I grew up in a small town in Iowa, where a person’s worth was measured by their word and how hard they were willing to work for it. I don’t stand out from the crowd, I blend in more than people think, but most importantly I am a 6th generation Army veteran in my family and who proudly served during Operation Iraqi Freedom who served with the 82d Airborne Division and the 4th Infantry Division during my military service.

After I came back home, I had some pretty rough days, and was finding it difficult on some. It wasn’t until I was out of the military for two years that I picked up a Mamiya film camera. When I picked the camera up and started to see the images of the world around me, it became therapy for me. Every time I picked up the camera, I was in my own creative world and I was able to get away from everything that allowed me to cope with what I have seen during my time. As I grew more comfortable with the camera, I realized that the camera looks both ways and have started to see the power a single image can provide.

By nature I am an editorial portrait photographer. What this means is that I look more towards conveying a thought or story behind the image and person more than the basic family portrait. Some of my work can be seen at the following link: Erik Meyer Photography.

“My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph” – Richard Avedon

So, you may ask, why did I start the Veterans Portrait Project? I would say it has to do with the Help Portrait project that was created by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart.  The Help portrait project is a world wide project to provide free portraits to those that are unable to afford quality portraits of their own, or who needs to remember how unique and important they are in this world. With my project, I am going a route similar to this, but unique in that my intention is to show the day to day contributions veterans are making that go unheralded.

One of the goals of this project is to eventually create a gallery showing for people to come and see that you may never know who is a veteran and how much we contribute to the day to day functions of this country in extraordinary ways.

If you would like to contribute to this project, by having your portrait made, please contact me, using the phone number listed on the left hand side of the page or use the contact page.

Thank you,

Erik W. Meyer

If you find this project engaging and would like to contribute to this project, I have included a contact page for you to provide your information and your interest in assisting.  If you are a veteran and would like to have your image presented, you will receive a free print of your image available for hanging.

The creative process is quite involved sine I want to provide you with an image that reflects you as a person and most importantly a veteran.  My only input and direction will be in regards to creative direction when I am there to create your image.  If you don’t know how you would like your portrait done or have multiple ideas, I will also offer my assistance.