Need a Photograph
The Communications and Marketing Office offers a variety of photographic services for the campus community. These services include color prints, black-and-white prints and color transparencies.
Because the University Photographer position is only a quarter-time position, the longer the advance notice you provide the better the chance of us accommodating your photographic needs on your timeline and at the most economical cost.
In addition to the University Photographer, the Communications and Marketing Office also uses local commercial photographers for some specialty and time-intensive projects. The use of these commercial photographers is also an option for departments, though the cost will be significantly higher.
The staff of the Communications and Marketing Office will work with you to accommodate your photographic needs in as timely and economical manner as possible.
Requesting a Photograph
To request a photograph, contact the Communications and Marketing Office or the University Photographer. In addition to the time, date and place that a photograph is to be taken, the University Photographer will need additional information to ensure the best quality photo for your specific use.
The ultimate use of the photograph is an important factor to consider when making the request. A higher standard of lighting and composition is necessary for a photograph that will be used in a publication than for a photograph that is being used as a snapshot of an event, for instance. Further, an even higher standard of quality is necessary if the photograph is to be published in color.
Questions you should be able to answer when ordering a photograph include:
Will the image be used in a publication or on a Web
site?
Should the ultimate image be in black-and-white or in color?
What size image will you need?
Will the image be used in a public presentation, such as recruiting?
Should the images be shot on film or on digital capture?
Once film has been shot or images recorded, normal turnaround is one week. If photographs are needed sooner, a nominal charge will be added for rush service.
When recording images on film, contact sheets are an economical way to show all the images on a single sheet of photographic paper so that selections can be made for printing. Even though color film may be shot, the contact sheet will be printed in black-and-white as an economy measure. When images are captured digitally, they will be burned to a CD; or, if only one or two images are needed, the digital files will be sent to your department via e-mail.
Images remain the property of the university and are filed as contact sheets in the Communications and Marketing Office for other possible uses. Contacts are available for review in the Communications and Marketing Office, Room 201, Administration Building. To select prints, please note the frame number, size of the prints you want (5x7, 8x10, etc.) and the quantity of prints for each image. Prints are normally delivered in one week.
Photo Quality
Quality photographs not only take expertise and the proper equipment, but also time and thought. If you are planning to use the photographs in a publication, it is wise to discuss or establish a concept with the graphic artists in the Communications and Marketing Office. The graphic artists can provide direction in setting up the photograph that will help carry through the design concept and improve the quality of the publication.
Photographs are strongest whenever the lighting and setup are controlled. This is not always possible, of course, particularly for activities such as athletic games, commencement and many other campus events. When possible, however, staged photographs with controlled lighting and environment will provide the strongest images, particularly when color is involved. With a little imagination, staged photographs do not have to look posed. You have only to look at the feature photographs in most publications today to understand that staged photographs are common.
Lighting is always the primary concern for the photographer. As a result, certain nuances with both indoor and outdoor lighting can affect the quality of a photograph. Keep in mind, particularly for outdoor shots, that the time that might work best for your schedule is not necessarily the time that provides the best or most effective lighting.
For outdoor, landscape or campus shots, the middle of a day is usually the worst time to shoot a photograph. The intense mid-day light creates deep, dark shadows which show up unnaturally on both film and digital capture. The camera does not have the capacity that your eye has to adjust to the variations of intense light and deep shadows. Image quality is better when the sunlight is more diffused, generally in the early morning, in the late afternoon or on cloudy days when shadows are minimal.
Indoor photos present a different challenge because the light is often inadequate and must be supplemented. Using a camera flash attachment can offset lighting deficiencies somewhat, but may leave discernible shadows on the background. Without a flash, the photographer may have to use a shutter speed so slow and a maximum aperture setting that results in a blurred photo. The best way to overcome this is to use portable lights, which can compensate for inadequate interior lighting.
Consequently, it is important for you to work with the photographer to overcome the limitations you may encounter with a specific photograph. For many uses, these factors may not be significant for your photographs, but they certainly are critical for photos that will ultimately be used for publications, for the Web site, for public displays or for recruiting.
The bottom line is simply to be prepared to factor into your photo requests potential after hours times for outdoor shots and additional setup time for indoor shots. The results will well be worth the effort.
Communications and Marketing Office Photo Fees
| Initial Charge Per Job | $5.00 |
| After Hours Charge Per Job | $10.00 |
| B&W Contact Sheet | $3.00 |
| Color Film and Developing (per roll) | $10.00 |
| Slide Film and Developing (per roll) | $20.00 |
| Rush Charge for Developing, Printing | Actual Cost |
| Black & White Prints (from film or digital capture) | |
| Wallet or 3½x5 | $1.00 |
| 5x7 | $2.00 |
| 8x10 | $4.00 |
| 11x14 | $8.00 |
| 16x20 | $20.00 |
| Color Prints (from color negatives, slides or digital capture) | |
| Wallet, 3½x5, 4x6 | $1.00 |
| 5x7 | $3.00 |
| 8x10 | $5.00 |
| 11x14 | $10.00 |
| 16x20 | $20.00 |
| Blank CD | $1.00 |
| Images burned to CD | $5.00 |
Assistance
For help in accommodating your photographic needs, call 942-2248 or 942-2125, Ext. 1.