Texthelp marketing photography
TextHelp Marketing Photography at LEO Academy Trust
Earlier this year I was commissioned to shoot a Texthelp Marketing Photography project. I was part of a team on an extensive client case study, LEO Academy Trust in the Borough of Sutton and Surrey. We had a fantastic week visiting lots of schools. After photographing and chatting to dozens of children, teachers and parents, I came away feeling incredibly inspired by the amazing difference that EdTech and PedTech (first time I’d heard that one!) can make to learners of all kinds.
I saw in the people we met, lives that had been transformed by the Texthelp apps. Not just breaking down barriers for learners with special educational needs but helping kids of all abilities with literacy.
Breaking down stigma in the classroom
One of things I loved most was the fact that all kids in these schools had the apps. It wasn’t determined by ability. This meant they could all use the tech as they chose without the stigma of having to raise a hand. “Going public” with the fact that they need help and having to wait for a teacher to explain something before they could move on can only hold back a pupils development.
One of the kids in particular who is autistic, raised a lump in my throat. They described how they’d absolutely hated going to school and refused at every possible occassion. Even with a classroom assistant they were seriously struggling to make any progress with literacy. But now they love writing and can’t get enough of school. They are a digital champion for the other kids who come to them for help. That’s a serious swing of the pendulum!!
Testimonial
“I first discovered Ashley via a Google search and I now feel like I hit the jackpot! Having just completed our second project together in under a year, I can honestly say it’s an absolute pleasure to work with him.
Ashley joined Texthelp’s marketing team for a shoot across Midlothian schools last June. He recently travelled with us to Sutton in London for one week, to capture photography for a second customer case study.
On both projects, he instantly understood the brief and the photography and drone footage output has been outstanding. We now have a plethora of amazing real life photography from our customer sites to use across our marketing materials, removing the need to rely on stock imagery.
One of the best things about Ashley is that he builds an excellent rapport with people. As he captured our product users across our customer sites, he was able to put every person at ease whilst having their photo taken. Not only this, he quietly worked behind the scenes on our video shoots to capture candid photos and lifestyle imagery.
We’ve received many compliments from our customers about how professional and pleasant Ashley is to work with. We at Texthelp couldn’t agree more!“
Sarah Robinson, TextHelp Principal Marketing Specialist
TextHelp Marketing Photography at Midlothian Council
This was my second big project with Texthelp. I had worked on a similar client case study of Midlothian Council (https://www.texthelp.com/en-gb/lp/education-for-everyone-midlothian/) in 2023.
The work in both cases involved a combination of reportage photography in the classroom and portraits of people who were participating in the project. I also shot details of school life and drone footage of the schools and area in general. This footage and images was used with the interview videos brilliantly shot by Matthew Stokes.
Having worked in the education sector throughout my career, I am aware that the lighting in schools can be challenging. However, for the sake of authenticity and keeping the disruption to a minimum, it was important to minimise the photography kit and additional lighting. Some of the kids involved were taking a big step out of their comfort zone to appear on camera. Therefore, I didn’t want to heighten anxiety but creating a studio atmosphere. This can be intimidating at the best of times.
