Student Photographers Helping Nonprofits through Service Learning

How photography can serve as a prime element of an organization’s brand

This semester, as part of the college’s commitment to service learning and community involvement, the Visual Communication department’s Photography program is offering a two-credit workshop for students who want to help their communities. The class provides free photography for area nonprofits, while DCTC students get to hone their skills and add to their portfolios.

Seven students enrolled in this unique course will be matched with area nonprofits that are looking for good photographs to help build and define a brand image. Building a professional and ongoing collection of photographs can be a crucial step in defining the brand or image of an organization, nonprofit or for-profit. Any “library” of photos should follow a consistent theme and clearly deliver the character or essence of an organization to its customers or clients.

The class will photograph almost any type of program or activity, providing pictures that can be used in brochures, annual reports, magazines, and, of course, online. Students will also provide studio-quality portraits of staff or volunteers. Students are currently undergoing training in location photography; projects are scheduled to begin in March 2010 and continue into early May 2010.

Thanks to a service-learning project from the DCTC Photography program, area nonprofit organizations operating on tight budgets will be getting the opportunity to add professional-grade photos to their branding arsenals. If you’re aware of an area nonprofit that could benefit from this project, please contact Peter Latner, an instructor in the Photography and Photographic Imaging Technology programs, at 651-423-8590.

Below is an example from a previous project where a student, Brandon Starkey, had his photo selected for the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Animal Tracks, a quarterly magazine with a circulation of 65,000 published by the Animal Humane Society of Hennepin and Ramsey counties.