Are you hiring a professional photographer soon? Based on my decade+ experience photographing on private school campuses across the U.S., I have four tips for making the most of your investment.

1. Strategize

Schedule a strategy session: I like to spend time before a shoot listening to my private school clients and gaining insights about their needs, goals, and upcoming strategic initiatives. What would success look like for this shoot? Also, be sure to be realistic about what can be accomplished in a single day — lean on your photographer for guidance.

2. Prioritize

Focus attention on your needs: I recommend making an ideal shot list. What are the must-haves, what are the nice-to-haves, and where is your current photo library lacking? Prioritize your needs so that your photographer can be sure to capture the must-have images.

3. Visualize

Think ahead about placement: What are you going to use these photos for? Be sure to communicate that info to your photographer. Do you need images for the super wide landing page of your school’s website? If the images are going in your school’s magazine, what is the orientation? What orientation would fit these needs? Check in with your designers and web/digital team to get their preferences and specifications. This pays off in the long run — much easier than trying to fit a horizontal photo onto a vertical school magazine cover later on.

4. Improvise

Plan the day, but don’t over plan: Allow room for serendipity, those great candid moments on campus that happen when we can wander around and get impromptu shots.

I would love to speak with you about your upcoming visual needs! Schedule your free consultation and let's see how I can help your school this year. Let's chat.

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Rebecca Drobis

Rebecca Drobis is passionate about capturing compelling, high-impact images of the learning environment. For over 13 years, she has worked with independent schools, colleges, universities and education publications across the United States. Rebecca’s training as a photojournalist instilled in her a keen sense of observation and the ability to capture impactful, story-telling moments. Rebecca prides herself on being a proactive, enthusiastic and flexible team player. She engages with her clients to understand their marketing goals and unique culture so that she can translate that to a library of photographs that are versatile, strategic and unique. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, Rebecca has partnered with schools to capture the tremendous effort educators, administrators, students and staff have made to keep learning on track.

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