I gave away hours of work.....

and felt great doing it! Saturday I shot the annual fundraising gala for the CT chapter of Make-A-Wish. It was held at the MGM Grand @Foxwoods. I was on my feet almost non stop from 4pm until after midnight and didn't get home until 2:30am. Monday morning I gave a DVD with all images to the charity, and to the family they honored at the event. Even let a 13yr old use my spare gear (40D, 580EX, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 )

To those who want to give something back, contact a charity that you consider special and donate your services.

I agree with Mike. I've shot for a few charities over the years, and it is a great feeling if you support their goals or give back in some way. The last one I've shot for is Flashes of Hope (more info here http://www.flashesofho​pe.org/) shooting portraits of children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. The portraits help them feel better about themselves, give their families a valuable keepsake, and provide a distraction to the daily routine in a hospital. I would recommend others check for participation in their area and donate some time if they can. Its a very worthwhile cause and a rewarding experience.

Did a full day of photo work for Cal Poly Pomona's Relay for Life and going to help cover Claremont's Relay for Life (1.5k-2K people last year).

that's almost 48 hours of volunteer work...MAJOR good karma.

quick question from a college student even though it wouldn't apply to me. Would something like this be able to be a tax right-off if you made enough during the year?

NorCalNomad wrote in post #10080193
Would something like this be able to be a tax right-off if you made enough during the year?

You can write off your expenses (actual), but can't write off your time. So no, its not really any significant advantage. In fact, spending the time on your marketing instead will do more for the bottom line than volunteering your time.

Mike R wrote in post #10079050
and felt great doing it! Saturday I shot the annual fundraising gala for the CT chapter of Make-A-Wish. It was held at the MGM Grand @Foxwoods. I was on my feet almost non stop from 4pm until after midnight and didn't get home until 2:30am. Monday morning I gave a DVD with all images to the charity, and to the family they honored at the event. Even let a 13yr old use my spare gear (40D, 580EX, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 )

To those who want to give something back, contact a charity that you consider special and donate your services.

This is the kind of thing I like to read about.