Colleges and schools hire me to help them recruit new students. There are a few reasons I hear over and over why they bring me in to capture their campus.

Capturing a moment

Every school I have photographed used someone before me. Many of these photographers were very competent. They had excellent exposure, reasonable composition, and lovely light, but the photos were boring.

Getting the “moment” requires the photographer to take more than a couple of photos of any situation. You need to connect with the subject and get where you can anticipate them. For example, I might notice a teacher who walks over to a student and bends to get close to hear them and see what they need. They may only do this for 20 – 30 seconds. If I miss them doing this once, I can move quickly to get into position the next time by seeing a student raise their hand. I am moving before the teacher to get to the place to capture the “moment.”

Color Correct 

Here is an excellent example of how many photographers shoot inside. See the greenish color cast in the photo.

When someone has screwed up, you can see banding of color in the photo. For example, shooting under fluorescent or sodium vapor lights, you get bands across your photos. I know the problem and adjust how I shoot to avoid color issues with my photos.

Context

You need to do more than get closeup photos of people’s faces showing them enjoying themselves.

One-on-One

One of the most important things colleges and schools report is the teacher-to-student ratio. It is essential to show students interact with the teachers and not just sit and listen to lectures all day long. Capturing this interaction requires you to wait for those moments. Like some people, you stick your head in, take a few snaps, and leave. You would miss so much by just documenting.

Engaging

Students need to be shown challenged by the course work and not bored. However, it can be fun in pre-school to show a child yawning. Sometimes humor is cute and just as engaging. Unfortunately, in older grades, it isn’t quite as appealing.

Individualism

I look for moments where I can show the student is still independent and comfortable in being independent in their work and thoughts.

It is about communication and not pretty pictures.

Too many photographers are trying to make art and not communicate. For a photograph to do its purpose, the photographer had to know what they were trying to share, or it will often fail. This approach doesn’t mean communication photos are boring. It just means they need to convey a message. They can do this and be just as much a fine art piece.

Understanding people is why I studied social work as my undergraduate and then did my master’s in communication in the education department. I wanted to understand how to use visuals to tell a story.

When hiring a photographer, look for someone who understands education.