Photography & Media
What images to look for, what to avoid, and the types you'll need for the new MOWP site
What to look for
The strongest images show real human connection, not just food or logistics:
- People together. A volunteer handing over a meal. Diners laughing at a community table. A staff member on a porch visit.
- Candid over posed. Group photos and staged shots feel corporate.
- Show the "why," not just the "what." A photo of a meal is fine. A photo of someone's face lighting up when it arrives is better.
What to avoid
- Generic stock photography.
- Low-resolution photos, especially for hero sections.
Consent and permissions
Photos of real people need real permission, especially meal recipients, who may be in vulnerable situations.
- Get written consent before a photo of an identifiable person goes on the site. A short, plain-language release is enough, and one signature can cover ongoing use.
- For meal recipients, ask at a comfortable moment and make declining easy. If someone seems unsure, don't use the photo.
- Volunteers and staff should opt in too. A line in onboarding paperwork covers future shoots.
- Keep track of what's covered. A list of photo, person, date and consent status prevents the "can we still use this?" scramble later.
See Testimonials for the quote-permission side.
Types of images you'll need
Start gathering these now. Photography almost always takes longer than expected.
| Image type | What you need |
|---|---|
| Hero images | Large, high-quality, horizontal. At least 4-6 strong options to rotate across key pages (Home, Donate, Volunteer, Get Meals). |
| Card/thumbnail images | At least 20-30 for posts, cards, giving options, and volunteer roles. Contextual where possible, plus a handful of general-purpose ones for content without an obvious image. |
| Team headshots | Consistent style (background, lighting, framing) for the leadership page. |
| Location photos | Each dining center should have at least one representative image. |
| Testimonial portraits | If using real quotes, a photo of the person adds credibility and warmth. |
Image size reference
Ideal dimensions and file sizes for each type. Photos straight from a camera or phone usually need resizing and compression first (see Recommended Tools).
| Type | Dimensions | Ratio | Max size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero images | 1920 × 800px min | 16:9 or wider | 500KB | |
| Card thumbnails | ~800 × 600px | 4:3 | 200KB | |
| Location photos | ~1200 × 800px | 3:2 | 300KB | |
| Team headshots | ~600 × 600px | 1:1 (square) | 150KB | |
| Testimonial portraits | ~400 × 400px | 1:1 (square) | 100KB |
Video and audio
Video for hero sections, especially the homepage, should be short and ambient. No audio.
Video that carries speech — stories, interviews, event recaps — needs captions and transcripts planned from the start. Audio-only content needs a transcript on the page for the same reason.
Upload video to YouTube or Vimeo and we'll embed it from there rather than hosting files on the site. Both support captions and auto-generated transcripts you can review and edit.
We handle motion settings and autoplay behavior; we'll need captioned videos or transcripts from you.