A showcase photograph shows a resident with their work, in their own words. Before the day, ask each presenter what they are happy to have photographed, including any personal material in the display, and confirm what the organiser's wider gallery may show. Check permission to photograph other people's work, and plan time for each presenter without making anyone queue for a portrait.
A resident-project showcase gives people a chance to explain what they have done: a school-holiday programme, a recycling scheme, a heritage walk, a set of crafts or a community garden. The best images show the person and the project together. They also respect what the person wants shown.
This page belongs to our overview of community and volunteer-event photography. For fairs where makers sell or demonstrate products, see cooperative and community-maker fairs.
What is a showcase photograph?
A good showcase photograph captures a resident explaining, demonstrating or sharing. It might show hands at work, a conversation with a visitor or a presenter beside their display. It tells the visitor who made it and why it matters.
Because each display is personal, the plan starts with the presenters, not the layout. Ask each what they are proud of and what they would prefer not to be shown.
Ask each presenter first
A short question list works well:
- May I photograph you with your display?
- Is there anything on the display that should not be photographed?
- Is anyone else involved in the project who should or should not appear?
- May the photographs appear in the organiser's gallery, and where?
Record the answers in the organiser's list. Our priority photograph list builder can help turn it into a shot list. Where a presenter says no, that decision stays, even if the display is attractive.
Personal material and private details
Displays often include personal items. A family photograph, a handwritten note, a name list or a map showing someone's home can reveal more than the presenter realises once it is photographed and shared.
The camera makes small details legible, and a published image can be enlarged. Our guide on photographs that reveal addresses, badges or personal documents explains the risk. Where a display includes private details, the photographer can photograph from a distance, from an angle, or leave that part out.
Other people's work
Not everything on a display belongs to the presenter. A logo, a design, a photograph or a recipe may belong to someone else. Ask the owner whether the item may be photographed and shown. We do not give legal advice on this. For anything that matters, take qualified advice.
Also consider the finished images. Our guide on cropping, retouching and modifying photographs after delivery explains why changes to an image can raise separate questions, for example if someone crops out a credit.
What the wider gallery may show
The organiser may want a public gallery or an annual report. That is a separate decision from taking photographs. Decide what the gallery will include, and ask presenters before including their images. Our guide to personal, internal, press and advertising uses of photographs explains how the purpose affects what permissions are needed.
The image-use and approval register helps you keep a record of what each presenter agreed.
A hypothetical example
For example, a residents' network holds a half-day showcase in a library hall, with ten tables. Presenters include a seed-swap group, a repair café and a heritage walk team. The organiser plans an online album.
Before the day, the organiser asks each presenter the four questions above. The seed-swap group is happy to be photographed. The heritage walk team asks that its map, which marks private homes, is not photographed. One repair café volunteer prefers not to appear. The photographer receives a table-by-table list, takes portraits at the tables where presenters said yes, and photographs only the wide view of the heritage table.
Planning time and cost
Ten tables in three hours need pacing. A few minutes at each table, with room to return, is more realistic than a long queue for portraits. We do not quote figures here. Your quotation sets out coverage, crew and deliverables in writing.
What to send us
Send the list of presenters, the layout, the answers you have gathered and where the photographs will appear. We reply in writing with a proposed plan and what we need confirmed.
Checklist
- List presenters and what each will display.
- Ask each presenter what may and may not be photographed.
- Mark displays that include other people's work or personal material.
- Decide what the wider gallery may show.
- Plan a short time slot for each presenter who wants a portrait.
- Tell visitors that photographs are being taken.
Send us the list of presenters, the layout of the showcase and what the organiser plans to publish, and we will plan coverage and confirm it in writing.
Plan photography for our showcaseCommon questions
Can the photographer photograph every display?
Only displays whose creators have agreed. Some presenters will not want their work or their family details recorded. Ask each in advance, and give the photographer a list of cleared displays. A sign by each display can say whether photographs are welcome.
What about artworks or designs that someone else owns?
Photographing a display is different from owning it. If a display includes work by someone else, such as a design, a brand or a photograph, ask the owner whether it may appear in images and how. We do not give legal advice. Take qualified advice if the question is important.
How do we handle personal material in a display?
Personal material, such as family photographs, letters, addresses or documents, can be sensitive. Ask the presenter what may be photographed, and whether the organiser's gallery should show it. Where in doubt, photograph the presenter and the project from a distance that keeps small details unreadable.
Can the photographer help presenters pose with their work?
Yes, if the presenter wishes. Offer, don't insist. Some prefer a natural photograph while they explain their work. Tell presenters in advance whether portraits will be taken, when and how long they will take, so nobody feels put on the spot.
Plan photography for our showcase
Send us the list of presenters, the layout of the showcase and what the organiser plans to publish, and we will plan coverage and confirm it in writing.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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