Objective

To provide CAHNR departments, units, and programs with professional photography services for use in promotional materials, such as websites, social media, print/digital marketing materials, and news stories. This SOP will serve to 1) confirm the responsibilities of the CAHNR Office of Communications and the CAHNR unit requesting services; 2) determine the scope of services to be provided; 3) establish the standard timeline for scheduling, coordinating, and executing the shoot, and for processing and delivering final photos; 4) provide recommendations for acceptability of subjects and locations to make photo shoots as efficient as possible and ensure deliverables meet the standards of the CAHNR Office of Communications and the desired outcomes of the CAHNR unit requesting service.

Scope

This SOP applies to all photo services provided by CAHNR’s Office of Communications. Photo services provided by external agencies or individuals outside of CAHNR’s Office of Communications are out of the scope of this SOP.

Roles/Responsibilities

Requestor: The individual/unit within CAHNR requests photo services from the CAHNR Office of Communications using the online form. The Requestor serves as the point of contact for CAHNR’s Office of Communications and the CAHNR Photographer to support all aspects of the photo shoot (e.g. submitting the request for service, discussing desired outcomes, coordinating with members of the unit as needed for the shoot, etc.)

CAHNR Director of Communications: The CAHNR Director of Communications will assign a CAHNR Photographer to provide photo services. Depending on the needs of the Requestor, the CAHNR Photographer may be either a full-time staff member or a qualified student intern/worker.

CAHNR Photographer: The CAHNR Photographer assigned to provide services will create high quality images to support the desired outcomes. The CAHNR Photographer will process the photographs as needed.

CAHNR Multimedia Specialist: The CAHNR Multimedia Specialist will oversee uploading the processed photos to the University’s mediashare, Merlin, and will contact the Requestor via email to deliver the final photos.

Timeline

The CAHNR Office of Communications will respond to a request for photo services within three (3) business days upon receipt of the online form. The photo shoot will be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time that is acceptable to both the Requestor and the CAHNR Office of Communications.

For standard photo shoots, photos will be delivered to the Requestor within 10 business days of the photo shoot. For large-scale shoots or shoots that require significant photo processing, photos will be delivered to the Requestor within 15 business days of the photo shoot.

Subject/Location Preparation

As part of preparation for the photo shoot, the Requestor should ensure that locations/equipment/spaces to be photographed are tidied, cleaned, and accessible to the CAHNR Photographer. This includes ensuring that all EHS and other compliance requirements are met during the shoot, even if the activities are staged. Individuals to be photographed should be available and willing to participate in the shoot. Their attire should be appropriate for the desired shoot (e.g. lab coats should be clean and pressed, only UConn logos should be worn, goggles, gloves, etc. should be worn if required by EHS for a given activity).

Permissions

Certain locations like private land or State/National Parks may require permission. It is the responsibility of the Requestor to ensure that the CAHNR Photographer has permission to shoot in such locations, and/or connect the CAHNR Photographer with the appropriate parties to ensure permission is granted.

Deliverables

The CAHNR Photographer will shoot professional photos and will process/edit photos using professional editing software prior to delivery. The CAHNR Multimedia Specialist will oversee uploading the photographs to the University’s mediashare, Merlin. This will include ensuring necessary metadata have been added to the photos. The CAHNR Multimedia Specialist will notify the Requestor via email to deliver the final photos.

Photo Checklist

• All students, staff, and faculty have been made aware photographers will be present in the shoot location
• All required permissions have been received to shoot at the location
• All attire is appropriate for the shoot (lab coats are cleaned/pressed and there are enough for all participants, no logos are visible other than UConn, attire adheres to all relevant compliance requirements, etc.)
• All location areas are tidy, clean, and accessible
• All areas are prepared for staged activities, if applicable