Photography

The College of Arts & Sciences’ choice in photography and imagery shows and celebrates all that the College has to offer, from our diverse students and faculty to the dozens of disciplines pursued here.

As the Cornell Brand Guide states, photography has a powerful impact on Cornell's audiences. It provides viewers with a quick and distinctive impression of the College and university and is a critical element in telling our stories. Maintaining high standards and using photographs that support the Cornell brand reflects the excellence of the university.

Original Cornell University photography is preferred to stock photography, whenever possible.

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Cornell Photos image library

The Cornell Photos image library provides approved photography in support of the university's marketing and communications needs. Images can be searched and downloaded at sizes and resolutions appropriate for use on Cornell websites and in Cornell publications.

Hiring a photographer

If you need photos beyond what is available in the photo library, hiring a professional photographer is a great option. If you need help finding a professional photographer, please reach out to as.communication@cornell.edu.

Once you have found a photographer, it’s really important to communicate with them your goals for the photoshoot. Start by explaining the setting of the shoot (number of people and or items to be photographed, time of day, indoor/outdoor, light from windows or fixtures, etc.). Then share the art direction tips below, which we’ve developed to fit a few different scenarios.

For People, Research Profiles

Faculty, fellows, graduates and undergraduate students

Tell the story of the person and their work through a series of photos:

  • Candid, environmental shots of the person in their lab, office, classroom, or other space meaningful to them. When it makes sense, allow the space to be the star of the image along with the figure.
  • Closeups of the tools they use, such as scientific/computational research equipment, musical instruments, books, maps, etc. 
  • Closeups of scientific research, both with a tight crop for extra details, and with a lot of space around the subject for additional context.
  • Ask the person to show you what they’re using and explain how the object works, and photograph them while they do that. Even a person explaining a graph on their computer can be interesting if captured at just the right moment and angle.
  • If there are multiple people who are part of the same story, we need group photos of them all together, as well as them interacting with each other, perhaps during a demo of their project.
  • Photograph these scenes from different angles.
  • Photograph primarily in landscape orientation (whenever the subject allows) and also take a few vertical shots.
  • Look for opportunities to incorporate quiet areas around the subject made up of one or multiple similar low-contrast colors, usually as part of a background or the foreground. This allows us to layer text and other design elements in print and digital projects.
  • Use natural light whenever possible.
  • Play with depth of field.
  • Look out for things that could distract from the subject such as extra sweat, skin too shiny, clutter, trash cans or unsightly signage, and see if there are ways that those can be avoided, cleaned, or covered.

Events

Lectures, receptions, classrooms

  • Capture interactions between the speaker/professor and the students/audience before and after the event.
  • Capture the speaker at their lectern or table, with and without whatever imagery they might be using.
  • Capture the speaker doing demonstrations or interacting with the students or audience during the event.
  • Capture establishing shots that show the crowd and the space, especially when the room is full and the light is good.
  • Capture staff at work, whether signing people in, helping speakers and students, introducing guests, etc.
  • Especially when the event is not full, use framing techniques and depth of field to avoid highlighting the empty space/unoccupied seats.
  • Whenever possible, use natural, available light, especially if the space has an interesting atmosphere.
  • Photograph primarily in landscape orientation (whenever the subject allows) and also take a few vertical shots.
  • Look for opportunities to incorporate quiet areas around the subject made up of one or multiple similar low-contrast colors, usually as part of a background or the foreground. This allows us to layer text and other design elements in print and digital projects.

Technical Tips

  • Horizontal images are more flexible in their application, therefore focus on getting horizontal over vertical
  • Use the lowest ISO possible
  • Always provide the highest resolution images possible, as they will be used for print and digital
  • Preferred file types: 
    • TIFF for large, print-resolution file
    • JPG for small web-ready files
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