Photography
Photography and photo archive searches are services provided to the university community by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs in support of key objectives. Requests for these services must be prioritized to ensure the best use of limited photography resources. In most cases, projects in support of messaging to external audiences, particularly prospective students, will take precedence over photo requests for internal audiences only.
Key objectives include:
- Promoting curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular programs among important external audiences, including prospective students, parents, alumni and news media
- Capturing images of campus life that highlight W&L's key messages and ensure the consistent visual brand of the university
- Documenting presentations or talks by speakers whose topics or expertise have news value beyond the university community and are likely to generate media coverage
- Obtaining headshots of all students, and as many faculty and staff as possible, to support the maintenance of a complete university archive
- Creating photo galleries that promote engagement with the university among key external audiences
The following photography and photo archive projects fall outside the scope of photography and photo archive services and may not be approved if the photo staff is occupied with requests that fulfill key objectives:
- Photos of lectures by professors and speakers whose interest is confined to the internal academic community
- Images for social media or personal use only
- Images for which there is not a clear and demonstrated purpose that meets our objectives. In other words, we will not shoot photographs only for the sake of documenting something or just in case those photos might be useful in the future.
- Images of department events that occur annually and look virtually the same each year. In these cases, we may send a photographer every other year or every few years.
The Office of Communications and Public Affairs reserves the right to decline photo requests if they do not meet the stated objectives or if no photographer is available for the project. To help with scheduling and ensure that we can plan for your shoot, please let us know as early as possible when photography is needed.
If you would like to request photography services, you must fill out a photo request form [ go.wlu.edu/photo ]. Once completed, your request will be communicated to the photography team, assessed for relevance against objectives, and either accepted or declined. Please provide as much detail as possible on this form, as that helps our team to better serve your needs. If the Office of Communications and Public Affairs is unable to accommodate your photo request and you choose to secure another photographer for your photo needs, it is your department's responsibility to ensure that the photographer is compensated for his or her work.
Our office also maintains a digital file of university photography. To request an archive search, please contact Cindy Moore.