Picture This: Just be yourself Higher Ed
Yes it really is that simple or is it?

Expectations for a higher education photo project assume a high level of visual execution. It’s all about predictable outcomes. Relying on a predetermined outcome through a visual style is an important planning goal, but achieving it does not have to be fully scripted nor should it be. It’s really informed serendipity, not just catching moments. Trust a photographers knowledge and experience to achieve an outcome that captures what is unique about your institutions culture.
Traditional planning methodology for a higher ed photography project is a reasonable way to map out goals. But why not place greater weight on a photographer’s judgment and creativity when it comes to those less tangible objectives? Illustrating culture and institutional personality will be more successful by allowing anidea to unfold. Carefully arranging your message for a higher ed photo shoot is how you will insure that you express the same message every other like-minded college and university wants to show. What would happen if you communicated your visual goals and allow the photographer to create that in a real setting?

Students are attracted to a particular college or university because of a perception they have of an institution. A college or university who know who they are will be more successful knowing where visual opportunities present themselves. It’s straightforward enough on the surface: Science labs, fitness centers, dining halls and other gathering spots, to mention a few, but knowing what and when it is happening is the key.
There is little argument that social media forms impressions on young minds. Look at Instagram takeovers on college accounts, students showing aspects of college life through their eyes. Granted the technical and aesthetic quality may not be as great, but the content is and that is what attracts. It connects because it is honest.

The traditional higher ed photography project is a compromise approach for gathering authentic images. It’s quite rare an institution is willing to risk their limited marketing resources on chance. As a result, set ups are arranged to give the perception of authenticity. They are very difficult to pull off successfully, no matter how skillfully constructed. The actors in these reconstructions are students and faculty, not skilled models.
Now, I want to suggest a better solution. First, trust the skills and intuition of the photographer you hire. You most likely chose him or her based on their portfolio. If the strength of the photographers work appears to catch real moments, it makes sense to construct a photo shoot that will give the best chances to find those moments and minimizing set-ups .

Second, when set ups are necessary, create situations that can work. If the goal truly is authenticity, be sure to prepare your student and or faculty models with information about what you are trying to accomplish. Be patient and allow those involved to become engaged. Throwing students together with a professor they do not know leaves too much to chance. Making strangers comfortable with each other takes time. If the shooting schedule is tight, consider it good fortune if that kind of set up works.
Third, do not overuse your talent. It is relatively easy to find a group of cooperative students to participate in a photo shoot, but limit how often they are in front of the camera. Expect that you will only be able to use one shot, even if you placed them in three different situations. It erodes authenticity to use the same students, dressed in the same clothes, with the same people in the same publication multiple times.

For multi-day projects get the photographer lodged as close to campus as possible. A higher ed photo project is not a nine to five job. A photographer needs to have the ability to experience a campus early in the morning and late in the afternoon. If you have guest housing on campus all the better.
A good higher ed photographer armed with clear goals and access on a college campus can and should provide more authentic images without an over reliance on set ups. After all, isn’t the goal to give perspective students a sense of what life is like on your campus? High school students can spot a fake a mile away.
