At the Library Marketing and Communications Conference this past November, I watched as Jody Lazar, Director of Community Engagement at Winter Park Library in Florida made half a dozen mouths drop to the floor.
Jody, I, and about 30 others were crammed into a little room for a round table session. We were seated with about six other library marketers, talking about stock photo use for library promotions. That’s when Jody revealed that her team got all the photos they needed—and more—by setting up a Stock Photo Day. Everyone wanted to know how they did it! So, I asked Jody to share with my readers.
Jody, in turn, connected me with two team members who organized their Stock Photo Day. Brianna Haufman is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Winter Park Library. Samantha Huntington is the Community Engagement Specialist. Brianna and Samantha are, of course, loyal, lifelong library users.
“One of my fondest memories is tied to the local library in Springfield, New Jersey,” remembers Brianna. My sister and I were avid library users, always checking out books and participating in children’s activities.”
“One summer, knowing how much we wanted a dog, my mom signed us up for a program where kids could read to dogs. I’ll never forget reading to a little Pomeranian—it felt like the storytelling performance of a lifetime! As a theater-loving kid, I embraced the chance to bring stories to life, and for an hour, it was as though we were dog owners. It was a small but magical moment that has stayed with me ever since.”
“I was born and raised in Central Florida,” recalls Samantha. “Before I was school age, my mom would take me to storytimes at our local library. My family didn’t have cable TV, so my most vivid memories of this time weren’t the storytimes but choosing movies and shows to borrow. Later, in high school, I volunteered at my local library. My favorite task was gathering holds and interlibrary loans from the shelves. It brought me to sections of the library I’d never been to. I loved reading the synopsis of unusual titles and discovering new types of books.”
Brianna and Samantha, along with Jody, make up the whole of the Communications Team at Winter Park Library, which is located about seven miles north of Orlando. They have one location and serve a population of 30,000 residents.
Like many of you, the Winter Park Library Communications Team manages a range of projects such as fundraising appeals, social media, newsletters, an annual gala, and more. They work closely with other departments, including children’s and adult librarians, archivists, and outreach staff.
To promote all that Winter Park Library has to offer, Brianna and Samantha need photos! In the past, they’d used a mixture of photos of past events and stock photos.
“The problem with stock photos is they can only communicate an idea of what we’re offering, not the actual thing,” says Brianna. “It’s more impactful when we show someone using our actual equipment instead of stock.”
When the library was moved into a new building in 2021, the Communications Team was allocated extra marketing funds to produce a professional video. During that shoot, they worked with the production team to gather stock photos and videos for future promotions. That’s when an idea formed for their Stock Photo Day.
“We began by identifying our biggest photo needs, from event promotion to donor outreach,” explains Samantha. “Library staff members with cameras volunteered to help, and we used a Signup Genius link to recruit participants in one-hour shifts.”
“To gather volunteers, we reached out to our existing library volunteers and shared the opportunity on local theater Facebook boards,” continues Brianna. “I also shared the project with my theater students at Central Florida Community Arts, which brought in families and even one of our photographers.”
Next, the team decided on vignette scenes for specific shots and used ChatGPT to generate a detailed schedule. They say the whole planning process took just a few hours, including assigning photographers to locations, creating a shot wish list, and organizing props.
Brianna and Samantha agreed to share their photoshoot day schedule for any library wishing to replicate this process, as well as their wish list of shots and their prop list.
Wishlist
- Bookstore: photos of people with books, stacks, donation boxes, shelving, and kids in the kid’s area
- Second Floor: Families using the play area, tables, reading, doing homework, collab rooms, stills of family, checking out/using youth laptop, pulling a book off the shelf.
- First Floor: Computer lab, book return, reading, people checking out, getting library cards, leaving with big stacks, using printer and scanner, checking out a laptop, lecture/class, pulling a book off the shelf.
- Makerspace: lecture/class, designing on the computer, using equipment
- Memory Lab: studying, archives, shelving, using the converter/scanner.
Prop List
- Books, book stacks, tote bags, donation box
- Tablets, Computers, 3-D prints, tote bags, headphones, kids’ books, Archives
- Toys, books, computers, tablets, ukuleles, puppets, bubbles, TAB shirts
The team held their Photo Shoot Day on a Sunday morning before the library opened.
“We had a staff member manage check-ins and release forms, while others helped stage scenes and distribute props,” remembers Samantha. “We used walkie-talkies for coordination and even staged a mock ‘Author Talk’ in our theater space. Thanks to careful planning and community participation, the day ran smoothly and yielded excellent promotional materials.”
“We had two arrival times for our volunteer models and when they arrived, we split them into one of three groups,” continues Brianna. “One group went with a teen volunteer photographer to the children’s floor. The other two groups went downstairs with one of the two library staff members who agreed to be photographers.”
“In the overlap time between the first batch leaving and the second batch arriving, we took large group photos in our theatre. We ended the day by taking all the photographers and remaining volunteers outside for exterior shots.”
“Members of our marketing team directed volunteers and helped set up shots. One member of the marketing team followed our photographers with a phone on a gimbal getting B-roll.”
If your library wants to plan a stock photo day, Brianna and Samantha advise you to be flexible and go with the flow.
“You may have more or fewer participants than expected, so having backup plans is essential,” advises Samantha. “Create a ‘wish list’ of shots but understand that you might not achieve everything—and that’s okay! Be open to suggestions. Once participants get comfortable, they might explore the space and come up with creative ideas for scenes or shots that you hadn’t considered. That spontaneity can lead to some of the best moments.”
“Don’t be afraid to make bold, fun choices—your participants signed up for this experience! Whether it’s recreating a TikTok idea you’ve been wanting to try or capturing close-up shots that require retakes, embrace the opportunity. This is your day to be creative and capture the content your library needs.”
“I’d add that it’s important to recognize how capable you really are,” says Brianna. “Many of us in this field experience imposter syndrome at times—I know I have—but pulling off something like this without a professional crew proves that you can do it. It’s a reminder to trust your skills and creativity.”
“Also, don’t underestimate the willingness of your community to help. People enjoy being part of something fun and meaningful, and their enthusiasm can make a big difference in the success of your project.”
Want more help?
Need a Free Stock Photo or Illustration for Your Library Promotions? Here are the Top Ten Websites Where You Can Find Them!
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