Photography
Photography is critical in helping tell the story of our diverse community. By capturing authentic moments—the people, events, and places of our community—we further establish Colby as a leading liberal arts college in America.
Public Photo Library
Browse our public photo library to find visual assets for your project. This collection is available to students, staff, faculty, and the public.
Questions Regarding Photography?
Contact [email protected]
Communications Support
The Office of Communications’ Multimedia team produces and shoots photography alongside Colby News features and for official Colby College-sponsored events, like Commencement.
In some cases, our multimedia team will consider covering an event that does not fall under one of those two categories, only if the event is open to the general public and has significant positive impact on the Colby community at large.
Have questions about hiring a vendor or using Colby photography?
Accessing Colby Photography
Members of the Colby community can browse, download, and use approved Colby photography for marketing materials or classroom usage. These photos are archived in Photoshelter, a browser-based application. Once you log in via Okta, use the search bar, AI search function, or select from one of the folders to find a photo that fits your needs.
All photography in Photoshelter has been pre-approved and tagged by Colby’s multimedia team. Photo credit is not required.
Hiring a Professional Photographer
If you’re looking to hire a photographer to shoot photos for your department’s project, such as headshots, print work, and more, feel free to browse our list of pre-vetted photographers. If you have recommendations for a vendor to be added to this list, please email [email protected].
Copyright
Professional photographers will, in most cases, retain the copyright to their photos. Colby retains first publication rights and permission to use the images as outlined in the contract.
Always have the conversation with the photographer about the licensing of the photos, particularly:
- When crediting the image in use
- Years of use before relicensing
- If editing of the image is allowed by someone other than the photographer
Never use an image that is copied from the internet without purchase or written permission from the photographer. Using an image without permission is theft of copyrighted work and can easily cost thousands of dollars in legal fees paid by the department that is responsible for the use of the image.
Please contact the Office of the General Counsel if you have questions.
Consent Form
Are you featuring members of the Colby community, actors, or other participants in your video? Ensure anyone who is going to be in front of the camera signs a consent release form. This provides written permission from the owner of your subject stating that they’re okay with you publishing their property.
Working with Photographers
A photographer will need specific information from you prior to providing an estimate for your project.
- Know your budget
As with all projects, knowing what your budget is in advance of reaching out to a photographer is important. - Hire a professional photographer who specializes in the type of photography you need
Specializations can include sports, events, journalistic, portraiture, or creative. - Give them a brief outline of what you need captured and why
Include what is important about the shoot, who is important to capture, and how the photos will be used. - Share examples of photography styles you would like to emulate
This ensures your photographer will be better equipped to achieve your vision. Include examples of current Colby photography to help strengthen our visual brand.
Example information to share with your prospective photographer:
This event is focused on a nationally recognized keynote speaker. We would like to capture a rapt audience of students and members of the community. We plan on recapping it on our social media channels and website that night or the next day by noon. Please provide a selection of angles of the speaker, capturing their personality when speaking and in the moments meeting with students after the talk.
If you have questions about photography styles or hiring the right photographer for your needs, please contact the Office of Communications for guidance.
Tips on Photography
Portraits
These generally focus on a single subject. Depending on the mood and tone that you’re after, images can feel expressive and bright or more serious and stoic. A simple, uncluttered background with natural light falling on your model while in an authentic setting best aligns with Colby’s brand.


Landscapes
Natural settings without people may be used for many years. Natural settings including people bring the environment to life year-round and illustrate the use of our campus as it pertains to the story being told.


Environments
These range from campus-wide gatherings to intimate group gatherings to impromptu moments. Capturing the energy of the speaker or the event with the audience present is key to conveying the importance of the moment to those who were not there.


Details
Anytime you can focus on a small detail or key part of a larger story, it can highlight an interesting aspect of the subject. Whether it’s a bumblebee in a lap or the strings on a grand piano, detailed photos help bring a story to life.


Events
These images often capture movement and interaction. They focus on gathering places—classrooms, performance spaces, libraries—any place where photography can show the broad-ranging diversity of our community and how we interact with one another.

