1. What makes a good image for
getting your message across?
Tracy Packer – BA(Hons) Photography,
University of the West of England

2. What is wrong with this
photograph?
John Baldessari 1966-8.
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

3. Right, Wrong, Good, Bad.
‘Good’ is subjective. What makes a ‘good’ photograph
depends on
• what the purpose of that image is
• whether that message reaches the intended audience
• how much that audience responds as a result
• even then, that just makes it ‘good’ for you... Hopefully... 
Baldessari is an artist who sometimes uses photography to
make a point. His ‘Wrong’ photograph was an ironic comment
on the ‘rules’ and rule-makers of photography and art.
‘Wrong’ is now worth a lot of money!
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

4. DIY TIP - Let there be light...
Use natural light whenever possible.
The camera doesn’t see light like we do – especially artificial
light which is always quite a bit darker for the cameras ‘eye’
than it is for the human eye. Indoor lighting can also make a
scene more yellow, orange or even blue!
If you can, do a test shot to check how much light is in the
scene before the event. Doing this 5 minutes before the start
is better than nothing at all, and can still give you a chance to
re-think/re-organise.
Lo-tech is fine, you can use tables, shelves, a pile of books or
even floors as tripods – be creative!
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

5. DIY TIP - Declutter!
If you have the chance, think about where you might take
photographs before the event and organise the space. Don’t
leave it to the last moment.
We often don’t ‘see’ stuff in the background coming out of
people’s heads or making the frame messy. Move things out
of the way if you can – or move the person/group!
Where possible, avoid too much empty foreground – get
closer and lower or if there’s a big-ish group, get higher (if
you can) as well as further away.
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

6. DIY TIP - People
Natural, unposed images of people ‘getting involved in/doing
something’ generally make more impact.
There’s a reason why commercial stock agencies are always on
the look out for images with diverse groups of people in them
– people are interested in what other people do, it sells stuff!
If the person taking the photo is relaxed, it increases the
chances that other people in front of the camera will be as
well.
Try to avoid surprising people with the camera (unless a
surprised/shocked/irritated expression is what you are after!)
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

7. “I asked them not to smile”
(Before and after +/- 5 seconds!)
Same group, same people, same background. Two very different images. Which one
works, depends on what you want to use it for! (I didn’t know any of them nor they,
me, up until a few minutes before these were taken.)
Both images Copyright Tracy Packer, 2010.
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

8. For posed shots, people in front of the camera need
information about what to do and when, but don’t go too
far and get bossy!
For posed individual/group shots, click twice – once when
they’ve said ‘cheese’ and again a moment later when
they’ve dropped their guard, it can often make a more
natural picture.
For those working with vulnerable/nervous/stigmatised
groups, it IS possible to take photographs of people without
showing details of their faces, and still have an interesting
image:
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

9. All images on this page: Copyright Tracy Packer 2007 - 2011
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

10. All images on this page: Copyright Tracy Packer
2010 -2011
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

11. A word on Images & Social Media
In 2011, each of the top 100 charities in the UK had an average
• 18,929 followers on Twitter
• 35,360 ‘likes’ on Facebook
• 165 followers on Linked In
• 809 Youtube channel subscribers
How might they/you use images (as well as words) to
communicate to all those followers/likers & subscribers?
McCrossan, A. & Bridger, S. The Guardian, Monday 19th September 2011.
http://visceralbusiness.com/ - free download of The Social Charity 100 Report.
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

12. Some things to consider
What works in a frame, on an A4 flier, a poster or even a
desktop screen, might not work on a 4”x3” mobile phone
screen.
• If you are targeting (potential) supporters via social media
think:
• Strong concept/unambiguous visual message
• Very little (if any text)
• Simple, clean composition
• Punchy colours and/or strong lines
• BUT
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

13. Caveat
You can ‘break’ pretty much all the rules if your
picture engages actively in a current, topical
‘conversation’ you are having with your user group
and their/your (potential) supporters.
Active, timely, relevant engagement with people
spoken to as individuals, trumps any amount of
slick, passive, formulaic tweets/posts or physical
newsletters.
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

14. Sourcing Images
If you aren’t making the pictures within your organisation, or paying someone
else to make them for you, take care when sourcing images.
Microstock sites can be a cheap-ish source of generic images, but know what
you are getting for your money. The terms of image use/license should make
clear:
•How long can you use the image for & how many times can you use it?
•What’s the biggest size image you can print?
•Royalty Free images can be really cheap but there’s a bigger risk of them
being used by another organisation. Will you be OK with that if you see it
elsewhere?
•Rights Managed images are more expensive because you can find out if
there is a licensing conflict in your sector before you buy. That ‘exclusivity’ is
what is being paid for.
•Sometimes it can be cheaper to commission a photographer to shoot an
exclusive image for your specific needs, than buy a Rights Managed license.
Do the maths before you buy!
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

15. Photography Competitions
• Have you heard of ‘The Artist’s Bill of Rights’? If you run
photography competitions as part of your fundraising
/awareness raising campaigns then you probably should.
• http://artists-bill-of-
rights.org/component/fabrik/form/3?random=0
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

16. Copyright
• In the UK, a person owns the copyright to any image they take
from the moment they hit the shutter release on the camera.
(Not the person having their photograph taken.)
• BUT if a person creates a work of art (photograph) in the
course of their employment, it is normally the case that the
image rights are owned by the employer, not by the employee.
• If you use volunteer photographers, agree the practicalities of
‘who can do what with a photograph’ (how often and for how
long) in advance and where possible, in writing. It’s more
practical (and less ethically & legally messy) than doing it
afterwards.
• http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/protect/p16_photography_
copyright
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

17. Creative Commons
“Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation that
assists authors and creators who want to voluntarily
share their work, by providing free copyright licences
and tools, so that others may take full and legal
advantage of the Internet's unprecedented wealth of
science, knowledge and culture.”
http://www.creativecommons.org.uk/
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

18. One way of finding ‘free’ images
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

19. Found using a Creative
Commons Search on Flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/peo
ple/zingyyellow/
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

20. Finally...
There are lots of ways to get great images, whether you
commission a photographer to meet a specific request, place the
camera in the hands of one of your clients or volunteers,
whether you buy it from a stock site or find a creative commons
image on the internet. The trick is to take an active part in
deciding what you want your image to do/say, consider your
viewer/audience and review how successful it has been.
There is no such thing as a ‘free image’ – they all ‘cost’
something to make: time, creativity, access, unique point of view
etc. Strategically consider and review your choice and use of
images whether they have been donated for free or created for
a fee. Images are your shop window. They often speak long
before you do. What do you want them to say?
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012

21. Thank you for listening (and looking!)
http://www.flickr.com/people/addictive_picasso/
www.tracypacker.com
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W640/2012