The following guidelines, some of which can be found in our brand guide, pertain to images used on all Michigan Tech websites and publications.
Copyright
All images created by the University Marketing and Communications (UMC) studio team
are copyrighted by Michigan Technological University and are protected by applicable
copyright and publicity laws.
Michigan Tech maintains Curated Media Galleries on PhotoShelter, a publicly accessible platform used to provide approved photography to members of
the media, University partners, and authorized communicators creating stories specifically
about the University. Public access to these galleries does not grant unrestricted
permission to download, reproduce, distribute, modify, or repurpose imagery for other
uses.
Any external use of Michigan Tech-owned photography from PhotoShelter requires prior
written approval from University Marketing and Communications, must include appropriate
photo credit to Michigan Technological University, and is subject to review of the
final intended use before publication or distribution.
Michigan Tech photography may not be used for commercial advertising, marketing, endorsements,
or promotional materials that benefit a private business, product, service, or organization.
Additionally, photographs featuring identifiable students, faculty, staff, alumni,
or community members may not be used by outside organizations in any way that implies
endorsement, affiliation, sponsorship, or representation without explicit written
permission from Michigan Tech and, where applicable, the individuals depicted.
Unauthorized use may result in revocation of access, formal takedown requests, or
legal action where appropriate.
Safety
All subjects within photos must comply with safety guidelines as outlined by Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).
Images and videos representing labs and experiments must show the proper use of all necessary safety equipment. This includes safety glasses, lab coats, masks, gloves, or any other necessary equipment as required by the lab.
If you aren't sure if your photo passes a safety check, contact EHS.
Quality
Photos should be of good quality. This includes using a photo that is large enough and has enough pixels for the space you wish it to fill. It also means having good lighting and composition.
Mobile/Phone Photos
Using images from cell phones is acceptable in some situations. Modern smartphone cameras are capable of taking photos to capture field research, breakthroughs, and spur-of-the-moment images on campus. You may be able to crowdsource images from staff, faculty, and students as well (be sure to provide proper image credit when needed). Michigan Tech offers free LinkedIn Learning access to faculty and staff, which contains a variety of photo and marketing tutorials, including ones specific to mobile device photography.
For the Web
When considering photos for the web, remember that most users access websites through a horizontal viewing space such as a desktop monitor or on a smartphone with limited screen space. Because of this, it is best to use horizontally cropped images.
The Image Editor within the CMS automatically converts files to the JPG format. Please refer to our blog post for preferred image sizes, common Image Editor errors, and how to use the Image Editor.
Accessibility
We are required to create and maintain websites that meet Level AA and/or AAA web accessibility conformance for as many of our standardized web elements as possible. A big part of this involves making sure that our online images are accessible. Follow online image accessibility training to help.