What Makes a Great Program Photo?

Submitted by Cleo Joyce and Leslie Marinelli

Photos are an important part of any program. They help tell the story of the event. Photos give us an important tool to share impact, share the patron experience with our community, and to advertise FCPL as a fun and exciting place to visit. But what makes a good program photo?

To understand what makes a good program photo, it's important to understand how we use program photos.

Photos allow us to visually communicate the bigger picture of the library and the experiences our patrons have in our branches. We use photos to promote library services and programs on social media, to share impact and stories with our stakeholders and funders, and to spread the word about the amazing things FCPL does in our county. Program photos are an invaluable tool for us to communicate with the public about what we do here. 

Photos tell a story and when taking photos, you should be thinking about what story you want to tell about your program. Are patrons having fun? Are they making connections? Are they learning new skills and expressing creativity? These are the kind of photos we want.

Tips for taking great program photos:

1. People, people, people! Photos of people tell the best stories. Instead of a photo of a finished craft, take a picture of someone actually creating that craft, or proudly posing with their finished item.   

2. Faces and smiling patrons are the best tool to help us share everything that is amazing about FCPL! (You don’t have to get super close – as long as it’s in focus, it's useable.) 

3. Ask patrons to pose and tell them you’re taking a photo. This will ensure they are smiling and looking at the camera.

4. If taking photos of kids, bend down and take the photo from their level.

5. Think about the background. Taking a 1,000 Books photo? Walk the patron over to a cute display and use that as your background. Photos in front of blank walls are never as captivating as photos with our beautiful bookshelves and displays in the background. 

6. Try to avoid shots with things like garbage cans, open closet doors, or messy carts in the background. Position yourself so the background is flattering.

7. Crowd shots from the back of the room where you can’t see what is going on are not as powerful as a shot of a small group interaction. 

8. Instead of a photo from the back of the room that highlights the backs of people heads, try an audience reaction shot from the front of the room. (See the audience reaction above to the magician at Post Road during spring break! Talk about a MAGICAL library experience.) 

9. Review and curate before uploading. Go through and pick 10–20 of your best photos only—the ones that really tell the story of how our patrons experienced your program.  Delete any photos that are blurry or unflattering of our patrons. 

10. A few select photos of your program setup can be helpful to your peers for future programs, but the primary reason we ask you to take program photos is to capture snapshots of patron experiences and program impact for the express purpose of promoting the Library.  

On that note, photos aren’t just for programs! Any photos you can snap of our patrons enjoying the library is something we can use. See a family snuggling up on a couch to read? Ask if you can take a photo! Have a patron come in to brag they got a job after having a staff person assist them with an online application? Ask if we can congratulate them with a photo on our social media. Did you talk with a family excited to see books in their native language? Ask if they can pose with some of their favorite titles.

A word about photo consent: 

You should always tell patrons you are taking their photo and get their verbal consent. You do not need to have them sign a photo release form—their verbal consent is enough. If you’re taking photos in a program, it is best practice to make an announcement at the beginning of the program letting patrons know you’ll be taking photos for social media and to let you know if they don’t want their photo taken. We never want to post a photo for which we haven’t gotten the patron’s consent. If the photo is of a minor, please make sure you have gotten verbal consent from the parents.

Leslie volunteered to share some of her old program pics with us as examples. Which photo from her worm-themed STEM program tells a better story about the experience patrons had at FCPL that day?

 

These are two pictures from Leslie’s Robot STEAM program. Which photo better captures the impact of this program?

(I mean, that light up robot IS super cool, but Leslie wishes she had gotten a photo of a child posing with it instead.) 

Patrons love our annual Fire Safety program but which photo is better at communicating that? 

We hope these tips are helpful and allow you to continue to take exciting and engaging program photos. We can't wait to see what memories and experiences you capture this summer!