination and portrait photography skills for a good cause. He's the founder of Anything Can Be, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based non-profit that's working to inspire hope in young cancer patients by bringing their dreams to life with photos.

A Star Wars-Themed Photo Shoot to Find Homes for Shelter Animals

Today is the day that many people recognize as Star Wars Day ("May the fourth be with you"). To celebrate the occasion, members of the costuming group in Canada known as the 501st Legion: Capital City Garrison decided to volunteer some time for a special photo shoot to help get homeless animals adopted.

Portraits of Rescued Dogs and the Tattooed Owners Who Saved Them

Since 2012, photographer Brian Batista has been shooting an ongoing project titled Tattoos & Rescues. It's a series of portraits that seeks to combat the negative stereotypes surrounding both rescue dogs and tattooed people. The photos are meant to show that looks can be deceiving, and you should get to know both dogs and people before judging them based on outward appearances.

Photographer Shoots Fantasy Portraits of Stray Dogs in Cyprus to Help Get Them Adopted

When photographer Stuart Holroyd moved to Cyprus in March 2014, he heard about a woman named Kayte Wilson-Smith who runs a small rescue center for stray, abused, and/or abandoned dogs. It's called Bay Tree Rescue, is funded entirely by Wilson-Smith's pension and donations, and houses roughly 60 dogs at any given time.

Holroyd wanted to get involved in the project, so he decided to use his photography background to help. His "Bay Tree Project" is a series of fantasy portraits of the dogs that are meant to raise funds, awareness, and adoptions.