Magneto Films
MAKE SOMETHING GOOD
Documentary Photography for
University of Lincoln
Documentary photography for charities
Our documentary photography services capture people’s stories with honesty and empathy. For charities, unstaged and natural photography is an authentic way to show the impact of your work, to connect with supporters and build trust.
Visual documentation for universities
For universities and academic researchers, documentary photography offers a novel research tool, bringing insight and a rich visual layer to grant applications or reports. It can humanise data, support qualitative findings and bring research to life.
Our photographers have deep experience of creating reportage style photography, working closely with clients in health charities and university departments. Our calm and confident approach means that we’re able to build rapport with our subjects, treating them with respect, and capturing authentic moments of their lives.
Our real life charity photography has helped clients and organisations including the Refugee Council, The Childrens Society, the M.E Association, and the University of Lincoln. We create photographs for fundraising, marketing materials and impact reports, as well as exhibitions for public engagement and campaigning.
Our latest documentary photography projects
Documentary photography for charities
This project initially started as a self assigned documentary photography project – I spent 3 years researching and photographing people who live with M.E/CFS – but when the ME Assocation saw the images they immediately recognised their value for promoting their work and bringing the plight of M.E sufferers to a wider audience.
The charity has purchased a number of images to use for campaigning, fundraising and direct marketing, as well as supporting an exhibition – which they will use to invite stakeholders, supporters and people they wish to influence – and a small print run of a book that they will use to create awareness.
Photography for university research
The University of Lincoln commissioned us to create seven photographic stories exploring mental health in rural communities. The images were used to support a substantial research grant application and to gather data within the wider research project.
Working independently in the field, we researched support groups and rural community organisations, identified potential participants and built relationships with people with lived experience of mental health difficulties. The resulting work combined documentary photography of support groups and everyday life with photo-elicitation, while maintaining participants’ confidence, consent and trust throughout the process.
Social Impact Photography for Charities
The Great Friendship Project works with young adults who are experiencing loneliness, and supports them by putting on a range of social events and meetups in London. They commissioned us to shoot a series of social imact photographs that would demonstrate the need for their work and to show the impact that it has.
We created a series of composite photographs, with documentary style images of the contributors as they chatted, combined with real life moments of solitude or loneliness as experienced by the photographer.
Case Study Photography for Charities
As part of a wider project to create a brand and marketing film for the Refugee Council, we were commissioned to shoot case study photography that gave an insight into the story of one of their supporters.
George Szrites is an internationally recognised poet and translator, who came to the UK as a refugee after the communist invasion of Hungary. He’s been a valued supporter of the Refugee Council for many years.
Socially Engaged Photography
Documentary photography is evolving to make sure that the people being photographed have equity in the process, and socially engaged photography aims not only to tell important stories but to include participants in the process. This project grew out of a co-production commission: Charlotte and Tom wanted to tell the story of their lives together, how they met and then asserted themselves to live together independently, running their own team of personal assistants and maintaining their own household.
We discussed with Charlotte and Tom what they wanted to show about their lives, the images that they’d like to be used and shared all assets with them.
Documentary photography for charities
Our approach to documentary photography is rooted in storytelling. We spend time understanding what our clients need and how they’re going to use the photographs, and then use our photojournalistic experience to find the best case studies, and to research the scenes that will help us capture authentic and meaningful images.
Social impact photography
Creating an archive of genuine images of the people or projects that you support will help demonstrat the social impact of your work. There are so many uses for real life images, from social media, to press releases, websites and marketing campaigns.
Real life charity photography
Our motto has always been, real stories mean real impact, so case study photography is an effective way to to show the kinds of people you support, how your work changes lives or to demonstrate the need for your services.
Using photography in academic research
Photography can enrich academic research by offering visual insight into people, places, and processes. It supports qualitative methods, captures context and helps communicate complex ideas in a clear human way.
Documentary photography for universities
Whether used in fieldwork, case studies, research impact or public engagement, documentary photography can add depth and context to research outputs. It can be particularly effective when combined with participatory methods such as photo-elicitation.
Photography for research proposals
Strong visual storytelling can enhance research grant proposals and bring impact plans to life. Documentary photography helps communicate your project’s goals, context and beneficiaries
About Magneto Films
Magneto Films creates documentary photography and film for charities, healthcare organisations, universities and research teams. Our work is particularly suited to projects involving real people, lived experience and complex or sensitive subjects.
We can work alongside research and communications teams or independently in the field, finding contributors, building relationships and creating photographs that can be used for research impact, public engagement, campaigns, reports and exhibitions.