We designed a portrait making experience for the newly-independent Center for Women’s Leadership that not only captured the boldness and wisdom of its cohort, but integrated seamlessly into their curriculum — delivering evergreen communications assets and additional, rich leadership development opportunities.
Patriarchy doesn’t just harm femme people, it robs our entire society of the benefit of feminine wisdom. We all lose access to an unimaginable vastness of ingenuity, intelligence and community-building skills.
The Center for Women’s Leadership is a remarkable statewide organization that, for 23 years, has been increasing the representation of femme people in Oregon’s governments, and examining the practice of leadership at the intersections of race, gender and other diverse intersectionalities.
Its executive director, Jessica Heilman, appealed to Human Centric Media to produce portraits for its NEW Leadership Oregon cohort — a group of a dozen femme leaders creating change in our communities.
This work came at a critical time: the center was growing beyond its association with Portland State University, becoming a wholly independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and refreshing its programming.
We designed an experience to leave the center (and its emerging leaders) not only with evergreen photographs that captured their unique skillsets, but a leadership development experience unto itself.
Upending Expectations
Traditional media production leaves massive opportunities on the table. Creating someone’s portrait should be about more than lighting, poses and technical execution — it presents a chance to make someone feel seen, represent their whole self, and build a platform for what’s so special about them.
An empowering experience affects every aspect of the image: the subject’s body language, facial expressions, and all the other subtleties that communicate confidence.
The biggest way other agencies screw this up is rather simple: they don’t spend enough time with the subjects. Human Centric Media takes special care to get to know each and every individual we photograph — what motivates them, their aspirations and previous photo making experiences.
The care that we pour into building a safe container isn’t just a nicety — it demonstrably improves the image, and provides an experience that our clients can’t stop raving about.
Storytelling as Leadership Development
The experience closely mirrors the work that the Center for Women’s Leadership does with its graduates: giving them ample opportunity to explore themselves and the unique qualities of their leadership.
We ask subjects open, insightful questions not only for their growth but for our own. Each engagement brings us closer to the wisdom present in this community, granting us the skills to better represent it in the narratives we develop for our clients.
Learning to tell your own story is an integral part of growing. It gives you the tools to advocate for yourself professionally, uplift the talent in others, and connect across different backgrounds.
With this cohort, it was important to us that the smiling continued after we left the building — not just for our reputation as an agency, but because of the impact that experience would have on its efforts.
Building a Coalition of Care
When Human Centric Media talks about investing in the community, this is what we mean. It’s about more than donations, pro bono programs or volunteerism — it’s the care we bring to each engagement.
We cherished the time we got to spend learning about the paths these leaders have walked, and what it has inspired each of them to do in the world.
As storytellers, we grew right alongside these subjects. What a privilege!
What are you growing into this year? We’ll help you get there.
