Great photos directly impact how well you can tell your school’s stories on social media! In a crowded newsfeed, it’s important to stand out. And today, I want to show you how you can “stop the scroll” with fun, creative school mascot photos.
Incorporating your school mascot into photos adds a touch of fun and amplifies school spirit and community engagement. I’ve written before about how you can make your school mascot the star of your Instagram Reels – but as we’ll see, photos can go far, too!
In today’s article, I’ll explore several compelling reasons to use your mascot in photos and provide some useful tips for capturing the perfect mascot moments.
Why Use Your Mascot in Photos?
Your school mascot is more than just a costume; it’s a symbol of pride, unity, and tradition for students, staff, and the broader community.
Mascots can evoke a sense of belonging and collective identity. Traditionally, this happens during sporting events, but savvy school communicators can infuse school mascot fun into a variety of settings.
Mascot photos are also evergreen, so you have endless opportunities to reinforce your brand and school spirit across social media. When you have an announcement to make or want to share a fun celebration – but don’t have a student or staff photo to go with the story – pull out one of your mascot’s evergreen photos, and you’re good to go!!
Other benefits include:
- Increased Engagement: Followers can’t help but engage with a fun mascot photo! These posts tend to receive lots of likes, shares, and comments.
- Stronger Brand Identity: Your mascot is synonymous with your school’s identity. Consistently incorporating your mascot in photos helps reinforce your brand.
- Human Connection: Your mascot helps humanize your school’s social media content because it’s more relatable than a generic branded graphic.
- Flexible Usage: Photos of your mascot can be used in SO many ways, making it a versatile tool for storytelling.
Keep reading for tons of examples!
14 Ideas for Mascot Photos
OK, let’s dig into some fun ideas for your mascot photos! Consider scheduling a couple of photoshoots with someone in your mascot costume so you can have a TON of photo examples to choose from throughout the school year.
1. On a Computer
Capture your school mascot working at a computer or tablet in a few different scenarios – thinking, typing, looking at the screen, pointing at the screen, etc.
2. With the Therapy Dog
Pose your mascot with your school therapy dog for double the cuteness! The mascot could be walking the dog, petting the dog, lying on the floor next to the dog, etc.
3. Holding a Pom Pom
Pose your mascot with some traditional “school spirit” gear like pom poms, a megaphone, a sign with your school hashtag, etc.!
4. Sitting in the Bleachers
Get your mascot cheering in the bleachers, in the endzone, under the basketball hoop, alongside the cross-country course, on the wrestling mats… and more! Add props like tennis rackets, volleyballs, etc. Can you get pictures for every sport your school offers?!
5. Looking in a Locker
Have the mascot interact with lockers or school cubbies – looking inside, holding school supplies, carrying a backpack, etc.
6. Going Through the Lunch Line
Have your mascot act like they are going through the school lunch line! Get them holding a tray, paying for their food, and more.
7. Interacting with Key School Leaders
Highlight leadership by posing your mascot with key school leaders that your community will recognize, including:
- School superintendent
- School principals
- School counselor
- School nurse
- Athletic director
- Coaches
- Choir/Band/Drama directors
Have fun with these mini photoshoots! Encourage interaction and movement between the leader and the mascot so it’s not just a static photo. Think about high fives, hugs, big facial reactions, etc.
8. Posing with Props
Banish boring holiday posts and replace them with mascot memories! Pose your mascot with holiday-themed props, such as an American flag, globe (Earth Day), flowers (Mother’s Day), Santa hat, and more. You can also take pictures with more generic, school-related props such as a giant pencil, a backpack, books, and a magnifying glass.
9. Wearing Various Shirts
Show school pride by having your mascot wear shirts and jerseys from a variety of clubs and teams. Representation matters!
10. Screens and Signs
Have your mascot hold a blank piece of posterboard, pose next to a blank white board / smart board / chalkboard, or point to a blank screen. Later, you can use your favorite design program to add specific text.
11. Indoor School Environments
Take your mascot into a variety of indoor spaces and take photos, such as classrooms, science labs, the main office, the library, art rooms, the auditorium, study hall, computer labs, cafeteria, and reading corners.
12. Outdoor School Environments
Get outdoors and take pictures in your stadium, on the playground, and outside your building entrances and exits. Bring out those props again for added fun!
13. Interacting with Students and Staff
Get your mascot in photos with students at recess, in music class, at lunchtime, during a pep rally, in gym class, and more! Bring the mascot to a staff meeting or event, and have them be part of the team for some fun photos.
14. Helping with Construction Updates
Do you have a building project going on? Get your mascot involved by having them hold a shovel, wear a construction hat, and more.
Download this list in a handy PDF format here! Organizing Your School Mascot Photoshoot
Planning and organizing a photo shoot with your school mascot requires a little pre-planning so you can capture a lot of photos in one day. Here’s your basic checklist:
- Brainstorm ideas
- Create a shot list
- Gather props
- Scout locations
- Coordinate participants
- Prepare equipment
- Conduct your shoot
- Edit photos
Tips for Taking Great Mascot Photos
Lighting and Composition Tips
- Natural Light: Whenever possible, use natural light. This could be achieved by taking pictures outside or near windows.
- Avoid Shadows: Ensure the light source is in front of your mascot to minimize shadows.
- Rule of Thirds: Use the rule of thirds to create balanced and interesting compositions. Imagine your photo divided into a 3×3 grid and place your mascot along these lines or at their intersections.
- Keep it Simple: Avoid cluttered backgrounds that can distract from the subject, and don’t overdo it with too many props in one pose.
Need more tips? I wrote a whole blog about school photography, which you can read right here!
Posing Suggestions
- Interaction: Have the mascot interact with people and move around to make photos appear more natural.
- Express Emotions: Even though many mascots have fixed expressions, their poses can convey a range of emotions. Experiment with different postures and gestures to show excitement, celebration, and curiosity.
- Movement: Capture photos of the mascot in action, such as running, jumping, or cheering. These action shots add energy and life to your photos.
Have Fun With It!!
Incorporating your mascot into photos is a fun and effective way to boost engagement and enhance your school’s social media presence! I encourage you to have fun with it and inject some personality into your photos. Let me know how it goes – tag #SocialSchool4EDU in your posts!