An orientation programme is several events in one: welcome talks, campus tours, faculty sessions and social activities. Choose the activities that tell the story of induction, agree the access and publication process with the institution, and let new students opt out easily. Coverage then follows the schedule, not the whole week.
Orientation is the first impression a university makes on its new students. A good photographic record shows what induction was like: the welcome, the first conversations, the places students learned to find. It also has to respect that most participants are new, uncertain and not yet used to being on camera.
This guide sits within our wider overview of campus, student and alumni photography.
Which parts of orientation are worth photographing?
Orientation weeks are long, and the same activity often repeats for each faculty or intake. Start by listing the sessions and sorting them into three groups.
- Anchors: the opening address, the main welcome from senior staff, the closing event.
- Distinct experiences: campus tours, faculty sessions, library and services introductions, sports or society taster activities.
- Repeats: the same briefing run for several groups, which can be covered once.
Anchors and distinct experiences are where a photographer adds most. Repeats rarely need separate coverage, and skipping them often keeps the plan manageable.
Planning around the institution's access and publication process
Orientation is organised by the institution, so access and publication rules come from it, not from us or from a student committee. Ask the organising office three things: whether an external photographer needs registration, which spaces are open to photography, and who approves images before they appear in print or online.
If orientation is run by senior students as facilitators, make sure the staff supervisor is aware of the booking. A quotation accepted by a facilitator without staff approval can create problems on the day if access is refused. Our guide to booking a photographer on behalf of someone else explains how to set up a clear chain of authority.
How should new students be treated in the photographs?
New students have not agreed to be a face of the university. Many are away from home for the first time, some are international students, and some may have personal reasons for staying out of images. The calm approach is to make opting out simple and to avoid singling people out.
Practical ways to do this include:
- A line in the pre-arrival information saying that a photographer will attend and how to opt out.
- A visible marker, such as a coloured lanyard, for students who prefer not to appear.
- A rule that the photographer favours wide, group and activity shots over close portraits of individuals.
We do not need to know why a student opts out. The distinction between being photographed and being published is explained in our guide to permission to photograph and permission to publish.
An example orientation plan
For example, imagine a three-day programme with an opening ceremony, faculty welcome sessions in separate halls, a campus walk and a society fair on day two, and a closing social on day three. One photographer might cover the opening and the first faculty session on day one, the walk and fair on day two, and the social on day three.
If two faculty sessions run at the same time, a second photographer may be worth discussing, or the institution may choose one session to prioritise. Our concurrent activity and crew planner shows how to test this kind of overlap. We confirm crew and hours in writing.
What to tell the photographer
Share the schedule, the names and roles of staff speakers, and the places where photography is not allowed. Describe what the photographs are for: archive, social media, a welcome pack or a parent newsletter. If there are student leaders who should be recognised, name them in advance so the photographer can find them without asking around.
Also tell us how the week is likely to feel. A noisy, crowded fair needs a different approach from a quiet library tour, and knowing the mood in advance helps the photographer choose how close to stand.
How this affects coverage and deliverables
The number of sessions covered, the distance between buildings and the need to review images with the institution all affect hours and crew. Delivery planning matters too: if the communications office wants a quick selection during the week for social media, tell us, and ask in your quotation how an early preview would be arranged. See event photo delivery, editing and preservation for the options.
Related questions
- Should the photographer attend the student welcome social as well? It is a different atmosphere and usually needs its own plan.
- Will parents attend any sessions? If so, check whether they appear in frames and whether they need notice.
- Is there a need for a photographic record for internal reporting? Our guide on using event photographs for business and reporting can help structure it.
Checklist
- Get the full orientation schedule and mark the sessions you want covered.
- Confirm who at the institution approves external photographers and issues passes.
- Decide how students can opt out and how the photographer will recognise it.
- List areas that are off limits, such as residential blocks, health or counselling services.
- Agree which images may be used for publicity and who approves them.
- Name a contact person who can answer access questions during the week.
Send us the orientation schedule and tell us which sessions matter most, and we will propose coverage that fits the institution's access and publication process and confirm it in writing.
Plan our orientation coverageCommon questions
Do we need to cover every day of orientation?
Usually not. Many programmes repeat similar activities across days or faculties. Pick the sessions that differ, such as the opening, a faculty welcome, a campus walk and the closing social, and cover those. A short list of well-chosen sessions often gives a fuller story than a thin presence everywhere.
How do we handle new students who do not want to be photographed?
Tell students before orientation that a photographer will be present and give them a clear way to say no, such as a coloured lanyard or a note at registration. We brief the photographer on the signal and avoid including those students in frames that will be shared.
Can the photographs be used in the university's prospectus?
That is a publication decision for the institution, and it may need more than a general orientation notice. Ask your communications or student affairs office what consent applies to promotional use, and tell us so the delivered selection reflects it.
Will the photographer join residential-college move-in?
Only if the college and residents agree. Move-in involves private rooms, parents and luggage, and many colleges limit who may enter. Ask the college office whether coverage in common areas is acceptable, and keep rooms and corridors out of the brief unless residents have said yes.
Plan our orientation coverage
Send us the orientation schedule and tell us which sessions matter most, and we will propose coverage that fits the institution's access and publication process and confirm it in writing.
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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