We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Being wedding photographers is pretty awesome.  We LOVE what we do.  We LOVE that we get to do it together. We LOVE being a part of our clients lives and giving them lasting memories of one of the most important days of their lives. But, sometimes we still have to stop and ask ourselves, “Does it make a difference?”

Yes, capturing images of a couples’ special day is important.  I’d even venture to say VERY important – and we certainly don’t take the honor lightly.  But is it enough? Is it changing lives and making the world a better place?  What can we do to make a BIGGER impact with what we are blessed to be able to do?

Did you know that over 1.1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water, and nearly 2.5 million people die each year due to waterborne-related disease (90% of which are children under the age of 5)?

That’s a pretty staggering statistic.  It’s hard to imagine that a lack of something so simple,  that we take for granted every day, can mean the difference between life and death for so many others.  That’s where Thirst Relief comes in.

Thirst Relief Short from Anton Lorimer on Vimeo.

(from http://thirstrelief.org)

“Thirst Relief International is a water development organization working to improve access to safe water in nine countries worldwide. Founded in 2005, Thirst Relief works with its implementing partners to launch and sustain water projects in impoverished rural areas and urban slum communities. By providing infrastructure development, training, and financial and technical resources to our partners, we are helping thousands of people each year improve their health through safe drinking water. Without Thirst Relief’s support, and the generosity of our donors, many of these water projects would never come into being.”

I know when I heard about these types of issues, I can feel pretty powerless.  1.1 billion is a TON of people.  How can I (one individual) make any kind of significant difference?  Well, it’s not as hard as you think.

For only $5, you can provide drinking water for one person for 25 years. 

Five dollars. WOW, that’s it?  That’s no more than a coffee at Starbucks or a footlong Sandwich at Subway.  When we found this out, we though, “We can totally do that!”  And you know what?  We can do a lot more than that.  One of our goals on our 101 in 1001 list was to “Choose a cause and donate a portion of our proceeds to it for 6 months.”  Well, we decided to take it one step further and make it a regular part of our business instead!

Staring today, $100 of every wedding we book and $10 of every portrait session will be donated directly to Thirst Relief.

Here’s what that actually comes down to for us and for our clients:

• Every person who books a portrait session is providing clean drinking water for TWO people for 25 years.
• Every couple who books wedding day coverage is providing clean drinking water for TWENTY people for 25 years.

Getting paid to do something we love – capturing once in a lifetime moments for our couples – is an amazing blessing from God in and of itself.  We’re so glad to have connected with Thirst Relief and to be able to give a small portion of that blessing to help others.  It helps us (and hopefully those who choose to work with us) to keep the much bigger picture in mind. Making a financial investment in photography doesn’t just have to be about getting pretty pictures, it can be about making a global difference too.

If you’d like to find out more or make a personal donation to Thirst Relief, visit their website: http://thirstrelief.org