The Office of Strategic Communication offers the following recommendations for how best to approach university imagery, both video and photography, during the COVID-19 pandemic. As with any communication, you should always be intentional by keeping the primary audience, communications goal (students vs. employees, external marketing vs. internal campus news, etc.), and intended application in mind to inform your choices.

General considerations

Before capturing or selecting imagery, departments across campus should consider the audience and message you are trying to convey:

  • If the message is aspirational and/or historic in nature and you can provide context for the imagery, then utilizing a variety of imagery that does not highlight the current conditions is appropriate.
  • If the message is timely or tied to the current situation, we advise only showing imagery that adheres to the most current safety standards enacted by the university.

Tips for capturing imagery while taking precautions

  • Always try to capture imagery outside.
  • When capturing imagery outside: wear appropriate face coverings, remain at least six feet away from each other and the subjects, ensure that subjects wear appropriate face coverings and also maintain a distance of at least six feet apart.
  • If subjects are not wearing the appropriate safety gear and/or are not at least six feet apart, do not publish the imagery out of context.
  • If a subject is isolated in the frame and it is clear that they are alone, outside, and they are comfortable with the situation, they can be photographed/filmed from a safe distance while the person photographing/filming is wearing a mask and shield. (This should be a very rare circumstance and not pursued as a general rule.)
  • Subjects need to be appropriately distanced and wearing the appropriate safety equipment relevant to their situation.
  • If indoors, everyone must be shown adhering to current guidelines.
  • Crew filming and photographing indoors will stay at least six feet away from everyone around them and will be wearing a face mask.
  • Face shields must be worn in addition to face masks if subjects or crew are closer than six feet apart for longer than 15 minutes.

Appropriate image examples

Portrait of female in front of building, shot at a distance
Two students walking down steps, shot at a distance

Because this situation is constantly evolving, these guidelines and procedures may change in the near and distant future. If any department needs assistance in gathering this kind of imagery, please email us. We will do what we can to help, whether it’s capturing the imagery for you, advising on how to go about capturing your own imagery, or getting you access to imagery we have taken for you to utilize.