Director of Photography

The Director of Photography brings the institution's brand to life through visual storytelling, conveying the college's key messages in a compelling manner and through the use of appropriate creative techniques. In collaboration with writers, designers and communications and marketing strategists in the Office of Communications, the photographer will express the institution's visual identity through multimedia content in a manner consistent with the tone and character of the college's brand.

The photographer will create original content appropriate for all digital platforms and channels and all printed media, including the semi-annual Davidson Journal magazine. The photographer also will maintain the college's digital assets using cloud-based digital asset management software.

Responsibilities

• Cover college events at various locations as needed
• Write engaging and descriptive captions and cutlines
• Capture, edit, and deliver creative work with tight turnaround times
• Remain current on emerging visual storytelling trends across photography and social media platforms
• Order, secure, maintain and effectively use equipment and supplies
• Manage incoming requests and scheduling
• Research and understand creative trends and best practices and basic market positioning
• Remain mission and goal-oriented, placing the strategic needs of the college, communications and marketing, brand and clients first
• Provide real-time content delivery during high-profile events using camera-to-phone/FTP transfers
• Hire and supervise student photographers and freelancers as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• A body of work and portfolio that demonstrates broad and deep photography and photo editing/compositing experience
• Experience with AI-powered culling and editing tools
• Excellent communication skills with talent, location staff, crew, clients, and design and/or art director
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud, specifically Lightroom Classic and Photoshop
• Experience with Adobe Premiere Rush or CapCut for mobile editing
• Proficiency with mirrorless camera systems and mobile-to-cloud workflows
• Experience with cloud-based digital asset management systems and AI-integrated editing workflows to streamline image tagging, retrieval and distribution
• Team oriented, collaborative and client-focused; capacity to quickly earn the trust of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, education and life experiences.

Desired Qualifications

• Understanding of institutional strategy and ability to integrate the strategy into different modes of communication
• Characteristics including intellectual curiosity and creativity
• Incredible attention to detail with the ability to work quickly, creatively, and accurately under tight deadlines
• Strong project management skills: ability to work independently, establish priorities, work within deadlines, and organize effectively
• Experience capturing short-form assets for digital platforms, and experience with video editing applications, including Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, and related creative applications
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification (or willingness to obtain) for legal drone operation on campus
• Bachelor's degree in photojournalism, visual communications, communications, journalism or related field

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 5 years of full-time professional work experience in a nonprofit, agency or higher education setting
• Professional portfolio of work that demonstrates experience and qualifications for the position (include your portfolio's link on your resume)
• Strong interpersonal, verbal communication and organizational skills
• Resume and Cover Letter

Information about how to submit an application can be found at https://employment.davidson.edu.