The time it takes to fail...
Did you know you have only three seconds to hold someone’s attention after they land on your website? That’s only slightly longer than it took for me to roll through a stop sign and fail my driving test when I was 16. It happened fast, let me tell you. Before you dub me a horrible driver, you should know I learned to drive in Pennsylvania, and we took our driving tests on a closed course. It didn’t occur to me at the time that I needed to make a full stop and count “one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.” I knew no one was coming—the course was closed.
But back to a very important point: you have very little time to make a stunning visual (and virtual) impression. You have three seconds: your visitor will either leave or stay. I think that’s why I love branding—the use of strategy and the challenge to make a visual impact appeal to my pursuit of excellence. Branding is for businesses of all sizes, and this includes schools. At the beginning of the school year, I spent a morning at Veritas School grabbing shots to update their visual marketing library. Although I found myself in various shooting situations, the smiles were captivating and the classrooms were inviting.
Stealthily slipping into a classroom is not easy, especially in the younger grades. You either find students that want to hide from the camera, or worse, the student that wants to “perform” for the camera. I know the administration wants to portray happy students, but “cheesing” for the camera in a classroom setting puts a serious dent in authenticity. The true unsung heroes are the teachers. It’s very distracting to have someone pop into your classroom. And if they’re wielding a camera, the possibility for chaos multiplies exponentially. But the teachers greeted the camera with grace and patience, and I tried not to stay too long—except in fourth grade. What a great class! This is the year they study the Medieval period and imagine kings and princes, and talk about courage and chivalry. I was captivated…
But I was on a mission to capture images that garnered attention. And amidst the brightly colored pencil pouches, changing light conditions and student giggles, my lens captured more than a few images that would adequately represent Veritas in her thoughtfulness, partnership with parents, and the courageous pursuit of truth.
And if given the chance, I would go back to fourth grade in a heartbeat…
