Our photography direction should reflect authenticity. We embrace unexpected angles, natural poses, candid expressions, intimate and off-the-cuff moments that capture real emotion. Through vignettes of everyday student life, we’ll highlight the in-between—studying late, quiet moments of doubt, expressive body-language, bursts of joy, focus amid chaos—because that’s where real life lives.

We’ll center students, their journey, their goals/aspirational future-self, and their challenges in a way that feels emotionally resonant and relevant to them. Simultaneously, this type of imagery gives employers an unfiltered look at the diverse, “ready to work” talent that defines the Handshake community.

People & Styling

• Our photography should feature diverse, approachable individuals who look like real students—not models. We showcase natural hair and skin textures, natural makeup, and genuine personal style that reflects how students actually dress on campus. Clothing should be casual yet put-together, with simple pieces in solid colors or subtle patterns. The goal is relatability.
• Color from our brand palette should be used as intentional accents—adding optimism and emphasis to the image without becoming the main or overwhelming focus

Lighting & Color

• Natural light, bright, clean, warm
• Colors should be optimized to look their best while still feeling natural and not artificial—no filters
• (occasional high-flash)

Composition

• Embrace negative space
• Candid, unposed moments
• Natural body language and expressions
• Occasional rule-breaking (tilted horizons, unconventional framing)

Dos and Don’ts

Be mindful of these dos and don’ts when designing with our photography to follow common mistakes to avoid, ensuring consistency and quality in execution.

<aside> <img src="/icons/checkmark_green.svg" alt="/icons/checkmark_green.svg" width="40px" /> Crop to highlight the subject’s expression or action clearly. Try to show their features fully.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/checkmark_green.svg" alt="/icons/checkmark_green.svg" width="40px" /> Allow for the subject’s face and anatomy to breath when framing with text

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<aside> <img src="/icons/browser-stop_red.svg" alt="/icons/browser-stop_red.svg" width="40px" /> Avoid awkward crops that cut off key feature. (ex midway of eyes, mouths, expressions, etc)

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<aside> <img src="/icons/browser-stop_red.svg" alt="/icons/browser-stop_red.svg" width="40px" /> Avoid overwhelming the subject’s face or anatomy with too much or too large text.

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Composition Examples:

Photography Library Location

We use two main sources for photography: our internal Handshake brand photo library and external stock libraries (sparingly). Use our Handshake photo library for content that highlights our brand, people, and community. Please reach out to @Anna or @Kim Vu on slack for approved images for use.

<aside> ❗ Images are for digital usage only. For print usage, please refer to print sections in each library’s folder or reach out to @Anna for permissions and questions regarding any image usage for print or other special instances.

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