Choosing the right photos is a big part of effective storytelling. Thoughtful photo selection creates a better experience for users engaging with your content.
However, you need the right photos to do that. Your job as a content manager is to make sure the photos you include in your content are high-quality, brand-compliant and accurately represent the people they're supposed to represent.
Where to start
The best place to find FIU photos is the official FIU Flickr account. The content on the university's Flickr is curated by our FIU multimedia team to ensure whatever you're downloading is owned by FIU and consistent in quality.
A good place to start is deciding the theme of your content. Unless you're looking for a specific event or person, most content fits into these broad categories:
- Academics
- Student Life
- Administration
- Arts & Culture
- Campuses & Locations
- About FIU
Once you've decided what you need, you can browse the FIU Flickr's Albums view to find photos relevant to your subject matter.
Once you find your preferred photo, double-check the bottom-right corner for important information like when the photo was taken and what album it belongs to. You'll also find a down arrow () in the bottom right, click where you can pick the preferred size of the photo. Ideally the size should be less than 1MB.
Things to look for when choosing the correct photo
For every photo you use, make sure you can identify the photo's:
- Location, campus, or facility
- Date
- People in focus (especially if they're associated with a particular unit)
- Verify that the photo represents the appropriate academic college or school.
Keep track of where you acquired each photo and its original file name, as you or someone else may need to reference the source later.
Find correct locations and correct people
It's very important to verify that your photo is representing the appropriate program, school or college. Some units look similar, but are completely different and would confuse users if you used their photos interchangeably.
For example, the two photos below contain FIU students in scrubs. At first glance, you might assume they're both fine to use for an FIU Medicine program page. In reality, one photo is showing FIU Nursing students in an FIU Nursing facility.
Use newer photos
When choosing photos, it's helpful to choose photos that are more recent rather than older. Older photos can sometimes have FIU branding that is not up to date or faculty members who are no longer with FIU.
Use photos with high-quality composition
Try to avoid images where people are in unflattering positions or lighting, especially if they're in focus and high-level faculty or administrators.
Always follow the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds splits an image into nine equal parts using two horizontal and two vertical gridlines. key subjects or elements (like eyes, trees, or horizon lines) along these lines or at their intersections creates more dynamic, engaging, and balanced photos compared to simply centering subjects.
Correct usage of the rule of thirds
Incorrect usage of the rule of thirds
Always maintain consistent quality and style
By choosing recent, high-quality images and following established composition principles, you can accurately represent FIU, maintain strong brand consistency and contribute to the university's prestigious reputation.