Photography

The Office of Public Affairs Photography Department provides support for both the news and publications areas of the university. Our mission is to document the life, study and work of the university's faculty, staff and student body.

Our photographers are responsible for most of the photographs you see on the main MSU Web page, the weekly Our People feature, news releases and the daily State Snapshot. Our photographs appear in campus recruiting and informational publications, Alumnus magazine, athletics, the research magazine, an annual university calendar, as well as on billboards, multimedia presentations and television. In addition, we submit news photos to the Associated Press that are published in local, national and international periodicals.

We maintain a large collection of campus photos that faculty and staff may use in developing presentations and publications about Mississippi State. In addition, for a small fee, we can provide a variety of custom photographic services to serve university needs.

Our services include:

• Indoor and outdoor location photography
• Studio portraits
• Photography for news releases, publications and special projects.
• Group photos
• News events
• Images for instructional use
• Alumni activities
• Athletics
• Product photography
• Photographic prints produced from digital files

Feel free to contact any of our staff photographers for all your photographic needs.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where are you located?

OPA Photography is located on the sixth floor of Allen Hall, Room 624. To reach our reception area, take a left after exiting the elevators.

What are your prices for studio headshots or custom photo shoots, and how do I schedule an appointment?

For additional details on our photographic services or prices, or to schedule a photo shoot appointment, please contact any one of our three photographers.

Can I purchase prints of MSU photos to give as gifts or to decorate my home or office?

Yes. We have a growing collection of MSU fine art prints and special editions available for sale at http://msstatephoto.photoshelter.com/

We also offer an annual MSU pictorial calendar, which may be purchased at local bookstores or online via the Foundation website.

How do I get permission to use an image created by a the Office of Public Affairs photographer?

Contact Harriet Laird.

How can I acquire digital copies of MSU photos?

the Office of Public Affairs maintains a stock photo collection containing thousands of high-resolution, publication-quality photographs. We have both historic and recent campus images on file, and these photographs are available for use in college or departmental publications (whether print or online). To select photos from our George Hall stock photos collection for use in your MSU publication, simply set up an appointment with one of our photographers. For copying your selected photos, please bring a blank CD, DVD, or USB Drive (Jump/Flash Drive).

I saw a photograph I like on the MSU Web site or in a campus publication. May I copy or scan it for either personal or university use?

No. All photographs taken by MSU the Office of Public Affairs photographers are subject to copyright protection. They may not be copied or used without advance permission from our Photography Department.

If you are seeking MSU prints for personal use, please see Question No. 3.

If you need a print or digital image for departmental use, please contact us. We can provide necessary permissions, custom prints, and/or a digital copy of sufficient resolution and size to match your needs (NOTE: with the exception of the hi-res images provided as part of the Office of Public Affairs news releases, the images are posted on the Web at a low resolution, sufficient for Web viewing, but unsatisfactory for print).

What are the specifics for a publication photo?

A minimum 4-by-6 inches at 300 dpi/ppi. You cannot force a photo to meet the requirements if it is already too small in size and resolution.