Photography
Photographers in Strategic Communications and Marketing share stories through powerful images. The team captures the Illinois experience for university news, social media, communications projects and university leadership while maintaining a broad Image Database for university communicators.
Photography Resources
University Image Database
Strategic Communications and Marketing maintains an ever-growing collection of thousands of university images. The Image Database offers approved, consistent, quality images for use in the promotion of the Urbana campus and programs. For access to the database, send an e-mail request to photography@illinois.edu.
University Archives
The University of Illinois Archives maintains collections of various historical photographic images for use. Browse the digital collections and learn more about obtaining digital images from the archives.
Commissioning Original Photography
If you want to use images from your event in future print or web materials, you might consider hiring a photographer. More than a dozen local photographers are already registered as “preferred vendors.”
The Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) maintains policies and procedures for contracting with vendors that you should review before contracting with a non-university photographer.
Limited event coverage by StratCom Photo Services
Photo Services at StratCom does limited amounts of event photography as a cost recovery service ($125/hour with a two hour minimum). Because we are a team of just two people covering high profile campus events (at the request of the Chancellor or Provost), photography needs for the News Bureau and campus social media, in addition to maintaining and feeding the Illinois Image Database, we must be extremely selective in deciding which ‘for hire’ event coverage opportunities we accept.
Photo services favors event coverage that promotes and markets our campus and its units for external audiences. Ideal photo subject matter reflects our university brand platform pillars with active situations that show innovation, community, momentum, and discovery. This means photographing our people, spaces, community, and achievement in active situations that reflect the life of this institution.
Work-for-hire selection criteria
We consider how will the resulting photographs be used. If they will be archived, used in a newsletter, or sent to attendees, but not used for external marketing purposes, we are less likely to accept the assignment. For those purposes, cell phone coverage may suffice. Hiring a vendor is also an option.
Events outside the standard workday hours and on weekends are less likely to be selected. Photographers don’t get ‘comp time.’ They must flex their hours, so if their schedule is full during business hours, they probably can’t accept the off-hours assignment.
Sharing of work-for-hire photographs
Images taken by StratCom photographers on work-for-hire assignments are not added to the Illinois Image Database unless the client specifically asks for them to be made available to the campus community. If your unit wants more exposure and recognition, adding the images to the Illinois Image Database might be a good idea. Those photos will be tagged with your department name, and Image Database users are not allowed to use images to represent their unit that are attributable to another unit.
There is no discount offered on photography services when the resulting photos are used in the Illinois Image Database.
How to book Photo Services at StratCom:
To request event coverage, please email photography@illinois.edu.
Studio Portraits
Photo Services at StratCom offers studio portraits for faculty and staff as a cost recovery service ($75/portrait). We have reserved time set aside from our regular photography work. For one to four people, appointments can be made through our studio reservation form. If your department has five or more folks who need portraits, please contact us at photography@illinois.edu and we’ll set up a block of time just for your unit.
We will have our availabilities on our reservation form on a rolling 40 day basis. If we’re full, just check back in a few days.
Scheduling FAQs
Payment: Subjects need their departmental CFOP and contact information for the billing recipient before booking their appointment.
Appointment rescheduling: Subjects can cancel their appointment up to one day before their session with no penalty. To reschedule, open up the calendar appointment or the original reservation email.
Late subjects? If a subject is more than 30 minutes late, it is considered a no-show and the subject should schedule a new appointment. If a subject is only a few minutes late, we do our best to work you in.
No show policy: If subjects miss a second portrait appointment, their department will be billed the studio fee because the studio is staffed based on scheduled appointments. Subjects can still reschedule, but there will be a new fee for the session.
NOT A PASSPORT SERVICE: You can obtain passport photos inexpensively at locations like FedEx on Green Street, Walgreens (down Green Street), CVS, or the Campus ID center at the Illini Union Bookstore. The main Champaign post office provides new passport services as well. We do not provide passport photos.
NOT FOR STUDENTS: This service is not open to students (including graduate and postdoc students). The Illini Union and Career Center do offer free professional portraits for students.
MULTIPLE SUBJECTS: Units who need to schedule multiple subjects should email us at photography@illinois.edu. We have limited availability for a larger number of subjects.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? Please contact our team at photography@illinois.edu.
Portrait Session FAQs
Duration: Sessions typically take 20 minutes.
Final image: During the session, subjects choose their favorite image, which is then professionally toned and shared via email. Portraits are also archived as a resource for campus communicators. Turnaround time is generally two weeks, except for peak times of the academic year.
Portrait Framing: The portrait only shows head and shoulders.
Dress/Attire: Subjects should wear professional clothing that makes them feel confident and comfortable. They should avoid busy patterns, neon colors or all-white shirts. Please make sure to avoid logos on your clothing from other institutions, sports teams or other brand identifiers.
Retouching: Campus policy on authenticity means that we cannot change permanent features of a subject. However, we do adjust lighting and use production techniques that make people look their best.
Background style: Our studio features a gray gradient background that is the university standard for administration and faculty. If you desire another background style or outdoor location, please contact an outside vendor for custom treatments. All portraits are taken in our studio; on-site photography is not available as part of our portrait service.
Location
Our studio is located at:
Strategic Communications and Marketing
507 E. Green St., Champaign, IL 61820
Room 355 on the Third Floor
We’re located on the south side of Green Street directly across from FedEx and Legends. We are in the same building as the Graduate College. Use the east entrance.
PARKING: Your best bet is the nearby Campus Center Parking Deck: 509 E Healey St, Champaign, IL. They currently charge $1.50 an hour (credit/debit only). There is also metered street parking along Fifth or Sixth Streets. Do not park on Green Street or in the ‘alley’ next to our building!
EXACT LOCATION: Copy and paste this into a map search to find the exact location of our front door: 4Q69+3HP
Questions
Questions about university photography can be directed to photography@illinois.edu.