Stock Photo Shoot Planning for June

Plan your stock photoshoots with our photographer content creation guides

Photo by Zamurovic Brothers

Welcome to our monthly photo shoot planning guide where we share themes, special dates, and suggested tags to help guide you in creating and preparing your stock photos for submission to Noun Project for the months ahead.   

The month of June, with its sunshine and warmer weather, officially kickoffs Summer.  With people spending more time outdoors during June, photographers are provided with ample opportunity to create fun stock photos. The gorgeous weather in June provides a sunny and colorful backdrop for Pride parades and festivities. June, recognized for Father’s Day celebrations, presents numerous chances to capture images of families, fathers, and children enjoying the great outdoors, or cherishing moments together inside.

Use these themes as suggestions and expand with your own ideas on what types of photos best say “June!”  and let  these amazing photos help inspire creative direction for your shoots.

Table of Contents

Summer

Summer officially kicks off in the Northern hemisphere with the summer solstice on June 21st. With longer days and warmer weather, June presents the perfect opportunity for fun activities such as barbecues, swimming, picnics and outdoor movies—not to mention the end of the school year for students.  With people out and about for summer activities, June presents a variety of great opportunities for creating stock photos.

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography

Photo (L) from Scopio // Photo (R) from Scopio

One way to capture the essence of summer is photographing the excitement that many kids have being out of school for the summer. Photos of kids playing in sprinklers, eating ice cream, playing on the beach or picking fresh berries are great activities to capture the happiness and laid back vibe of June and summer.

Photo (L) by Jacob Lund Photography // Photo (R) by Jacob Lund Photography

Summer also presents the opportunity for gatherings of friends and family, such as picnics and barbecues. Hiring models or asking friends and family to gather for a stock photoshoot of an outdoor gathering such as these is a great way to create images that represent June. Don’t forget to get photos of the food and decor to maximize your time and outcomes.

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography // Photo by Yes Photographers

Photo by Anna Ivanova

Photographing images without people is easy with the abundance of colorful summer foods and drinks available to shoot. Flat lays and still life images of fruits that scream summer such as pineapple, watermelons, ice cream, and grilled corn are fun subjects. Barbecues and picnics bring to mind fresh juice, rose wine and beer and make for great stock photos.

Photo by Yes Photographers // Photo by the Zamurovic Brothers

Tags: June, summer, barbecues, picnics, beach, swimming, summer vacation

Pride

June is Pride Month, a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and its history through various events, parades, marches and celebrations. 

Photo by Avel Shah

The first Pride March in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, on the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The Stonewall Uprising was a series of protests by the gay community in response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan in New York City.

Throughout the month, there are various parades, festivals, and events that showcase the vibrant tapestry of colors and emotions associated with Pride. Pride events are generally characterized by a colorful and energetic atmosphere, making them a perfect opportunity to capture vibrant images that showcase the joy and unity of the celebrations.

Photo from Scopio // Photo by Avel Shah

Pride events are diverse with people from people from different races, ages and genders in attendance. People often wear colorful clothes and costumes, carry rainbow flags and add fun additions to their outfits such as glitter makeup and colorful accessories. Pride events are the definition of joie de vivre through the lens of celebrating love and acceptance. 

To effectively capture the energy and inclusiveness of this month at public events, focus on the diverse crowd, colorful costumes, and creative decorations. Experiment with angles that emphasize the Pride rainbow, glitter makeup, or joyful expressions of parade attendees.

When photographing people in a public space and photographing someone close up, ask for permission to take their photo and obtain a model or property release if possible. However, newsworthy or cultural events generally fall into an editorial category. Noun Project may accept photos at events like parades without model or property releases if the curation team deems the images to editorial, in which case an Editorial Use Only restriction will be applied to the license.

The them of Pride in photos shouldn’t be relegated only to public Pride events. The theme of Pride can also be photographed in ways that celebrate people in the LGBTQ community participating in everyday activities, such as making meals together at home or spending time with pets.

Photo (L) by Suzanne Strong // Photo (R) by Suzanne Strong

Suggested tags: Pride, LGBTQ, parade, celebration, rainbow flags, acceptance, family, gay

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a special day dedicated to honoring and celebrating fatherhood. In many countries around the world, Father’s Day is observed in June. Father’s Day provides an excellent opportunity to photograph the special bond between kids and their dads. Including grandfathers in a stock photo shoot is a great way to add age diversity. 

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography // Photo from Scopio

Authentic images are highly sought after in stock photography.  A really easy way to create authentic photos is to capture fathers and children in settings and activities that they naturally enjoy doing together. Some activities that dads and their kids enjoy are fishing, playing outside, reading books and simply snuggling—however it’s important that you talk to your models or the families you’re photographing ahead of time to find out how they spend time together. This will ensure that you’re capturing candid authentic moments, emotions and expressions.

Photo (L) by Jacob Lund Photography // Photo (R) by Jacob Lund Photography

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography

Suggested tags: Father’s Day, dads, grandfathers, kids, father, children, family, June, bonding

In Summary

June is a month full of celebration and appreciation for a variety of cultural and social events. Whether it’s honoring fathers, celebrating diversity and equality, or marking the start of summer, June offers something for everyone to enjoy and celebrate.

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography

More inspiration

Other significant themes, dates and observances to inspire your photos for June are Great Outdoors Month; Adopt a Cat Month; World Environment Day on June 5th; Juneteenth, a holiday on June 19th commemorating the end of slavery in the United States; World Oceans Day on June 8th; Eid al-Adha falls on June 16th; Summer Solstice is on June 20th in 2024; and the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on June 22nd. June 21st holds 3 major days around the world: National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, International Yoga Day, and World Music Day.


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Suzanne Strong
Suzanne Strong

Creative Director for Photos at Noun Project and Photographer

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