CHARITY SESSIONS
Here at CLP, we like to give back to our community, so we have carefully chosen four organizations to join that are close to our hearts. Review specifics below to see if you quality, or feel free to nominate a family that you would like to donate a session to and provide us with a reason why.
Red Thread Sessions
CLP is a proud member of Red Thread Sessions. We are excited to be a part of your adoption journey and look forward to watching your family grow. As a Red Session Participant, you will receive a complimentary portrait session of your choosing. (We offer Homecoming Sessions, Open Adoption Birth Sessions and/or Adoption Portrait Sessions).
Your session will take place at a location of your choosing and should last about an hour (Open Adoption Birth Sessions may take longer). You will receive 20-50 proofs via a password protected online viewing gallery. Your session will include 20 digital downloads with a print release. You may purchase addional images, products and/or prints if you wish. We offer a 15% discount for any additonal purchases.
Here is some basic information and a few frequently asked questions about the Red Thread Sessions organization that we copied from their website for your convenience.
About Red Thread Sessions:
Red Thread Sessions was started in 2011 by two custom photographers in Texas and Maryland, both whom added to their families through adoption. Feeling the need in their communities to celebrate the beauty of adoption through photography, Red Thread Sessions was born. Soon after, many other photographers throughout the U.S. felt moved to donate their time as well. Red Thread sessions not only captures family portraits of new families, it also capture the precious, happy, confusing, exciting, exhausting, traumatic, life-changing time that is so often brief and fleeting in the life of an adoptive family.
More About Red Thread Sessions:
The Ancient Chinese Proverb is a commonly-used saying within the adoption community. It symbolizes the bond that all adoptive children have with their adoptive parents, even before they meet. An invisible “red thread” connects them to the people they are destined to meet. Although this Proverb truly relates to all people, it has a particularly strong connection to adoptive families and seemed like the perfect name for this organization.
What is a Red Thread Session?
A Red Thread Session is a complimentary photography session held during your homecoming or shortly after you have become an adoptive family. Depending on what type of Red Thread Session you would like, our sessions will capture you as a new family and all of the emotions that go along with it. Photographers will also create portraits of your new child if you like. Participating photographers have agreed to celebrate your adoption by completely waiving their session fee and offering edited proofs from your session at no cost to you. The size & quantity of proofs, as well as whether the proofs will be digital or printed, has been left to the discretion of each photographer. Each photographer sets his or her own policies and product pricing. Travel fees and additional subject fees may still apply, please make sure to ask your participating photographer for details.
How do I qualify for a Red Thread Session?
If you have added to your family through adoption within the last 3 months, you qualify for a Red Thread Session! Your adoption must have been final within the last 3 months. You may be asked to show proof of your adoption date given the charitable nature of a Red Thread Session. Each family qualifies for only one Red Thread Session per adoption and must sign a Red Thread Session model release.
HeartsApart Session
I was never part of a military family. I have never experienced relocating or saying goodbye to a family member multiple times. I can only imagine the strength that is necessary to pull from inside of you while there is so much distance between you and the ones you love. My grandfather was a Vietnam veteran and through his stories, I felt the pain he felt leaving his family behind, missing the birth of his child, the fear he so courageously endured every day. Because of him, I have always respected military members and their families. Become a member of Hearts Apart was special to me. It makes me happy knowing that I can preserve memories for our military men and women and hopefully soften their ache to be home.
When you schedule a session through Hearts Apart, you will receive a complimentary portrait session that will take place at a location of your choosing. The session should last about an hour. You will receive 20-50 proofs via a password protected online viewing gallery. Your session will include 20 digital downloads with a print release. You may purchase addional images, products and/or prints if you wish. We offer a 15% discount for any additonal purchases.
Per the Hearts Apart Organization, "Each session will consist of 2 required shots of the service member. 1)The dress uniform and 2)The “combat ready” camouflage uniform. The family can also be included in additional photos with the service member in their uniforms." You will be provided with a DVD of the photos and print release as well as a durable bi-fold of photos for the service member to have with them on the deployment via Hearts Apart.
Please note that all Hearts Apart sessions must be scheduled via their website: www.heartsapart.org.
Preemie Support and Awareness Session
Preemie Support and Awareness isn't an actual charity organization, however, it is a well known support group for families brought together by the birth of a premature child. This group offers advice, general knowledge and support from other parents, grandparents and many other people who understand what it's like to experience the birth of a preemie. As a mother to a premature child myself, I was excited to sign up to volunteer my time helping parents photograph their hospital journey and/or homecomings. Being able to relate to what a parent is going through is invaluable when photographing a family during this time because it allows me to be sensitive to your needs, emotions and restrictions. When you book a session with CLP, you are asking us to capture your little one during their fight for life, during this raw moments when you bond for the first time and when you learn what being strong is all about. You will cherish being able to look back on these moments we captured for you and see how much stronger you've become.
A Preemie Support and Awareness session can take place at the hospital in the NICU or nursery, or at home for the homecoming. It includes 1-2 hours of the photographer's time as well as 20 digital images, a print release and an online viewing gallery with guest download access.