Customized "stock" photos
Instead of spending money on licensing fees for photos that don’t belong to you…
…create customized stock photos that you own forever.
Recently, I had a multi-day session with Lillian, an expert who educates educators.
Specifically, she is a consultant that aims to support teachers working in linguistically diverse schools.
During the discovery and strategy calls, we mapped out a plan that would cover the bases for her promotional and lifestyle portraits - you know, the foundational stuff.
In addition, we also talked about capturing candid photos of a real-life presentation to teachers in an elementary school. While we could’ve faked this presentation in the same way that I’ve done for dozens of clients, nothing is better than the real thing.
The real thing offers the chance at creating a more visually diverse portfolio of images.
Case in point:
During the call, I asked Lillian if I’d be able to dip into a couple empty classrooms and hallways to photograph details of the spaces. No kids, just the room details themselves.
I explained that since she needs image assets to visually punctuate the sentiments of the stories she shares throughout her online presence, it would be better for her to have these visual assets in hand rather than going to some overpriced stock photo site to download basic, elementary school photos that dozens, if not thousands, of people are already using.
In addition, these customized “stock” photos are more personalized to her because the spaces I shoot are places in which she consults, which will undoubtedly inspire her to use them more often.
It also eliminates the need for her to use the generic stuff that everyone else is using.
She agreed, and we put this objective on the shot sheet.
On the day of the facilitation, I made sure to first capture her delivering her presentation, observing in-session classes, and answering the teacher’s questions after the fact.
Once those activities were captured in full, I went on an exploratory mission to find a couple empty classrooms and hallways and went to work:
Since this particular elementary school is comprised of native Spanish and Chinese students, I was able to get a wide variety of images for Lillian’s “stock” photo portfolio.
Do I speak Chinese or Spanish and know what the hell I was shooting? Nope, not a word.
But the visuals work well for someone who works in the language space perfectly :)
And now, Lillian has a mountain of visual assets that will help compliment the stories she shares with her audience - not just for her online content, but also for her website, slide deck, printed materials, proposals and other marketing and promotional assets.
And selfishly for me, it was a really magical experience seeing all those little munchkins waving hi at me as I walked past them in the halls.
I know, I’m a softie at heart :)
Nevertheless, the next time that you plan to step in front of the camera, think about the types of customized “stock” photos that you can create for your online presence and set a plan to capture those photos for you to use in the short and long-term.
It’s a hell of a lot easier than navigating those stock photo sites, after all.
It’s also more personalized, too - and that goes a long way to establishing yourself in the eyes of those you serve that you are an authority in your space of expertise.
Speaking of customized stock images…
Having trouble figuring out what types would make sense for your business and brand? Set up a time to chat with me and we can brainstorm the possibilities.