A personal celebration with a charitable element

Some hosts ask guests to give to a cause instead of bringing gifts, or open the celebration to a charity's representatives, or make a donation part of the programme. It is a generous idea, and it adds a second set of interests to the photography: the cause, the beneficiaries and the people who give.

This page belongs to our guide to adult milestone-event photography. It helps the host keep their private celebration separate from the charity's own needs.

Whose photographs are these?

If you commission the photography, the images record your celebration. A charity's reporting, fundraising or social media is the charity's own business, with its own permissions and consent from the people shown.

Do not assume that a photograph of a donation moment can go on a charity's page. Our guide on permission to photograph and permission to publish explains why each needs its own agreement.

What does a giving element look like?

Common forms include a donation box, a handover of items, a talk by a volunteer, a symbolic cheque, a fundraising raffle or a table of products sold for the cause.

Tell us which of these will be present, who leads each, and whether the charity attends. We then plan which parts to photograph and which to leave out.

How do we handle amounts, signs and logos?

Signs showing amounts raised or logos of the charity appear in many wide photographs. Decide whether you want this. If an amount is private, avoid displaying it. If a logo appears, check that the charity agrees to be shown.

Our image-use and approval register is a practical way to record who has agreed to what.

What about people the charity supports?

This is the most sensitive part of the page. People who receive help may not want to be recognised, and children and vulnerable adults need particular care. We do not photograph beneficiaries unless the charity, or the person's guardian, has agreed, and we follow the charity's own process.

If you are not sure, leave beneficiaries out of the frame and let the charity advise. See our privacy, permission and image-use guide for the wider picture.

Example scenario: a 60th birthday with donations to a local charity

For example, imagine a host who asks guests to donate to a charity of their choice instead of giving presents. A volunteer from the charity attends for twenty minutes to receive a symbolic envelope and to say thank you.

The host asks for photographs of the toast, the handover, the family and friends. The charity sends a short note that it does not want its logo displayed. The photographer records the handover without the logo, and the host chooses which images to share with the charity afterwards.

What to tell the photographer

• The giving element, in your words.
• Whether the charity attends, and who speaks for it.
• What you want shown and not shown.
• Guests who prefer not to be photographed.
• Which images may be shared outside the guest list.

For business and reporting uses, our guide to using event photographs for business and reporting explains the questions a charity may ask.

How does this affect cost?

Coverage hours, the number of groups and the delivery you ask for drive the quotation. A short donation moment adds little time, while a fundraising event with several parts may need a longer window. Your written quotation states the scope and the agreed image use. Please keep donations separate from payment for photography.

What if the charity wants to publicise the event?

Charities sometimes ask to announce a donation or share a thank-you. That is their decision to ask and yours to answer. If you agree, settle the wording, the images and the names beforehand, and ask each person pictured. Keep a short written record of what was agreed. If you would rather keep the celebration private, say so plainly. A kind refusal is always acceptable, and it does not reduce the value of the gift.