Photography guide
Photography is an important tool for communicating information consistent with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brand. This guide is designed to help nonprofessional photographers create images for their departments that are consistent with our brand. Here you will find information on creating imagery for any project (while avoiding some common pitfalls), conceptual information about tone and feel, and technical information about how to secure a good and usable image.
Additional photography resources
Sourcing images externally
Image usage and licensing guide
Release forms
Releases are required for all people featured in photos, videos, and podcasts made by Harvard Chan School. This release is for Harvard Chan School use only.
If you are capturing b-roll or crowd shots at an event, attendees should be notified that the event will be photographed/recorded. This notification can consist of a sign at the entry to an event and/or an announcement at the start of the program.
Photo credits: What’s expected
We encourage crediting the photographer when you use photos, but in general, it’s not required unless explicitly requested. For example, crediting the photographer is required when you’ve purchased a stock photo and the credit requirement is specified. Creative Commons photos usually require attribution unless they’re in the public domain (read more about CC attribution here) Note: After recent issues, the school strongly discourages using images under the Creative Commons license. Freelance photographers will have different requirements for crediting them, which are usually specified in a contract or just by communication. In general, when in doubt, credit the photographer if you can.
Stock photos for School-wide use
The Office of Communications maintains a library of stock photos for use by departments or other entities at the School. To submit a request for photos, please email digitalcomms@hsph.harvard.edu.
Free stock image and stock websites we recommend include:
- Unsplash
- Stocksnap.io
- Pixabay (some free)
- Library of Congress
- NIH image gallery
Purchasable stock
