Photography and Video
Guiding Principles
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For those selecting and creating visual content on their own, we ask that you follow best practices to ensure they uphold professional integrity, sophistication, and strong alignment with YSM’s mission and values. These standards encompass all visual media, including photography, illustration, graphic design, videography, and animation for YSM and YM digital channels and print collateral.
| Focus Area | Action |
|---|---|
| Authenticity | Prioritize using high-quality photographs of our faculty, students, facilities, and ongoing activities to build trust and accurately reflect our community. It is best to avoid using stock or AI-generated imagery to represent YSM people, places, or work. |
| Aesthetic Tone | Select images that convey a sophisticated, high-end, and academically serious aesthetic. Aim for elegance and restraint in style. |
| Clarity & Relevance | Ensure every image serves a clear purpose, either providing direct information or enhancing the reader's understanding of the adjacent content. |
| Representation | Accurately represent the population we serve - neither exclusively feature nor avoid any demographic. |
The following images demonstrate authenticity, an academically serious tone, have clear subjects, and show a variety of genders, ages, and skin tones:
Doctor with pediatric patient Doctor with pediatric patient Doctor with pediatric patient
Alignment with Existing Institutional Policies
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All images on YSM’s websites must adhere to existing university and school policies regarding Protected Health Information (PHI) and the ethical use of imagery, including guidelines governing research involving animals or sensitive human subjects.
For more information on detailed policy information please contact Andrew Osborne.
Photography and Video
Learn more about our photography and video services.
Image Quality & Accuracy
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When creating bespoke imagery or utilizing stock resources, focus on images that demonstrate quality composition and accurate practices.
Technical & Aesthetic Quality
Embrace Natural Light and Color: Choose images that feature bright, natural, and diffused lighting. Select balanced color palettes that feel clean and authentic, avoiding overly saturated or filtered looks.
Depict Genuine Action: Select photographs showing subjects engaged in authentic activities—teaching, collaborating, analyzing data—rather than static or unnaturally posed shots. The action should feel real.
Aim for Dynamic Composition: Look for images with clear focus, utilizing a shallow depth of field (blurred background) to emphasize the subject where possible. Consider compositional guides like the Rule of Thirds for visual interest.
TIP: Use the highest possible image resolution appropriate for the medium.
The following images demonstrate the use of natural light, dynamic compositions, and subjects engaged in authentic activities:
Selecting for Accuracy and Trustworthiness
Confirm Clinical Accuracy: Verify that any image depicting clinical or laboratory scenarios shows correct medical and research practices (e.g., proper PPE use, equipment handled correctly). Select images that reflect modern, professional clinical settings.
Choose Professional Demeanor: Select images where subjects representing professionals (doctors, researchers, med students) are dressed appropriately and display engaged, respectful demeanor.
Use Abstract Imagery Responsibly: Opt for abstract concepts that are visually clear and elegant (e.g., sophisticated geometry, modern design). Avoid simplistic, cartoonish, or overly dramatic metaphors (e.g., a hand reaching for a lightbulb).
Give Credit to Image Creators: All custom images, illustrations, videos, or graphics must provide authorship, including AI-assisted images.
Image Selection by Use Case and Audience
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The appropriate style and content of an image depend heavily on where it is being published (academic site, patient-facing site, social media, etc.) and its purpose (information vs. personal profile).
| Location | Action | Recommended Visual Style |
|---|---|---|
| Department & Lab Pages | People at Work: Show faculty, students, and postdocs actively engaged in research, collaboration, or teaching. | High-quality candid photography, environmental portraits, or complex scientific imagery (microscopy, data models). |
| Publication/Research Summaries | Scientific Imagery: Use figures, graphs, or visualizations that are directly relevant to the data and paper being summarized. | Scientific diagrams, accurate AI-assisted visualizations, or close-ups of specific equipment/procedures. |
| Location | Action | Recommended Visual Style |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty Profiles | Use standardized, institutional portraits for consistency and professionalism. | Professional studio portraits (consistent background, lighting, and framing). |
| News & Feature Articles | Narrative and Context: Show the person in their work environment or engaged in a relevant activity to add depth to the story. | Environmental portraits, or high-quality candids of the person teaching or discussing research. |
| Location | Action | Key Considerations (Taste & Tone) |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Information Articles | Use images that are highly relevant to the topic, promoting positive health outcomes and care. | Use lifestyle imagery that is authentic and high-quality. |
| Tone and Taste | Emphasize health over illness. Focus on the compassionate care providers, the path to recovery, or healthy living. Be realistic and tasteful: Choose images that depict appropriate emotions for the topic (e.g., a patient smiling broadly while receiving an infusion for a terminal illness is not appropriate). | Select diverse, relatable subjects that are realistic and convey the appropriate emotion for the topic. |
AI-Assisted Graphics
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As with traditionally created media, all images generated with AI tools should meet the highest standards of scientific and artistic integrity and conform to all guidelines for quality, color, lighting, etc.
Ensure any AI-generated visual is refined, tasteful, and cannot be confused with real data or real people. If AI assistance is used to depict people, limit the focus to anonymous elements (e.g., a hand on a keyboard, a silhouette, a generalized line drawing) to maintain integrity and avoid introducing bias.
AI-generated content should be clearly noted as such in a watermark, caption, or image metadata.