Brand Photography for Non-Profits: The Riley Children’s Foundation
I have the honor of being one of the go-to photographers for The Riley Children’s Foundation, who create regular communications for emails, social media posts, magazines, brochures, signage and everything else needed for a non-profit to reach its donors. My projects revolve around capturing the conditions, struggles and successes of children and their families who are treated at the Riley Hospital for Children. Together we create visual stories of these kids and what they’ve been going through.
I create images for a number of different media outlets: social media, enewsletters, the printed magazine “The Riley Messenger”, blog posts, brochures, signage, and much more, including third parties like the Indy Star. There is a huge variety between photoshoots. I take standard “candid” portraits and also create studio-style portraits with a backdrop.
Locations vary between the hospital, families’ own homes, and events like a high school dance marathon in Bloomington or race car drivers and professional football players visiting patients.
With a few years of working together under our belt, a level of trust has been created. I can show up to a location with my gear and dive right in with little oversite. They usually tell me the background of the subject, but beyond that I know the Riley style and brand and can tell the story they want to tell. I also know the nooks and crannies of the organization—parking, familiarity with the team and their photo library—giving us an expedited process. I also understand the challenges of working with kids who sometimes aren’t feeling well, and my manner of being sensitive and understanding is invaluable to making them feel comfortable. The kids are usually fantastic, by the way. I have a lot of fun working with them.
To effectively tell a story through visuals, you need to show what happened through those images. I do this by including aspects relative to the situation. One recent story was of a boy who had a genetic eye trouble his father also had. His treatment required wearing very thick glasses. I took a shot where he wore his glasses, then took a shot straight on without the glasses to show his eyes, emphasizing the issue that is being resolved.
Laura Buckner, my contact at the Riley Children’s Foundation, provides her take on what professional photography does for their organization. “Professional quality images are paramount to communicating need for a non-profit. Photography is everywhere, but placing importance on professional quality images like Paul provides is a priority for Riley Children’s Foundation. When people see a variety of images from us over a period of time, it starts to make an impact.”
Bringing a professional photographer on as a partner of your team can save time and provide you with consistent quality work. Please contact me here for your business photography needs, whether it is portraits, professional headshots, group photos, or unique brand photography.
