Choosing Photos

Knowing what to look for in a photo can be a challenge. Here are some guidelines that will help you choose the right photo.

Student presenting in front of professionals.
Photographer taking portrait of a student.
  • Career outcomes and real scenarios graduates would face in their field
Chemistry teacher performing experiment in front of class of young students.
Nurse smiling with young patient at a hospital.
  • Moments of greatness. The moments in their jobs when they feel like they are living their dreams or when they think, “This is why I do what I do.”

Professor during lecture with small group of students.
Student in the wood lab.
  • Candid photos that represent a typical day in their program
  • Hands-on activities; avoid typical lecture-style settings
Professor helping young student sitting in front of a computer.
Group of students studying muscles in biology lab.
  • One-on-one scenarios that show the care and attention a student can receive
  • Group activities that capture teamwork and community

Students walking on campus.
Rock climbing wall at the Recreation center.
  • Candid photos that represent the authentic, everyday life of students
  • Extracurricular activities and ways to get involved on campus
  • Both varsity and intramural sports
Students smiling at the camera in the student section at football game.
University campus.
  • School spirit, particularly around big games
  • Architecture of the buildings, residence and dining halls, etc., preferably including people

Photo Best Practices

When possible, use soft natural lighting from a window or shaded outdoor area. Direct lighting from camera flashes or the mid-day sun can look too bright and create harsh shadows.

Photo with bad lighting of a student in front of computer.
Band member on the football field.

Create an engaging, organic scenario. Expressions should be natural yet right for the situation. Not every shot needs to be happy. Focused or proud is also good.

A&M-Commerce student interviewing three bikers.
Two nursing students in the lab.

We want to promote our university, not our competitors’. Avoid those individuals or come prepared with shirts they can change into.

Three students wearing pullovers from other universities.
Three students taking a selfie wearing A&M-Commerce shirts.

Unless you're shooting a sporting event, an excessive amount of blue and gold or TAMUC logos can seem unnatural and forced in everyday settings.

Four student all wearing blue A&M-Commerce shirts.
Student section at football game cheering and wearing blue shirts and gold shirts.

Light can filter through leaves and create distracting and unflattering patches of light on your subject. Find a different location; or if there's just a few, edit them out.

Photo of a group of students and professors with bad lighting.
Three students smiling at the camera.

Stylistic Photo Choices

Take your photography to the next level by strategically (and sparingly) using these techniques.

A&M-Commerce campus at sunset.

Enrich Blue and Gold Tones

Turn up the saturation on blue skies or golden lights.

Embrace Natural Sun Flares

Flares can give a photo a sense of hope and aspiration when done well.

Student at the library with sun shining behind him.
Photo of students during a yoga session with blue gradient map.

Add a Blue Gradient Map

Use this technique in a photo grid to maintain your focal point and avoid visual chaos or create a background for headline copy.

Portrait Style

For our standard portrait style, the intent is for the subject to confidently “own” their space. We center our subject with a simple (non-distracting) background. Body positioning and posture should reflect confidence without appearing rigid. If possible, light should be focused on their face to heighten the sense of drama. This should cause the bottom half of the photo to be darker, highlighting the subject's face. We shoot from a low angle and at an adequate distance to eliminate lens distortion.


Talent Release Policy


Our talent release policy allows us to record and publish content we capture of our subjects through photo, video or audio. It also gives us the creative freedom to choose the best shot or footage that fulfills the goal of the project.


We require signed talent releases for the following scenarios:

  • Minors (must be signed by a parent or guardian)
  • Portraits

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  • Binnion Hall, 140
  • 1500 Education Drive
  • Commerce, TX 75428
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