Photography & videography

To build authentic connection across all touchpoints, ground your imagery directly in our people and place. Our photography and videography standards ensure every asset shows our institutional story with purpose, clarity, and genuine human impact.

A faculty researcher in blue protective gloves inspects potted cactus plants in a sunlit greenhouse while two students record observational data on a clipboard and laptop.

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A professor conducts an outdoor class discussion with five university students seated on the lawn beneath a green tree outside the historic brick Frandsen building on campus.
Visual Media

Overview

Images and videos serve as the lens through which our audience experiences the University's mission. Genuine visual media builds trust, sparks emotion, and shapes our reputation. When our departments produce intentional, brand-aligned media, we turn everyday messaging into memorable experiences that truly connect with people.

Visual Media

Brand Photography Best Practices

Our photography captures the Wolf Pack experience as it truly happens — grounded in authenticity, purposeful framing, and candid human moments that reflect who we are across every corner of the state and beyond.

Candid outdoor portrait of three female university students conversing on a sunlit terrace next to a classical stone pillar, with one wearing a blue hijab and another in a navy blue University of Nevada crewneck sweatshirt against green campus trees.
Visual Direction

Authenticity

The University’s visual style centers on real moments and genuine emotion. Prioritize relatable, candid interaction

Real moments

Capture subjects in active, unscripted moments rather than having them look directly at the camera and pose.

Diversive and inclusive

Represent diverse groups naturally across ages, backgrounds and abilities to reflect the University’s true community.

Natural expressions

Avoid forced smiles, exaggerated gestures or obviously staged environments.

Three university students sitting outdoors on a sunny campus terrace beside a stone column, laughing and talking together while wearing casual attire and a navy University of Nevada sweatshirt.
Visual Direction

Atmosphere & Color

Lighting and color should read bright, natural and true to life.

Natural light

Prioritize natural light whenever possible. Steer clear of hard direct sunlight that creates dark facial shadows.

Soft flash

If indoor lighting requires a flash, bounce or diffuse the light source to avoid direct, harsh studio flashes.

True-to-life-color

Aim for accurate white balance and true-to-life skin tones. Colors should be bright and energetic, grounded in enhancing natural color rather than an overpowering filter. Avoid overly saturated or unnatural tones.

A female student smiling at a tablet keyboard works alongside a faculty mentor taking handwritten notes at an office desk decorated with a Go Pack pennant.
Visual Direction

People

Portraits should represent the students, faculty, staff, and alumni who make up the University community. It’s important to portray them authentically, so these shots should always feel natural rather than stiff.

Environmental

Show the subject in a meaningful, relevant setting — a researcher in their lab, a student in a maker space — that adds depth and context to who they are.

Simple, isolated

Focus on the subject with a clean, uncomplicated background, for headshot-style or profile imagery.

Genuine expressions

Feature natural, everyday appearance without heavy stylization.

Agricultural researcher smiling in a sunlit campus greenhouse surrounded by research plants
Nursing student smiling in clinical navy scrubs in a patient simulation lab
Undergraduate student standing on the historic Quad wearing a gray Life is Good Pack t-shirt
Student smiling while holding a clear specimen jar to examine a plant and insect sample outdoors
University faculty member in polka dot blouse laughing warmly while walking along the tree-lined Quad path
Engineering student wearing a safety hardhat and high-visibility yellow vest standing proudly outdoors on campus
Visual Direction

Framing

Clean composition ensures the subject remains the hero of the shot while maintaining context.

Clear focal point

Keep subjects well-defined with uncomplicated backgrounds so the viewer’s eye knows where to go.

Mindful cropping

Cropping: Avoid cutting off limbs, hands or feet awkwardly at the joints in full-length or medium shots.

Students carrying backpacks cross the street toward the modern glass and brick John Tulloch Business Building on campus beneath a cloudy sky.
Visual Direction

Moments

Moments capture candid, unscripted interactions: students collaborating, hands-on research, faculty mentoring, walking across campus. The goal is imagery that feels vibrant and bustling rather than quiet or staged.

Movement

Push for movement and activity where possible — walking, hands-on work, collaboration — rather than static sitting-and-talking moments.

Environment

Look for gathering spaces, labs, workstations and common areas that let the range of student and campus life come through naturally.

Activity

Keep talent engaged in a real activity such as testing, working, building or presenting rather than posing for the camera.

Exterior view of the Pennington Student Achievement Center at dusk framed by autumn trees with red and yellow foliage and tiered outdoor concrete steps.
Visual Direction

Places

Examples of place-focused imagery include buildings, the quad, seasonal shots, wide establishing shots of campus, etc. People can be present, but aren’t the focus.

Location

Capture the range of campus environments, indoors and out, and the sense of energy and community that’s specific to the University.

Subjects

When shooting a single subject in a location, make sure they feel integrated into the space rather than dropped into it.

Movement

Look for opportunities to show campus as a dynamic, bustling place with activity, movement and life in the frame.

Visual Media

Brand Videography Best Practices

Through deliberate lighting, crisp audio, thoughtful composition, and purposeful editing, our video brings the real Wolf Pack to life — telling the story of who we are in motion as one university united by one brand.

Videography

Motion

Movement should always feel intentional and grounded, reinforcing the story rather than distracting from it.

Stable and purposeful

Use tripods, gimbals or monopods for smooth, deliberate tracking and panning shots. Avoid erratic handheld camera shake unless capturing an urgent, raw documentary-style moment.

Natural pace

Slow, sweeping camera movements feel premium and editorial. Avoid rapid zooming or overly frantic camera work that creates visual fatigue.

Motivated action

Camera motion should follow a subject’s movement — panning as a person walks across campus or tracking a hand in a laboratory — rather than moving for the sake of movement.

Videography

Audio

Audio carries half the narrative weight of any video project. Crisp, clean sound is non-negotiable.

Dedicated microphone

Always use lavalier or shotgun microphones for interviews. Never rely on built-in camera microphones for dialogue.

Environmental noise

Record in quiet spaces to minimize background hums (HVAC units, traffic, distant chatter). Capture 15 to 30 seconds of ambient “room tone” at every location for seamless audio editing.

Authentic dialogue

Encourage natural, conversational responses from interview subjects rather than scripted, rehearsed soundbites.

Videography

Lighting

In alignment with the photography standards, video lighting should feel natural, bright and atmospheric.

Soft, natural illumination

Maximize ambient daylight and soft window light for interviews and B-roll.

Cinematic contrast

When using artificial lighting setups, aim for three-point lighting with soft key lights and subtle fills. Avoid harsh direct spotlights or intense overhead fluorescent lighting that casts dark eye shadows.

Consistent color grading

B-roll and interview footage within a single video must maintain matching color temperatures and saturation levels. Shadow tones should feel deep without losing detail, avoiding over- saturated or artificially tinted color filters.

Videography

Composition & Editing

Clean composition guides the viewer’s eye and keeps the focus on the human experience. Editing shapes the narrative arc and establishes the video’s emotional rhythm.

Depth of field

Use shallow depth of field (blurred backgrounds) for interviews and hero B-roll to separate subjects from complex environments, keeping backgrounds clean and uncluttered.

Headroom and mindful cropping

Maintain natural headroom above subjects. Just like in still photography, avoid awkwardly cropping limbs, hands or faces at frame edges.

Seamless transitions

Favor simple, clean hard cuts and cross-dissolves. Avoid flashy, trendy 3D video transitions, lens wipes or artificial light leaks.

Up Next

Typography

Explore the typefaces that define the voice of the Pack. From bold headline statements to clear, accessible body narrative, learn how to pair our official typefaces across digital media, print communications, and more.

Explore typography