A partnership event usually has a public announcement and, alongside it, demonstrations of student work that may be unreleased. Photography should treat these separately: the announcement can be recorded for publication, while student work needs academic, participant and institutional approval before it appears in any image. An invitation to the event does not give permission to disclose the work.
Partnership events combine two different kinds of moment. One is public: a signing, an announcement, a handshake. The other is closer to the work itself: students showing something they have built, written or designed. The first is meant to be seen. The second may not be ready to be.
This page belongs to our guide to campus, student and alumni-event photography.
Separate the announcement from the demonstrations
Plan two tracks in the run sheet. The announcement track covers speeches, signing, group photographs and the arrival of guests. The demonstration track covers stations, presentations and conversations about student work.
Each track has its own rules. The announcement is usually intended for publication. The demonstrations are intended for the people in the room, and publication depends on separate approvals.
Which approvals apply to student work?
Do not assume that being invited to show work means agreeing to its being published. Several parties may have a say:
- The students who made the work and appear in images of it.
- The academic supervisor or department responsible for it.
- The institution, which may have rules on research and student work.
- Any partner or sponsor who has funded or contributed to it.
Confirm the approvals you actually hold for each named work, in writing if you can. If an approval is missing, treat the work as not for publication. Our guide to embargoes and photographs restricted from publication explains how to record such limits.
Marking what stays out
Our photographer needs a clear list of what must not appear in published images. Practical measures:
- Mark restricted stations with a simple sign or a coloured tag.
- Ask presenters to switch off or cover screens not for publication.
- Brief our team on framing near sensitive displays.
- Name the person who approves images before they leave your control.
For example, at a partnership launch with six student demonstrations, the faculty decides that three are approved for publication and three are for the room only. Our photographer records the announcement, the approved demonstrations and general atmosphere, and avoids framing the other three. Our guide to photography around projected slides and confidential screens covers the screen issue.
Partners and their images
A partner may expect images for its own communications. Agree beforehand what the partner receives, which images are included and how they may be used. Keep the list short and written.
If the partner wants images of student work, check the approvals first. The partner's interest does not replace the students' or the institution's.
Protecting confidential academic material
Some work may involve research or data that is confidential. If so, tell us which areas are sensitive and who can answer questions on the day. Our guide to event photographs that show confidential business information offers a starting point.
Planning the day
Use the priority photograph list builder to rank the announcement moments, and the photo sharing and privacy plan to decide who receives which images.
What to send us
Send the run sheet, the list of works and approvals, and the sharing rules. We then confirm the date, venue, photographer assigned, what you receive and the quotation in writing.
Questions to ask us
Ask how we would handle a demonstration that turns out not to be approved. Also ask what we do if a guest asks to photograph a restricted work, and how images are separated by approval status. We confirm what is possible for your date in writing.
When the event changes on the day
Demonstrations get moved, a student pulls out or an approval arrives late. Agree who tells our team when a work's status changes, and treat any work without a confirmed approval as not for publication until someone with authority says otherwise. Mark the run sheet with a clear list and give our team a printed copy. If time is short, the announcement stays and the rest follows as time allows. We confirm in writing how the booked time is used.
Send us the run sheet with the approved and restricted works marked, and we will confirm in writing how we would cover the event.
Checklist
- List the works or projects being demonstrated and their status.
- Record the academic, participant and institutional approvals you hold.
- Mark stations, screens and areas that must stay out of published images.
- Separate the announcement from the demonstrations in the run sheet.
- Decide what the partner may receive and use.
- Name the person who approves selections before sharing.
Send us the programme, the names of the works being demonstrated and the approvals you hold. We will propose coverage that records the announcement and keeps unreleased work out of published images.
Ask about your partnership eventCommon questions
Can your photographer photograph student demonstrations?
Only if the academic supervisor, the students and the institution have agreed, and only for the uses they have approved. Some demonstrations are for the room, not for publication. Tell us which stations may be photographed, which may not and who confirms this on the day.
What if a partner wants images of the work?
The partner's wish does not replace the approvals of the students and institution. Agree what the partner may receive and how it may be used before the event, and put it in writing. We follow what the institution confirms.
How do we stop unreleased work appearing in the background?
Mark restricted stations and screens in advance, ask staff to cover or turn away anything not for publication, and tell our photographer where framing needs care. Our guide to photography around projected slides and confidential screens explains the issue.
Who decides what is published?
The institution, with the approvals of those who own or are responsible for the work. Name one person who checks selections before they are shared. Our photographer does not decide on publication.
Ask about your partnership event
Send us the programme, the names of the works being demonstrated and the approvals you hold. We will propose coverage that records the announcement and keeps unreleased work out of published images.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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