Explore free guides, articles, presentations, and podcasts featuring the work of Lens for Change founder Michelle Riley. Each resource offers practical advice, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to help your organization strengthen its visual storytelling.
Resources
Free Guides
Nonprofit Photography Guide for Fundraising Success
Discover 10 practical tips to help your organization create and use photography more effectively to connect with your audience and strengthen your fundraising efforts.
Ideas for Impactful Professional Photo Shoots
Explore 6 creative ideas to help your organization plan an impactful photo shoot that communicates your mission, tells your story, and showcases your impact.
Presentations
How Authentic Photography Elevates Your Storytelling
Presented for the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference’s Tactical Thursdays webinar series, this presentation uses real-world examples and practical guidance to explore why authentic photography matters, what happens when visual storytelling goes wrong, and how to create ethical, impactful images for your organization.
Articles
The Power and Responsibility of Nonprofit Photography
Published as an editorial in the Spring 2025 edition of The PhiLanthropic Year, this article explores the principles of ethical nonprofit photography through historical examples and lessons learned throughout Michelle’s career. Michelle also curated the photography featured throughout the journal to illustrate the principles discussed in the article.
Podcasts
How Authentic Visual Storytelling Inspires Change and Increases Donations
Michelle joined Katherine Lacefield of Just Be Cause Consulting to discuss her journey from the newsroom to founding Lens for Change, the pitfalls of stock and AI-generated images, and practical strategies for creating authentic nonprofit photography that builds trust and inspires action.
Harnessing the Power of Ethical Photography in Nonprofit Storytelling
Michelle joined Sarah Barton of Nonprofit 411 to discuss the principles of ethical nonprofit photography, how authentic images strengthen fundraising and donor trust, and practical tips for planning a successful photo shoot.
With millions of advocacy and nonprofit organizations in the world today, the competition for donor dollars and eyeballs is steep. People support advocacy organizations for many reasons: some want to help others, some want to make the world or their community a better place, and some want to support a cause that is personally significant to them. But with so many incredible organizations to choose from, how do you inspire people to support yours?
Credibility is key to drawing people to your cause. People need to trust that their donations and support are making a real difference in the world. Authentic photography helps you secure that trust by showing your audience what your organization is doing and demonstrating the tangible impact of your work.
We all know the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and in the case of advocacy work, that statement couldn’t ring more true. It can take less than a second to catch somebody’s eye with a powerful photograph and inspire them to learn more about how they can support your cause.
In the simplest of terms, authentic photography is imagery that wasn’t staged or posed when it was taken, and that wasn’t significantly altered or changed after it was taken. It means using less stock photography and more professionally shot images that show your staff doing the real work of your organization.
Of course, sometimes there are legitimate reasons to use posed or altered photography for specific purposes, but it’s important to be transparent with your audience in those instances; for example, a photo credit can clearly state that an altered photo is an illustration or a collage. There are also times when stock photography is appropriate, but again, it’s important to be honest about where the images came from, and to choose suitable images that don’t mislead your audience.
Using authentic photography will help uphold the integrity and credibility of your organization, which is key to gaining and sustaining trust and inspiring involvement in your cause. Lens for Change is committed to providing services and helping you learn strategies for doing exactly that.