Photography and Video
Photography
Photography is a key tool in conveying who we are and connecting with people in ways words can’t. Our photographs capture the essence of Simmons University to tell a richer, more comprehensive story.
Our approach to education is human-centered, purposeful, and inclusive, so our approach to photography is as well. Our photo library can be organized into three categories: assured portraits, purposeful actions, and celebrated locations. We need a combination of images from these categories to tell the full Simmons story in an authentic way.
Photo Access (Merlin)
Photos (and logos) may be accessed at (merlin.simmons.edu) by all Simmons faculty and staff. To request access for Simmons students or outside parties, please email [email protected].
Photo Categories
Our portraits aim to capture the authetic energy of our students, faculty, alums, and community members.The photos we use should never look unnatural, instead, they should appear in the moment and authentic. Even our posed portraits feel friendly and confident, not stuffy and formal.
The character of our students and faculty should come through in our photography whenever possible. Sometimes the best way to capture this is with a portrait in action. Photograph your subject when they are working or talking to authentically represent them in the moment. When photographing a specific subject, try to select a balance of styles, varying between closely framed portraits and wider shots that ground the subject in their environment.
Simmons University is inclusive, welcoming, and supportive, so our portraits feel kind and purposeful, even in an editorial scenario. Some instances do call for more serious poses, especially when the subject needs to appear more distinguished.
Purposeful actions are what we’re studying, what we’re improving, moments of growth, and anything else that leads us towards our life’s work.
Because many of our assured portraits will incorporate some sort of action, photographs in this grouping focus more on capturing the action, situation, or happening than the person. This type of image is essential to telling the whole Simmons story, because they help our audiences see themselves on our campus and in our community.
A big part of telling the genuine Simmons story is capturing all the diverse perspectives that make up our community. Make sure that the photos in this category are inclusive, showing the full range of our people’s diverse cultures and experiences, including students who are learning from home or off campus.
It’s important to showcase the beauty and history of our unique campus, and how our learning connects the city of Boston. A big part of our story is defined by our location in a celebrated area of the country, but our learners are also active beyond the city limits. This category includes images of wherever our community is learning, working, or growing—and that isn’t limited to our campus.
While landscape or location photos without people can sometimes appear more beautiful, including people can help give a feel for the spirit of a space. Another way to think about locations are in the details, such as shadows on a tiled floor, or the tops of the trees on the quad. Our sincerity shines when we include the smaller things that inspire us about where we are learning.
Video
Video is a great tool for showing engaging activity that can’t be captured in other formats (e.g., website, photography, articles, copy, etc.). However, given the time-intensive nature of video production, video priorities are determined by University Communications.
We seek to create video content that:
- Can be used across multiple locations (e.g., website, social, email, etc.)
- Can be used for multiple audiences and by multiple groups across the University (e.g., University Communications, Advancement, Enrollment Management, etc.).
- Can be used for external promotion of the University. Anything purely internal or specific to a limited audiences (including event attendees) should use other mediums or channels, as appropriate.