How I Did It!™ Webinar: The Magic of Mobile with Rad Drew

Friend and fellow photographer, Don Komarechka, started it all. 

Read Don’s recent Facebook post that kicked off this effort. 

The next day he share a second post, which you can read here.

Don has been taking action that matters for a couple of weeks now.

He and his family moved to Bulgaria last year and today they live very near the city of Varna, Bulgaria, where one of the many Ukrainian Refugee Centers is located. Don has been driving to Varna on an increasingly frequent basis (daily now) delivering food and other aid to the refugees gathered at Varna.

After reading Don’s posts and giving this thought and discussing it with Nancy, this is where I landed. I considered that we are all part of an international photography community full of wonderful people throughout the world. During the 12 years I’ve been in business as a photographer, I’ve become connected to more people than I would have ever imagined and, so, it occurred to me to do something that would engage this great community.

Here’s what we came up with. 

I’m going to host the Zoom webinar, The Magic of Mobile, that will benefit the Ukrainian refugees. With Don’s support, I’m offering a 90-minute webinar on mobile photography geared to everyone who likes to make photographs with their phone. Teaching iPhone photography is something I’ve been doing for a long time and I know I can share tips and techniques that will help almost anyone with a mobile phone create wonderful photos!

Don has agreed to create a video of his experience at the refugee center that will serve as an introduction to the webinar. With each visit he meets new people and learns more about what is most needed. He will share his experience so that those of us on the other side of the globe can see what he’s seeing.

If you would like to donate instead of, or in addition to, The Magic of Mobile webinar, you can send your donations via PayPal directly to Don Komarechka using this email: [email protected]. Please include the note “Donation for Ukraine refugee aid” so Don can sort all the donations that come in.

If you are in Canada and wish to eTransfer funds to Don, you can send them to [email protected].

For those of you who know and trust me, but don’t know Don, I can say that he is a trusted friend, someone I’ve met and know personally. We are part of several unique photography communities. And if you don’t know me and are uncomfortable donating to a grass-roots effort like this, I totally respect that. Don spoke to that concern very well in his second post, which you can read in full here.

Don wrote:

“If anyone wants to contribute, I’d be happy to run multiple trips a week or more [to the refugee center in Varna]. I’m not a charity and cannot provide you with tax receipts, and you’d have to trust me with your money.

“I’m just a stranger on the Internet for most people reading this, and you absolutely shouldn’t trust a stranger with your money. You can find a list of charities doing good work in Ukraine here: https://www.cnbc.com/…/heres-a-list-of-top-rated… .

“Even still, if you know me [or Rad] personally and you’d like to help my efforts, I’d welcome it. Thank you so much to those who have offered help already.

“If you are in Canada and wish to eTransfer funds to me, you can send it to [email protected].

“If you are anywhere else and wish to use PayPal, send the funds to [email protected] with a note “Donation for Ukraine refugee aid” so I can properly sort all the donations that come in.

“The food we’re supplying is the kind that doesn’t require a lot of prep work: fruits, canned fish, cured meats, juice etc. that doesn’t require a kitchen to prepare. After tomorrow’s grocery run, we will ask a coordinator what they need the most, and then go out and source exactly that. We’ve also picked up some art supplies for the kids.”

Whether you do it through this effort, or find a charity that you trust and with whom you feel more comfortable, I hope you can find a way to show your solidarity with the Ukrainian people and help those who are suffering far from their homes.

Thank you for joining in this effort. Please share this via social media and help it go viral so that we can meet our goal of $20K. 

Please note, that the email with which people register will be used only to send the Zoom Link, and to send a follow up email after the event that will include a link to the recording of the webinar which will be viewable for the rest of 2022. No one’s email will be shared with anyone, and nor will it be added to any email list. 

If you have questions about the content of the webinar or about this fundraising effort, please email me here.

Together, I believe we can make an immediate and significant difference that will matter in the lives of many. 

TheAppWhisperer has always had a dual mission: to promote the most talented mobile artists of the day and to support ambitious, inquisitive viewers the world over. As the years passTheAppWhisperer has gained readers and viewers and found new venues for that exchange.

All this work thrives with the support of our community.

Please consider making a donation to TheAppWhisperer as this New Year commences because your support helps protect our independence and it means we can keep delivering the promotion of mobile artists that’s open for everyone around the world. Every contribution, however big or small, is so valuable for our future.

click here to help us