What makes social impact photography work, and what to ask for when you commission it

Social impact photography is documentary photography that shows the difference an organisation makes, through real people and real moments, with their consent. It isn't the same as event photography, and it isn't the same as marketing photography. Its job is to make change visible and believable.

I've been taking pictures for most of my life. As a boy in Birmingham I had a cheap plastic camera, and I'd look through it whether or not there was film inside. I studied street photography and photojournalism at Bournville in the early 1990s, and I've been shaped ever since by photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, who waited for real moments rather than arranging them. Years later, as Group Web Director at Magnum Photos, I spent my working days around the archive of the agency Cartier-Bresson co-founded. That's still how I work. It's also, I think, the clearest way to explain what makes social impact photography different.

Why most of it falls short

Most organisations need photos for a report, a website or a funding bid, usually at short notice. So someone with a decent camera goes along to an event, people smile at the lens, and the job is done.

The pictures prove the event happened. They don't prove anything changed. And because they look like every other charity or CSR photo, readers scroll past them.

As I said to a client recently, it needs to look authentic for it to feel authentic. People can tell when a moment has been staged, even if they can't say why.

What it looks like when it works

It shows the work, not just the visit. The volunteer loading the van at the end of a long evening tells you more than a line-up in branded T-shirts.

It's planned around a story. Before I photograph anything, I want to know what changed and for whom. That decides what I look for on the day.

It protects people. Some people should never be photographed in their hardest moments. When I photographed NishkamSWAT's volunteers on a winter night in central London, we chose to focus on the volunteers giving their time, not on the people receiving food. Their dignity mattered more than any picture.

It's honest. Real light, real places, real expressions. Not perfect, but true.

When people can't be photographed

Some of the most important work happens with people who can't be identified: survivors, young people, people in crisis. That doesn't mean the story can't be told. It means you tell it differently.

You can photograph hands, spaces and objects. You can show the work from behind or at a distance. Or you can hand people the camera and let them show their own world, with someone alongside them to help. Those images often end up being the most powerful in the set, because they come from the inside.

What to ask for when you commission it

If you're hiring a photographer for social impact work, these are the things I'd want in place, whoever you choose.

A story conversation before the shoot.

Ask for: a short planning session to agree what changed, who it changed for, and where you'd see it.

A consent plan.

Ask for: how everyone will be told what the photos are for, what happens if someone says no, and how people who can't be identified will be protected.

Partner sign-off.

Ask for: your charity partner, and where possible the people photographed, to see the images before they go live.

Clear rights.

Ask for: a licence that covers everywhere you'll use the images, written down before the shoot. My own projects include a full licence to use the images anywhere, with a photo credit.

Realistic turnaround.

Ask for: a delivery date that fits your deadline. For most of my shoots, edited images arrive within 48 to 72 hours.

Where I disagree with the usual advice

The charity sector has a long and uncomfortable habit of using pictures of suffering to raise money. The argument for it is that it works. I don't think that's a good enough reason. Images like that strip people of their dignity, and over time they teach the public to see the people you support as problems rather than people. I'd rather show what someone did, made or became than show their need.

Questions people ask

How much does social impact photography cost?

It depends on the length of the shoot and how the images will be used. My charity photography starts from £650, and CSR photography from £950.

Should we use stock photos instead?

Stock is quick, but readers recognise it, and the same faces appear in other organisations' reports. It can't show your work, so it can't build trust in it.

Can our own team take the photos?

Yes, for everyday social media, and it's worth training them. For reports, funding bids and campaigns, a professional who understands consent and story usually makes a real difference.

If you'd like to talk about photographing your work, see charity photography or CSR photography.