A service member in uniform holds his daughter while embracing his wife at sunset.

Connecting families through deployment

The people they love,
carried close to home.

Hearts Apart gifts deploying service members a free professional portrait of their family — printed on a waterproof wallet card that travels with them, wherever duty calls.

Donate Become a Volunteer Photographer

Our Mission

A tangible reminder of home.

Hearts Apart strengthens and preserves family connections during military deployments by providing service members with professional photographs of their loved ones — offering comfort, support, and a lasting tie to home while they serve our nation.

Phones break. Batteries die. A photograph in your pocket does not. Our keepsakes are printed on durable, waterproof bi-fold cards designed to fit securely inside a uniform pocket — so the faces of the people waiting at home travel through every mile of deployment.

“Every deployed service member deserves a tangible reminder of the family and community standing with them at home.”

Our Story

Born in North Carolina.
Carried across the country.

Hearts Apart began quietly in North Carolina — home to Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base — photographing local military families before their loved ones shipped out.

Word traveled the way it does in military communities: through spouses, chaplains, and unit commanders. Photographers across the country asked how they could help. Today more than 400 volunteer photographers donate their craft to Hearts Apart, serving families wherever a service member is preparing to deploy.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

A military family of four standing together at golden hour.

How It Works

A simple promise, kept four times over.

A family is matched

Families with a deploying service member request a session through Hearts Apart.

A volunteer photographer steps in

One of our 400+ volunteer photographers donates a professional portrait session — at no cost to the family.

Photographs become a keepsake

We print the images on a durable, waterproof bi-fold wallet card designed to live inside a uniform pocket.

Love travels with them

Through every mile of deployment, the faces of home stay close — a quiet reminder of who is waiting.

A soldier and his family — a wallet-sized photograph meant to be carried through deployment.

The Wallet Card

Designed to weather everything but love.

Each card is printed on a waterproof, tear-resistant material and folded to fit precisely inside the chest pocket of a military uniform. It is meant to be carried, not framed — worn smooth by the days, the duty, and the distance.

The Impact Gallery

Capturing the bonds that bridge the distance.

Professional family portraits gifted to those serving overseas — so home is never out of reach.

A father in fatigues kneels to embrace his two children outside their home.

Featured Portrait

A family, held close.

Featured Portrait

A family, held close.

A volunteer photographer captures a military couple in a sunlit park.

A quiet moment, gifted.

Volunteer Session

A mother lifts her smiling toddler near a sunlit window.

Before Deployment

A pregnant woman's belly cradled by her husband in uniform.

Awaiting Homecoming

Volunteer Photographers

Lend your craft to a family preparing for goodbye.

If you can hold a camera and a steady moment, you can give a deploying service member something they will carry every day of their tour.

What You'll Receive

01
Choose sessions in your area
We match families nearby so you can give back close to home.
02
Donate one session, or many
Commit at the level that fits your schedule and craft.
03
Print fulfillment, handled
We turn your portraits into waterproof wallet cards — free of charge.
04
Join a national network
Stand alongside 400+ photographers serving military families nationwide.

Apply

Sign up to volunteer.

Tell us a little about yourself and we'll be in touch with sessions near you.

Why Donations Matter

Every gift sends a family home with them.

Your contribution covers the printing of waterproof keepsake cards, the materials that get them into uniform pockets, and the quiet logistics that make each session possible. Photographers give their time. Donors give the rest.

A gift of any size

Hearts Apart partners with Givebutter for secure, transparent giving. 100% of your donation supports our mission.

Press & Recognition

In the news.

Selected mentions and recognition of our work alongside military families.

01 / Featured Story

We’d love to hear from you.

Whether you’re a military family, a photographer, or simply want to help — reach out. We answer every message personally.

info@brownieharris.com

Phone

(910) 538-7447

Mailing

1304 Element Way, Apt. 14210 Wilmington, NC 28412

The people they love,
carried close to home.

A tangible reminder of home.

Born in North Carolina.
Carried across the country.