Through Operation Smile, Zorz Studios and caring friends are bringing smiles back to children with facial deformities by donating all proceeds from the charity event sessions conducted on April 11, 2015.
On this date, we will again participate with an elite group of photographers around the country in a very special portrait promotion. We will be providing a wonderful opportunity for you to update portraits of yourself and any family members you wish. Receive the gift of an individual portrait session and a printed 5×7 portrait in exchange for a $24 donation. In doing so, you will help support Operation Smile, a worldwide medical charity dedicated to providing free surgeries for children around the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities.
Zorz Studios will donate your session fee to PPA Charities to benefit Operation Smile. More than 100,000 children are born with a facial deformity every year, yet tens of thousands remain untreated. Oftentimes, they are unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can’t afford to give them the surgeries. For every 10 group sessions (of one and more people) we photograph, another child will receive the gift of surgery! It costs as little as $240 for Operation Smile’s medical volunteers to provide a life-saving surgery that can take as little as 45 minutes. Your session fee truly will help change a life, otherwise spent in pain and rejection. Celebrate your family by helping a child, along with thousands of volunteer doctors, nurses, and dentists who donate their time to this incredible organization. We hope to benefit as many children as we can through this promotion’s sales.
We also believe that our Celebration of Smiles Day is a wonderful way to teach children the value of reaching out to others. Even small children can understand the importance of Operation Smile’s work, and they are eager to help these needy children. If you bring your children, tell them why you are doing it!
In-studio family portraits, “relationship” images, and individual portraits of children and adults are eligible. If you would like to have more than one portrait, we will raise even more funds! We are willing to shoot all day long, as many sessions as we can fit in a day. The more we shoot, the more surgeries will be performed! We hope you will join us in helping to make this vital work possible, and we promise to create a portrait that you will treasure.
Three packages are offered, starting from as low as $24 for a mini-session to a $240 donation which will allow to completely cover the costs of performing a surgery on one child. To see the packages and start booking, click the link below.
IMPORTANT: I will be traveling and working in Greece, Italy, and Miami between March 30 and April 9. Communication will be limited and sporadic. I will return just prior to the event, so in lieu of my usual personalized pre-event consultation, I put together a list of FAQs to help you prepare for the session. Please review them before trying to get in touch with me; due to the time and travel constraints, I will only be able to respond to questions that were not addressed here. Thank you for your cooperation and support!
Q. How long is the session and how many images are taken?
A. Standard session is 15 minutes, for one person or group. My goal will be to provide you with a single attractive image through a mini-session that does not take the place of my regular sessions but does represent the quality of my work and give you a “taste” of my portrait experience. As always, a search for “the” shot involves some testing and playing with various shots from which we will be selecting one master image.
Q. Can we do several quick groups in one standard session?
A. No, this will feel rushed and uninspired. If you bring several people and are interested in various group shots, I suggest having a longer session.
Q. What if I want a longer session or larger portrait?
A. The goal is to raise funds per each time slot so for a larger donation, I can extend a standard session instead of conducting multiple sessions. I offer 30-minute and one-hour sessions which include more retouched images and larger prints. Alternatively, you can go with the standard session but make a larger donation in return for additional (or larger) prints. These options are available as add-ons at the time of requesting your quote.
Q. Can I get all original files electronically in high resolution?
A. As a friendly reminder, this is rarely a tradable asset in professional portraiture (hobbyists and semi-pros may have different policies). Operation Smile and PPA Charities do not offer this but for the purpose of fundraising, I am willing to provide this in return for a donation. This option is available as an add-on at the time of requesting your quote.
Q. Why are these prices significantly lower than your regular prices?
A. All products and services during this event are offered as studio’s “gifts” in exchange for your donation to the charity, so the price/value relation is detached from this event. Zorz Studios regular session length and other amenities that I provide at regular sessions are unrelated to such gifts.
Q. Where will the sessions be conducted?
A. Zorz Studios address is 1123 Broadway, 10th Floor, Suite 1002, New York, NY 10010.
Q. I am not available on April 11. Can I come another day?
A. I regret to inform that I will not be able to offer an alternative day as part of this event. You are welcome to book a separate regular session on another day!
Q. I want to make a donation and participate! What’s the next step?
A. Zorz Studios’ booking system is automated, online, and self-serve. Click on the link above; you will be presented with three packages that I will offer that day. Select a package and any optional add-ons; a subtotal will be calculated. Taxes and shipping will be extra and calculated when you receive the final booking. Click “Request a Quote”. I will be notified and when I have an opportunity (reminder: I will be traveling) to check the availability, you will receive a link from the system by email to complete your booking. Follow that link, fill out a few details, sign, and make a secure online payment to reserve the spot! Completing all these steps will get you involved; I cannot offer other arrangements or hold spots, unfortunately…
Q. What time can I come?
A. In my experience in scheduling multi-session events, the best practice is to provide me with a 2-3 hour or longer window that works for you after you request a quote so I know the amount of time to allot to you. I will coordinate everyone’s preference for the best fit possible, advising you of your time when the list is finalized.
