| Purpose of the Position: |
The University Photographer serves as UAH's primary photographic resource, producing high-quality visual content that advances the University's brand, communications priorities, and institutional storytelling. Working within Strategic Communications, the Photographer captures the people, programs, research, achievements, and experiences that define UAH as a premier research-intensive university.
The position provides photography for University events, publications, digital and marketing communications, academic and research initiatives, leadership communications, advancement and alumni activities, and community engagement. The Photographer collaborates with colleges, schools, departments, research centers, faculty, staff, students, University leadership, donors, alumni, and external partners to meet institutional photography needs.
Duties / Responsibilities:
Photography & Visual Storytelling
• Serve as the primary University photographer and central resource for institutional photography requests.
• Produce compelling photography that reflects UAH’s academic excellence, research enterprise, student experience, people, and community impact.
• Photograph faculty, staff, students, researchers, University leaders, alumni, donors, visitors, and community partners in a variety of settings.
• Develop creative visual concepts and proactively identify opportunities to strengthen UAH’s photographic assets and storytelling.
• Maintain a current portfolio representing the breadth and diversity of the University.
Events & Institutional Photography
• Provide professional photography for University events and activities, including commencement, convocation, lectures, conferences, ceremonies, receptions, performances, athletic and student activities, and special events.
• Photograph graduate and undergraduate student activities across all colleges and academic areas, including Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nursing, Business, Engineering, Science, Education, and others.
• Support faculty and staff events, recognition and awards programs, leadership activities, and institutional celebrations.
• Provide photography for donor, advancement, alumni, industry, government, and community events and engagements.
• Capture both candid and posed images that authentically represent the UAH experience.
• Manage competing photography requests and prioritize assignments in coordination with Strategic Communications leadership.
• Regularly hold portrait sessions for new and existing faculty and staff within our portrait studio for use on the UAH website.
Publications & Communications
• Produce photography for University publications, websites, social media, news releases, recruitment materials, annual reports, magazines, presentations, digital campaigns, and other communications.
• Collaborate with writers, editors, designers, marketers, advancement professionals, and communications staff to develop photography aligned with specific storytelling objectives.
• Photograph faculty, staff, students, alumni, research, leadership, and for institutional profiles and feature stories.
Research & Academic Photography
• Photograph research activities, laboratories, facilities, faculty, students, and research teams in ways that effectively communicate complex academic and scientific work to internal and external audiences.
• Work across diverse research environments, including laboratories, engineering facilities, clinical and simulation environments, and field settings.
• Follow applicable safety, privacy, security, and access requirements.
Photo Asset Management
• Edit, process, caption, organize, archive, and maintain a comprehensive digital photography library.
• Establish consistent standards for image quality, metadata, file naming, storage, and retrieval.
• Manage appropriate releases, permissions, and usage considerations in accordance with University policies.
Brand & Collaboration
• Ensure photographic work aligns with UAH’s institutional brand and visual identity standards.
• Build effective working relationships with University constituents and external partners.
• Advise stakeholders on photography concepts, locations, timing, composition, and other considerations.
• Represent Strategic Communications with professionalism, responsiveness, and exceptional customer service.
• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when working with sensitive or high-profile assignments.
Other Responsibilities
• Maintain professional photography equipment and recommend equipment, software, and technology as appropriate.
• Stay current with photography techniques, digital imaging technology, visual communication trends, and industry best practices.
• Coordinate with freelance photographers when photographic needs exceed internal capacity.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
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