Stock Photo Shoot Planning for March

Plan your stock photoshoots with our photographer content creation guides

Photo by Jillian Butolph

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.  

March heralds in the beginning of spring, leaving behind the dark days of winter. Fresh Blossoms and Blooms, green grass and sunshiny days provide many opportunities to create photo shoots inspired by the change of seasons and celebratory holidays. A major theme in March is Women’s History Month, celebrating the achievements and successes of women across the world. St. Patrick’s Day, a fun and festive holiday makes for fantastic stock photos with its color theme of green and gold. And not to be missed is the opportunity to photograph dogs for National Puppy Day!

Ramadan is a major holiday to note, which begins on March 10th and runs through April 9th, 2024. Easter, which generally falls in April, will be celebrated on March 31st in 2024. For inspiration on Easter, please check out our April photoshoot planner guide.

Use these themes as suggestions and expand with your ideas on what types of stock photos best say “March!” and let these amazing images from Noun Project help inspire creative direction in your photo sessions.

Blossoms and Blooms

Spring is here! This time of year is often associated with renewal and growth. As you plan your stock images for March, get ready for the changing of the seasons as the weather warms up and spring begins to bloom. March photos can include flowers and plants which are starting to grow and blossom, the first signs of spring such as baby animals or melting snow, and the transition from winter to spring with images of bare trees and snow covered landscapes alongside early spring blooms.

Stock photos with people enjoying springtime inspire hope and happiness as we move out of the dark days of winter.

Stock photos with spring flowers can be created without models by gathering up spring flowers, such as a bouquet of tulips or daffodils to create flat lays or still life images. Noun Project customers like the option to be able to add text or copy in stock photos that they purchase. Make sure to leave room for text in your images without people.

Suggested tags: spring, march, flowers, blooms, blossoms, floral, fresh

Photo by Alina Kho // Photo by Carlos David

Photo by Denis Kuvaiev

Photo by Kateryna // Photo from Centre for Ageing Better 

Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month falls in March– a time to honor the achievements and successes of women throughout history. International Women’s Day falls on March 8th, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the globe. Many users look for stock photos that represent the importance of gender equality and women’s rights.

If photographing people at a rally or march, Noun Project may accept stock images of people without a model release if the image is of a cultural or newsworthy event. If accepted, these images will have an Editorial Use Only restriction on their license.

For further inspiration, check out our Empowered Women Photo Collection.

Suggested tags: women’s day, international women’s day, empowerment, history, feminism, equality

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

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography // Photo by Avel Shah

Photo by Avel Shah

St. Patrick’s Day

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, a cultural and religious holiday that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland and Irish culture. Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day is a day for Irish people to celebrate their heritage and culture, but is celebrated by many people across the world with parades, eating traditional Irish foods, drinking dark beer and wearing green. 

For flat lays and still life stock images, you can incorporate traditional symbols of St. Patrick’s Day into your shoot, such as gold coins and leprechaun hats.

Suggested tags: Saint Patrick, green, Irish, celebration, dark beer, leprechaun, luck, good luck, St. Patrick’s Day

Photo of coins and photo of hat by Tomas Baker

Photo by Yes Photographers // Photo by Carol Highsmith

Photo by Jacob Lund Photography

National Puppy Day!

National Puppy Day falls on March 23rd, a day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of adopting puppies from shelters and supporting animal welfare organizations. Who doesn’t love photographing puppies? Noun Project customers love stock photos of puppies, dogs, and other pets.

Suggested tags: puppy, dog, pet, animal, adoption, rescue pet

Photo from Scopio

Photo of man with two puppies and photo of husky dog from Scopio

stock photo of cute puppy laying in the grass
Photo from Scopio

More inspiration

Other significant themes, dates and observances to inspire your stock photos for March the start of baseball season and spring sports and National Nutrition Month; National Craft Month; Holi on March 8th; March 9th brings us National Barbie Day; Pi Day on 3/14; the first day of spring on March 19th; World Water Day on March 22nd; March 31st brings us both Cesar Chavez Day and International Trans Day of Visibility — and in 2024, Easter falls on March 31st.


Interested in joining our community of photographers and contributing to Noun Project? Submit your photos and explore our guide to creating authentic, inclusive images.

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Suzanne Strong
Suzanne Strong

Creative Director for Photos at Noun Project and Photographer

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