Our Primary Goal
Des Moines University’s Marketing and Communications team uses its time and resources to capture excellent on-brand visual content to promote the university and its colleges and programs externally.
Photo/Video Policies
- DMU reserves the right to photograph and digitally record students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus and at university-related activities. A release form is not required in these instances. Visitors, guests and patients at patient-centered events will be asked to sign a photo release. See the student handbook for more details.
- At many DMU events, we will capture photography and/or video for marketing purposes that align with strategic marketing priorities. Potential uses of the media may include but are not limited to news coverage, placed advertisements and DMU-published digital or print materials such as websites, displays, presentations, brochures and social media posts.
- We welcome the opportunity to capture content (based on marketing needs) from the events and programs with which you are involved: showcasing DMU students in active learning, hands-on experiences, participating in traditional and non-traditional learning experiences or just enjoying DMU life. Notify us of such opportunities at MarketingandCommDepartment@dmu.edu.
- That said, the marketing and communications office is not equipped to capture photography and/or video for internal use. Though some campus events may be educational or celebratory, they may not serve our broader marketing purposes. We encourage participant-generated content for these situations since smartphone quality typically meets the need.
Tips for Smartphone Photo/Video
Good cell phone pictures and videos often meet the needs for internal communications. When using a smartphone, consider these best practices to help showcase the DMU brand in the best possible light:
-
Fully Charged
Make sure your phone is charged before you plan to use it. Consider bringing a power bank with you as a backup.
-
Camera Quality
Choose a smartphone with a good camera, ideally with at least 12 megapixels. Check your camera settings to ensure you’re shooting at the highest possible resolution.
-
Natural Lighting
Use natural lighting whenever possible and avoid using the flash.
-
Move Closer
Get in close to your subject to capture more detail. For video, the closer the microphone is to the subject, the clearer the audio will be.
-
Keep it Steady
Use a mini tripod or stand to keep your phone steady and avoid blurry shots.
-
Give Yourself Options
Take many photos and videos, and don’t delete them too quickly. You can always edit and choose the best ones later.
-
Please Share It!
Send us the final file in the highest quality that you can. We recommend using WeTransfer and sending files to MarketingandCommDepartment@dmu.edu. Messaging and texting apps often shrink files, so we discourage that method of sharing.
Depending on your particular circumstance, we suggest the following alternatives to WeTransfer: email, Dropbox, OneDrive, or uploading videos to YouTube using a private link.
If you run into hiccups, please reach out and we’ll do our best to help!