Photography Policy

In order to be better stewards of our resources and to maintain branding standards, Gordon College has established policies and procedures regarding institutional photography. These policies were created to provide creative oversight and coordination for all campus photography needs. This policy is managed and maintained through the Design Center in conjunction with the Office of the Vice President for Marketing and Communications. This policy mainly impacts two criteria of photography requests:

• Marketing/Promotional Imagery/Event Coverage of College Programs to External Audiences
  All photography that is promotional and/or related to the College’s branding, and which targets external audiences, must adhere to the process detailed below. This includes all photography intended to be used in printed appeals, social media campaigning, The Gordon College Instagram account, and external emails.
   
• External Freelance Photography
  All photography produced and delivered by freelance photographers paid for their services through Gordon accounts must adhere to the process detailed below. Gordon has established a list of approved vendors that meet not only professional standards, but also grant Gordon College full ownership of images produced. The Design Center is able to serve as a broker for contracts with freelance photographers and must be involved prior to a formal agreement in order to proceed. Failure to follow the process below will result in requests for payment to freelance vendors or personal reimbursements not being approved.

STEP 1: TICKET SUBMISSION
Prior to photography taking place, a request ticket should be submitted to the Design Center ([email protected]). This ticket can be found through the Design Center website. Each Photography Request Form should answer the following questions:

• What department account is responsible for the photography request (i.e. Admissions, College Communications, GCSA etc.)
• Who is the key point person for the request? Alternative Contact?
• What is the purpose and audience of the photography?
• What is the exact location of the shoot?
• What is the date and the time of the shoot? How long must the photographer be present?
• Are there specific photos that need to be taken during the shoot?
• When do the photos need to be delivered?
• Is there a budget for this request? What is the budget? (Staff Photography is free of an hourly* inter-departmental charge for requests that benefit the institution as a whole) In order to assist with the ever-growing cost and maintenance of equipment, a nominal fee will be charged and transferred to a photography equipment line within the College Communications budget. Additional charges may occur if the shoot will require special equipment or extravagant setup.

STEP 2: NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The initial photography request will launch a needs assessment step completed by the Staff Photographer in consultation with any coinciding design employees depending on the request. This process will include:

• Determining calendar availability on the date of the shoot
• Confirming equipment needs
• Collaboration with the Design Center’s Creative Director and other Staff Designers if photography will be featured in a specific piece.
• Confirmation of post-production timeline

STEP 3: PRE-PRODUCTION
Some larger photography requests will require departmental collaboration in order to plan logistics of schedule, student models, off campus travel, etc. If further collaboration is needed after the initial photography request, the Staff Photographer will reach out to the person who submitted the request to set up a pre-production meeting. This may be handled over email or in person.

STEP 4: PRODUCTION
The Staff Photographer (or pre-determined external vendor) will arrive on time to the shoot location and take all photos requested.

STEP 5: POST-PRODUCTION
The Staff Photographer (or pre-determined external vendor) will process and color-correct all images from the shoot according to the College brand standards.

STEP 6: PROJECT CLOSE OUT
After all images have been culled and color corrected, the Staff Photographer will then deliver the photos to the client in all formats agreed upon in the pre-production request. Forms of delivery include but are not limited to: Catalogue delivery via the Portfolio server, email, prints, or physical disc(s).