The Sierra Club is in the early stages of trying to attract more Latinos to participate in its outings, become advocates, and donate. But the environmental group has been hamstrung in its effort by its lack of photographs that show Latinos taking part in its activities. To make up for the shortcoming, it had resorted to stock imagery.
But no more. To build and diversify its image library, the Sierra Club held its first Latino photo shoot in Puerto Rico this summer. The organization plans to use the images on its website and in brochures, direct-mail appeals, digital ads, and other materials.
“As a Latino or Latina living in the United States, the first thing that tells you ‘Oh, this message is for me’ is to see another Latino looking at you,” says Elena Reglero, director of membership development.
For-profit companies started to plan for the growth of the Latino population back in the 1980s, she says. Corporations have long realized that to win Latinos as customers, Latinos need to see themselves in the companies’ marketing, says Reglero, who spent more than 15 years in advertising. “Somehow, the nonprofit sector missed that train.”
Authenticity Is Critical
Iconic Sierra Club photographs show one or possibly two hikers at the summit of a majestic mountain. Their backs are to the camera as they gaze contemplatively at the beautiful landscape.
That’s an image that leaves most Latinos cold, Reglero says. She explains that as a group, Latinos enjoy time in nature and spend money on outdoor gear at rates that are similar — and sometimes higher than — that of the population as a whole. “But they enjoy the outdoors in a different way,” she says. “They will show up at the chapter with children and maybe with Grandpa and Grandma. It’s more of a social event.”
The photo shoot in Puerto Rico captured real people doing real activities: multigenerational families going on nature outings and participating in cleanups, young people protesting, and people doing everyday outdoor activities, like going to market and recycling. Posing was kept to a minimum in the photographs.
To increase the emotional draw of the images, the photographer focused on faces and interaction among the people in the shot. Reglero wanted to make sure the photographs had a focus, even if they showed multiple people.
“Even when you have a whole family or a whole group of people cleaning up a beach, let’s have someone at the forefront so your eyes go easily to just one person and the rest is just a background,” she says.
Although some of the photographs were taken in beautiful settings, Reglero didn’t want the locations to take center stage. Her goal was to find representative settings. That way the focus stays on the faces and the people interacting with each other, and the photographs can be used widely, not just in Puerto Rico.
“If we have a picture, instead of saying this is Laguno Beach in Puerto Rico, it should be a beach,” she says. “Or if it’s a trail, it shouldn’t be identifiable.”
Communicating a New Vision
There are more photo shoots in the Sierra Club’s future.
In addition to seeking more diverse supporters, the stalwart nonprofit is expanding its focus beyond pristine wilderness areas to champion environmental justice. Communicating the new vision will require new kinds of images that spotlight the power of people to make a difference together, Reglero says.
“It’s not just about the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, but about communities and the air we breathe and the water we drink,” she says. “We’re going to be about the national parks, but we’re also going to be about the local parks.”
