Working With Nonprofits as a Photographer & Videographer

The Words with Wings Summer Camp hosted by the Missoula Writing Collaborative.

I recently had the pleasure of working with a Missoula Nonprofit called the Missoula Writing Collaborative. They are a group of writers and poets that work with local schools to teach creative writing clinics in the classroom. Kids learn how to write poetry and use it as a conduit for self expression. I spent some time photographing their Words With Wings Summer Camp (which was awesome!) and I was asked to come back this fall to film a video for a virtual fundraiser. This is the second nonprofit I have had an opportunity to work with, the first being with the Missoula Urban Demonstration (M.U.D.). Which is a great nonprofit that offers classes on carpentry and sustainability and they offer a massive Tool Library where members can barrow the tools they need to get a job done. I have worked with MUD creating videos for various purposes since 2019, from instructional videos to fundraising content and it has taught me so much.

Working with local nonprofits has been an amazing and fulfilling experience. I have met authentic and kind people that are passionate about the Missoula community. Their work enriches lives and really makes a difference. I love working on projects that are bigger than myself and I feel so much gratitude to have been a part of it. I look forward to working with more local nonprofits in the future!

Feeling Inspired

It was wonderful working with the writers and young poets of the Missoula Writing Collaboration. I wrote poetry heavily as a confused and hormonal teenager (it was super emo stuff too!) but also as a young adult trying to find my place in the world I often turned to the pen and paper for peace. Poetry has truly helped me through some tough times in my life. Being around all of these amazing and talented writers on that project inspired me to start on this photo blog. I will be blending my photography and videography with my written musings.

The Art of Vulnerability

My daily stroll is where I let everything spill from my mind.

Out my ear and onto the ground, I wade through it all.

My thoughts are fixated on how incredibly vulnerable it feels to share my art.

My art is merely a disguise for my heart.

I will myself forward, finding a rhythm in my stride .

Each footfall pushes me along, squashing my self doubt. The ebb and flow of the tide.

Within this perspective is where I stay true to myself.

I stop questioning my strength and just...live it.

Written By Launi Haygood

Golden Hour In The Grass