Participating photographers donate a portion of their sales to Operation Smile, which strives to give kids a beautiful smile. Image courtesy of Operation Smile.

Note – regulars to our blog at SilberStudios.com may find they have been directed to our sister site, SilberStudio.Tv, where we house our video shows. Not to worry — we only felt this was a better home for our blog. We hope you continue to stop by and learn of photography news from around the world. Also, stick around and check out our illuminating interviews with master photographers. – MS

Ask any photographer and they’ll tell you — capturing a child’s smile is one of the most rewarding shots in photography. But what if a child is physically unable to smile? What if they were never given a chance to show their personality, the way only kids can, and beam with happiness on camera?

In an effort to help children with cleft palettes smile again, members of Professional Photographers of America (PPA) are doing their part to address this problem. During Family Portrait Month, participating photogs will be donating a portion of their sales this month to Operation Smiles, a world-renowned medical organization that helps repair facial deformities like cleft lips and cleft palettes.

“Recording the faces of children and their families is what photographers do,” says photographer and president of the PPA Charities Board of Trustees, Mary Fisk-Taylor. “It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate charity for our members to support.”

Founded in 1982, Operation Smile has treated over 130,000 children and young adults with facial deformities, helping them feel confident in their new smiles. The operation usually lasts less than an hour and costs just $250, so the $70,000 PPA photographers have already raised this year will go a long way to helping change the lives of children.

To read more about the mission to help children with cleft palettes, and to learn about some amazing doctors and volunteers, check out OperationSmile.org