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Teen Identity Photographers Pledge
June 28, 2010 By 24 Comments
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[...] by partnering with other visual artists! It comes at such a great time too as we launch the TI Pledge, TI Network, and our new [...]
Count me in. What a great way to help. Looking forward to extending the cause.
What a great opportunity to give back. Let me know what I can do to help the cause here in the Dallas Fort Worth area.
I teach high school girls and guys as well as photographed them through my studio and I am proud to join this important cause!
I am proud to join your cause for 2 reasons…the protection of your people & also the protection of dignity of pro photographers!!
I love this! It always upsets me when teens are photographed way too sexy for their age. Let me know how I can help in both the Cleveland, Ohio area and Southern California!
I’m a part-time photographer and full-time youth pastor, this is certainly something that I can stand behind.
count me in! High school senior photography, Laingsburg, St. Johns, Dewitt, Bath, Ovid-Else, Michigan
I love, love, love what you are doing here! I really want to be a part of this! Thanks for putting a voice to what so many of us feel
I could not be MORE behind this! Looking forward to the what the future of this group does.
After working for years on the eating disorder documentary Skeleton in the Closet (http://www.skeletoninthecloset.net), it’s a pleasure to find other photographers interested in photographing teens in a respectful, wholistic, non-trashy manner.
The site didn’t translate that link to Skeleton in the Closet correctly; it is at: http://www.skeletoninthecloset.net
It looks a good cause but not quite sure how can willing photographers help? Other than pledge, there is no way to sign up and then there is $299 premium membership one can buy. I am all confused.Pl help
@ken s: Thanks for your question and comment about how willing photographers can help. I want to address all your concerns:
First, by taking the pledge, photogs are making a promise to do the things listed in the pledge. That’s the first and BIGGEST step. You’d be surprised at how many senior portraits of teen girls there are that are posed and dressed provocatively (i.e. skimpy bikinis, legs in air, sexually suggestive, etc.) We’re asking photographers not to limit or censor their creativity, but to think twice about some of the outfits and poses they do with teen girls. To provide an experience and images that make them feel powerful and beautiful (inside as well as out). We plan to provide ideas on how to do that.
Also, photogs who sign the pledge will make an effort to give back to teen girls by either mentoring them and/or providing pro bono (or low fee) services for low-income teen girls. It that’s all you do, that will go a long way.
Second, the Teen Identity network is not officially launched yet, so you’re right, technically right now there is no specific thing you’re signing up for. The lifetime membership we’re offering is actually NOT a premium service. It’s a DISCOUNTED one. There will be some monthly membership fee to be part of the network when it officially launches. When you become a lifetime member, you 1) will save money in the long run and 2) be offered exclusive benefits ONLY available to lifetime members. It will be our way of thanking those of you who had faith enough in this cause to invest in it before the launch. After the launch, we may discontinue the lifetime membership program, or if we don’t discontinue it, the investment will be more than the $299.
Third, we’re partnering with key vendors in the industry who believe in our cause and are willing to give discounts on their products and services for TI network members. There will be other business related benefits for network members like education, exposure, etc. Additionally, the membership fees will go towards helping us continue to produce programming and resources like the VISION video, sex trafficking PSAs, the online magazine, etc.
Thanks again for your questions and comment.
I could not agree more with this awesome effort!
Sounds like a really great project to volunteer time too. I hope to help out in St. Petersburg (Florida) or the Tampa Bay area.
I have heard about Teen Identitiy, but recently met a fellow photographer yesterday who told me she signed up as a lifetime member. I have two daughters myself and one is entering her preteen years. I see the self doubt already forming in her friends. Maybe I will offer them a free photo shoot to let them see how beautiful they really are.
Thank you, such a great mission!
~SB
YES!! I’m IN! Ready to go in Central Virginia and beyond. Definitely interested in lifetime membership as well…looking forward to more info!
This is so great! Thank you!
I wish they had this when I was young.
Me too Aimee! That’s why we’re starting it now!
Hi Tasra! Thanks so much for allowing me to join and participate in raising the self esteem of teen girls in CANADA. I just did my first photo shoot with a really great girl yesterday and I loved the whole process. I’m ready to bring this concept to my hometown and the girls here.
Much love to you girlfriend!
Tricia
I cannot fully express in words what this partnership means, for I am the mother of a child who was sexually abused at the age of 12 (she is now 16). Out of my daughters struggle to find beauty within herself, I picked up a camera…then I could show her how the inside shows on the outside when she is allowed to be herself- masks off. She is part of how photography found me, and this is an awesome tool for us to reach other girls who may or may not have had a similar experience. Every girl is beautiful and so much more than what the world would have them believe. Thank you for sharing your vision with us, and allowing us to partner with you to “change the world” one girl at a time. God Bless.
What a marvelous effort you are making to promote the self-esteem of young women during a phase in life when they so desperately need it. As a teenager myself, I was deeply influenced by the culture of beauty around me to the point of becoming dangerously anorexic. When young women are encouraged toward a more healthful perspective on beauty, both their emotional and physical health can be preserved throughout the teen years.
Later in life, as a professional in the fashion industry, I’ve been at times deeply disturbed by the lack of respect for modesty that is commonly expected for young women, many in their teens, to endure while working as models. I’ve featured your Teen Identity Photographer’s Pledge on my new website, Fashion Belle, a shopping guide for “modest clothing with designer style.” Your link and a short review of the pledge may be seen at the following address:
http://fashionbelle.com/links
Thank you for your efforts to invest in the lives of teen girls! Please continue with your excellent work.