Lovers of Light

Read the campaign story

VELUX and Blipfoto’s Lovers of Light invited photographs exploring daylight. A Joe Tree interview describes a partnership approach in 2012, while February 2013 reporting confirms a running competition. That evidence does not settle the original public launch date, so the catalogue year remains unknown. Tree’s portfolio separately documents his production of a sequence using shortlisted entries.

The sources establish the invitation and selected creative roles, not that participation changed window purchases, health or wellbeing. Annual editions are grouped as one continuing family. This case studies how a brand can connect with an existing creative community around a relevant subject, while preserving participants’ rights and avoiding the assumption that a popular competition automatically builds an enduring relationship with the sponsor.

Editorial interpretation: a theme can make an ordinary environmental quality newly noticeable. Participants interpret the brief through their own choices rather than simply repeating a campaign line. That gives the resulting collection variety and personal meaning. The sponsor still needs a credible reason to host the invitation. The connection should be understandable without requiring every contribution to depict the product or turn a creative practice into a disguised sales demonstration.

Editorial interpretation: an established community offers knowledge, norms and trust that a brand cannot simply acquire through a prize. A useful partnership respects how people already share and discuss their work. It should provide value to those who do not win, including a clear brief, fair treatment and appropriate recognition. The campaign’s quality depends on the participation experience as well as the striking images eventually selected for publicity.

Write a brief that opens possibilities without demanding risk

Choose a theme that people can explore in ordinary, accessible settings. Avoid rewarding dangerous locations, trespass or strenuous pursuit of a dramatic image. Make clear that interpretation matters more than expensive equipment or unusual travel. For a small test, invite drawings or descriptions as alternatives to photography. This helps distinguish interest in the subject from the resources needed to produce a polished competitive entry.

Explain rights and selection before collecting work

State who may enter, how work will be judged and what permission is requested for display or reuse. Do not imply that submitting transfers unlimited ownership. Keep attribution and withdrawal arrangements understandable. If prizes are involved, establish appropriate rules before launch. An early concept study can avoid prizes entirely and test whether the invitation feels clear, proportionate and respectful of the contributor’s creative effort.

Create value beyond the winning image

Offer a useful gallery, discussion prompt or explanatory resource for the wider community. Recognise different interpretations rather than treating a single aesthetic as the only successful response. Measure whether participants understand the sponsor’s role and want to continue exploring the theme. Submission totals alone cannot show whether people felt respected, learned something useful or formed a meaningful connection with the brand.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: ask consenting adults to make an original drawing or short description of ordinary daylight on a desk, then present an optional credited collection without prizes.

Measure clarity of the brief, understanding of rights and whether contributors see a credible connection with the fictional host. Compare a product-centred prompt with an open thematic prompt. Ask what value participants receive even if their work is not selected, without interpreting creative enjoyment as a health or purchase outcome.

Stop if the invitation encourages unsafe image-making, demands broad rights or excludes people who lack specialist equipment or visual access.

• Use indoor, comfortable observation with no sun-gazing or risky photography.
• Collect no location metadata or identifiable bystander images.
• Agree limited display permission and provide a non-visual participation option.