Taking Your Own Photos: A Guide for USM Staff
Whether you’re capturing moments yourself or hiring professional photography support, here’s what you need to know to create great visual content that aligns with University standards and brand guidelines.
- Don’t fear using your smartphone as a camera: Most modern smartphones can take high-quality photos suitable for social media and internal communications. However, not all phones are equal. If you are sourcing or upgrading a phone for work use, choose one with multiple rear cameras (for example, three lenses), as these generally produce clearer, sharper images and handle lighting better than single-camera phones. Avoid zooming in on the screen, as this can reduce photo quality.
- Composition tips: Center your subject, avoid cluttered or distracting backgrounds, and use natural lighting whenever possible. Try to position people facing the light rather than standing in front of bright windows. Aim for authentic, candid moments that reflect the USM community and environment. Include diverse representations of the USM community.
- Keep quality in mind: Avoid images that are blurry, poorly lit, or low resolution. Avoid over-editing; maintain natural colors and lighting. When sharing images with others, provide the original file to maintain quality.
- Photography at USM events: You should hang signs about photography being taken at events should you plan to take photos or have a photographer in attendance. Click here for a printable sign.
- Candid photography of individuals or small group settings: Always obtain verbal or written consent from anyone who will be clearly identifiable in your photos, particularly if images may be used publicly. Let them know you are affiliated with USM and wish to use photos for marketing purposes, such as on social media, on a website, or in a newsletter. If participants show any hesitation, agree to delete photos from your camera immediately, and take down from digital platforms if they reach out at a later date. If you plan to use videos for paid marketing purposes, you should always get written consent using this form (must be signed in person and (not digitally). Written consent is always required for minors (under 18). Scan and save forms and file in your department’s records.
Utilizing Your Own Photos for Digital and Print
- Do not use photos unless you have explicit permission (see above for guidelines): Never use images taken from the internet without proper rights (see more information about copyright here)
- Formatting your photos for website use: If you are are a USM web updater, it is important to edit carefully prior to uploading to our CMS – see instructions here. Smaller files load faster online and will not slow the website down.
- Formatting your photos for Photos for print (posters, brochures, reports): Print requires larger, high-resolution files (often 2–10 MB or larger), usually JPEG or TIFF formats. Larger files keep images sharp and clear when printed; small or compressed files can look blurry or pixelated in print.
Freelance photography resources
The Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications no longer accepts videography and photography project requests. Click here for a list of recommended freelance photographers who have been hired for past needs across the university and come recommended by your colleagues.
We do work on video and photography projects at a strategic level as decided internally by our department in alignment with broader University needs and will reach out to your department should we have a project we’d like to work with you on. And we do often send staff to events for the sake of news gathering or storytelling.
So be sure to submit storytelling ideas to us! If we confirm that we are interested in storytelling and our team takes related photos, we are happy to share those photos with you upon request.