I’ve worked with dozens of nonprofits and there’s one challenge I see again and again: organizations don’t have photos of their work. They’re struggling to tell their story—on their website and in other communications—with just a handful of gala photos and generic stock images. It doesn’t have to be this way. With high-quality phone cameras in our pockets, any organization can build a library of authentic, useful photos. The key is to take lots of photos: the more photos you have of your everyday work, the more chances you’ll have to show your impact. These real photos, even when they are not perfect, are always more powerful than the most professional of stock photos.
Here’s how to do it:
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Make it a habit: Train your team to spot photo opportunities. Whenever staff members are out with clients, at an event, or working on a project, ask them to think, “Is there any chance to take some photos?” Even the quickest snaps on their phone can often be quickly cropped and enhanced later into a useful look at what you do. Quantity of photos translates into quality, over time!
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Capture real action: People naturally engaged in your mission are more compelling than staged portraits. Look for the small moments that tell your story—a volunteer sorting donations, a conversation at a workshop, or kids collaborating on a project.
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Prioritize outdoor shots: Natural light is your friend, so whenever possible, aim for pictures taken outdoors. If you’re hosting an indoor event, try to position people near windows.
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Be mindful of representation: Your photos should reflect both your values and your community authentically. Consider not just who is in your photos, but how they’re portrayed. Are you showing people as active participants in their story, or passive recipients of help? See Contructive’s article below for more.
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Get releases: Make photo permissions part of your routine paperwork—include it in volunteer applications, event registrations, and program sign-ups. Keep a few paper copies handy for unexpected photo opps.
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Organize photos centrally: Photos are only useful if everyone can find them. Create a simple system everyone can use to upload and access images.
Build these habits, and within a few months, you’ll have a collection of photos that truly show your impact—no more relying on stock photos or once-a-year event shots.
You’ll never be this happy using generic stock photos, I promise!
Stock photo from Pexels.com (which also has less terrible ones)
Dive Deeper
12 Essential Composition Guidelines That Every Photographer Should Know | Photography Pro
Even if you’re just snapping quick photos on your phone, understanding basic composition can transform your images during editing. This guide is especially useful when you’re cropping photos later—knowing where to crop can turn a decent snapshot into a close-to-professional caliber look at what you do.
Ethical Storytelling in Design: Seven Resources for Your Organization | Constructive
Photos are powerful—they can either empower or exploit. This guide helps you think through how you’re portraying the people you serve. Yes, that client signed a photo release, but are you capturing their strength and dignity, or just their struggles? Essential reading for anyone documenting nonprofit work.
Canva Photo Editor | Canva
Need a straightforward photo editor to crop, filter, and enhance as per the guidelines above? Canva is perfect for quick tweaks—crop, brighten, done! Plus, nonprofits get Pro features free, and you can drop your edited photos right into social media templates. The swiss army knife of nonprofit visuals!