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Beautiful Chapter Photos 101

Group Leader Call

September 2, 2024

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Our Photo Style

Volunteers make CCL special
Our photos feel optimistic, positive, warm, friendly, joyful, engaged

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Our Best Photos

Realistic scenes of people in their day-to-day life, interacting with other people
Real and relatable
Obvious setting, but volunteer forward
Outdoor photos tend to perform best
Shows that we are a fun, engaging group of people doing the work

Our best photos are those where you can tell what the activity is and where it’s taking place, but the focus is on the volunteers and participants. So for example, a tabling event, but it’s a photo of the volunteers who showed up to table smiling or talking and having fun. Or a tree planting activity group photo posed with the newly planted trees and shovels. We’ve figured out that pictures of people doing an activity like river cleanups or tabling doesn’t resonate as well as people taking a break from that activity, so focus on the action!

The main goal to keep in mind when taking photos is that we are showing a fun, engaging group of people doing the work on climate change. Climate change can feel really scary and overwhelming. One of the best ways to get more people to join the cause is to show visually that we are creating a community and supporting and uplifting one another.

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General Photo Guidelines

Avoid backs of heads
No alcohol/meetings in breweries
Smile!
Consider diversity

Some general tips based on photos we frequently get.

Try to avoid backs of heads. Most meetings, presentations and conference shots are taken from the back of the room because people don’t want to distract from the presenter, which is valid, but not very engaging. Instead, get a photo of the speaker, be brave and take a quick photo in the front of the room, or call everyone together for a group shot after the presentation. This goes for tabling photos too. While we encourage climate conversations, it’s not great to get the back of ½ of the conversation’s head.
We love meetings in breweries, but we can’t repost any photos that include alcohol.
Expressions should be happy rather than serious. Even though we are engaging on serious topics, stern expressions don't draw people in the same way. (this is one of the main reasons things need to be posed)!
Diversity should be considered in all aspects—gender, age, ethnicity, body types, sexual orientation, abilities, economic background, interests, etc.

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Setting Up Your Photo

At least 2-3 people in frame
People fill the photo frame or photos taken from the waist up
Avoid backlight
Take a balance of posed and candid photos

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Photo Consent

Ask for verbal permission
For big events, include photo release forms or signage
Make blanket announcement and asked for objections

In a one-on-one setting, you can simply ask the person if they’re okay being photographed, either before or after you take the photo. If they aren’t, you can simply delete it.

At larger events, people try to get backs of heads of non-CCLers to protect privacy, but we aren’t ultimately able to use most of these photos. There are two solutions.

You can do what CCL does at our conferences and hang signage with a photo release form. Essentially saying by entering the event you are agreeing to be photographed.
You can have someone make a blanket announcement ahead of the event saying photos are being taken for marketing purposes and to see a specific volunteer if someone is uncomfortable having their photo posted. That way, we can ensure anyone who does not want to be photographed has photos of themselves deleted.

�OVERALL NOTE: We don’t use photos of children in our marketing. We get cute photos, but are ultimately not going to use them in marketing for ethical purposes.

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DISCLAIMER:

If I included your chapter’s photo in the “not so great” examples, it doesn’t mean CCL doesn't love and appreciate you.
Any photo is better than no photos!
These examples are just meant to show what could be improved.

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DISCLAIMER PART TWO:

All of these guidelines apply to marketing-specific photos
There’s nothing wrong with taking “photos to improve” for your own social media posts or chapter needs!

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Good Example

Great energy!
Outdoors, great setting
Posed, volunteer forward
We use this one a LOT

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Example to Improve

Backs of heads
Too far away to see faces
Focus in on screen, not people
Unclear what the event is

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Good Example

Can tell it’s a tabling event, but is volunteer forward
Outdoors
Smiling and having fun!

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Example to Improve

Backs of heads
Conversational (hard to execute)

This photo isn’t particularly engaging as it shows the backs of two people’s heads, who are covering most of the tabling display. The photo is also full-body with lots of unneeded background at the top and bottom.

CCL emphasizes the importance of good climate conversations, and we asked for photos of your best tabling climate conversations back in April. We had some mixed results, which led to new guidelines on conversations.

It’s best to get people smiling/laughing while talking, which is really difficult to do. But going back to the photo guidance on happy expressions, it makes for the most engaging photos.
We can’t use photos of non-CCLers in our marketing, unless it’s noted when the photo is sent that the subject gave their express consent.

It’s tricky to get good photos of people in conversation and can require a bit of creativity. Some photos will pose volunteers as non-volunteers engaging in climate conversations. The Lynchburg, VA chapter came up with the great idea to track their conversations on a white board via tally marks and take photos of volunteers posing with the whiteboard. When in doubt, stick to photos of volunteers.

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Good Example

Dropoff activity
Remembered to snap a selfie, even if the MoC isn’t in it
Creative drop off idea!

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Example to Improve

Not a bad photo!
Could be improved if people had stopped and posed
Or a group shot posing with equipment

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Good Example

People having fun!
Using CCL tabling materials
What a cute pose

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Example to Improve

No one pictured
Try having volunteers hold these materials instead

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Wrap Up

Avoid backs of heads
No alcohol
Smile!
Take a balance of posed and candid photos

2-3+ people in frame
People fill the photo frame or photos taken from the waist up
Avoid backlight
Consider diversity

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Thank You!

Questions?

Send us your photos!

marketing@citizensclimate.org

www.citizensclimatelobby.org