Throughout the UK, charities and non-profits are facing huge outgoings at the moment. Day-to-day running costs are through the roof due to inflation, making the expense of fundraising and marketing activities that much harder to bare, despite being so necessary. Photography itself can be a large outlay for charities when it comes to marketing and events. But there are significant costs savings that can be made, especially through utilising smartphone photography.
That’s not the only benefit though. Smartphone photography is also accessible, mobile and subtle, allowing for the easy capture of shots in a non-invasive way, that can be edited and shared quickly and easily. Here, we look at how smartphone photography can benefit different types of charities and non-profits.
Schools and groups
For schools and groups, smartphone photography can help to broaden their images beyond the traditional photoshoot. Being able to share memories and events with loved ones and supporters through newsletters and on social media is made very simple using a smartphone camera.
More personal and in-action images can also be captured while on-the-go, and are useful when it comes to building a social media presence and promoting local support.
Safeguarding is, of course, a priority here. Care should be taken when using a smartphone in an educational environment and the child’s privacy and anonymity need to be of paramount concern. Learning how to use a smartphone camera while following such safeguarding is a worthwhile skill for staff in these settings.
Animal charities
Animal charities have a particularly difficult task when it comes to photography. As anyone with a pet knows, getting a good quality (and still!) photo is quite a challenge. Using a smartphone camera definitely has the advantage here. Not only it is less intrusive than a larger lens, which can be intimidating especially to nervous animals, but staff working closely with the animal can also learn to take great shots in a calmer environment.
So much about animal charity promotion is about creating a narrative around the animal - their past, their personality, their quirks and their recovery – which is much easier to do with a smartphone camera as pictures can be built up over time and taken just about anywhere.
Homeless charities
For charities who help vulnerable people, such as homeless charities, photography can be a very challenging task. Ethical questions regarding intrusion into personal space or documenting suffering are made much more challenging when using a traditional camera that can be incredibly intrusive.
Smartphone photography can be much more subtle, allowing for sympathetic, non-intrusive shots that are equally thought provoking, engaging and highlight urgent need.
All in all, the versatility and adaptability of smartphone photography makes it a great way to create a personal narrative and highlight the cause at the heart of a charity. It can help to bring in support and enhance fundraising activities, and create quick communication while retaining quality and professionalism. This style of photography is also cost effective, saving on expensive equipment and the cost of photoshoots.
Find out more
We run workshops specifically for charities that will cover your particular focus, needs and concerns when it comes to photography and marketing.
If you would like to find out more about building smartphone photography skills for your charity, please get in touch with Jet who can advise you on the best route forward.