Inspiration: Real (Beautiful) People.

When Nashville-based professional photographer Jeremy Cowart had the idea to stage a one-day, world-wide photo shoot called Help-Portrait, little did he know of the impact his camera lens would have.

The result: In a little more than 24 hours, Cowart and his crew of 6,000 volunteers logged more than 30,000 portraits. And what was a one-day even has turned into a continuing world-wide effort.

“We just want to show people that they are beautiful, that they are valued,” Cowart told CNN. “I believe in people. I think that people really do want to give back, and photographers especially tend to be very passionate people. When you combine Christmas and serving people, I really believed it would be a no-brainer.”

Visit Help-Portrait for more beautiful and real photos.