Principal Photographer

Barnard College; New York (NY); On-site; USD 78,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

Barnard College seeks a Principal Photographer to lead the College's visual brand and serve as a co‑owner of its editorial imagery. This role directs photography across events, lectures, portraits, and campus life, partnering with the Creative Director and Editorial Director to uphold Barnard's standards.

The successful candidate brings extensive editorial experience, thrives in both news coverage and artistic work, and takes ownership from capture through post-production and archiving, shaping

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in editorial, institutional, or newsroom photography.
• Demonstrated fluency in editorial photography with a strategic, message-driven lens.
• Strong post-production skills (Lightroom, Photoshop, or equivalent).
• Experience with digital asset management and a commitment to clean, searchable archives.
• The ability to write captions that are informative, accessible, and aligned with messaging goals.
• Sound judgment and strong interpersonal and collaboration skills.
• Organizational skills to manage multiple shoots, priorities, and stakeholders.
• Self-direction, initiative, and genuine enthusiasm for documenting the life of a college campus.
• Proficiency with professional camera equipment, lighting kits, and stabilizing tools.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead photography for the College: capture high-quality, storytelling-driven images across campus (events, lectures, headshots, portraits, and editorial photography).
• Provide on-site coverage for high-impact College events, including evenings and weekends as needed, with occasional local travel for off-site events and portraits.
• Shape the visual brand by partnering with editorial, digital, and design teams to align visuals with messaging priorities.
• Participate in editorial planning meetings and contribute to content strategy and visual positioning for stories.
• Ensure all College imagery meets editorial and visual brand standards.
• Own post-production: edit, crop, color-correct, and retouch in line with the College's style using Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent tools.
• Write clear captions and alt text aligned with Barnard's editorial standards.
• Build and maintain the image library with a centralized library; keep files organized, tagged, and easily discoverable.
• Work with writers and team members to gather supporting imagery from story subjects.
• Handle production needs including lighting setups, tripods, monopods, and gear transport.
• Operate and help maintain the Communications Department's photography equipment.

Skills

5+ years experience

Editorial photography

Post-production skills

Digital asset management

Caption writing

Interpersonal collaboration

Organization

Self-direction

Camera equipment proficiency

Evenings/weekends availability

Tools

Lightroom

Photoshop

Job description

Principal Photographer

Barnard College seeks a Principal Photographer to serve as the College's lead photographer and a co-owner of its visual brand. This is the principal photography role at Barnard: the Principal Photographer directs and produces photography across the life of the College, from major events, lectures, and portraiture to the candid editorial images that document campus life, and partners with the Creative Director and Editorial Director to set and uphold Barnard's visual standards. The right candidate brings extensive editorial experience, moves comfortably between news coverage and more artistic work, and operates as a strategic partner and is someone who comes to the table with visual ideas, understands what a photograph needs to do for a story, and takes ownership of the College's image from capture through post-production and archiving.

Job Description

• Lead photography for the College:
  • Capture high-quality, storytelling-driven images across campus: major events, lectures, headshots and portraits, and candid editorial photography.
  • Provide on-site coverage for high-impact College events, including evenings and weekends as needed, with occasional local travel for off-site events and portraits.
  • Shape the visual brand: Partner with the editorial, digital, and design teams to produce visuals aligned with the College's messaging priorities.
  • Participate in editorial planning meetings and contribute proactively to content strategy, advising on the strongest visual positioning for each story.
  • Ensure all College imagery meets editorial and visual brand standards.
  • Own post-production: Edit, crop, color-correct, and retouch in line with the College's style using Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent tools.
  • Write clear, accurate captions and alt text that are accessible and aligned with Barnard's editorial standards.
  • Build and maintain the image library: Work with the Creative Director to support a centralized image library, keeping files organized, tagged, and easily discoverable so that teams across the College can reuse assets.
  • Work with writers and team members to gather supporting imagery from story subjects.
  • Handle production needs including lighting setups, tripods and monopods, seamless, and gear transport.
  • Operate and help maintain the Communications Department's photography equipment.
  • Perform other responsibilities as needed.
• This position will report to the Editorial Director.

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in editorial, institutional, or newsroom photography, with a portfolio demonstrating range across events, portraiture, and editorial storytelling
• Demonstrated fluency in editorial photography with a strategic, message-driven lens, and a proven ability to capture dynamic images under tight deadlines
• Strong post-production skills (Lightroom, Photoshop, or equivalent)
• Experience with digital asset management and a commitment to clean, searchable archives
• The ability to write captions that are informative, accessible, and aligned with messaging goals
• Sound judgment and strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with experience working across editors, designers, and stakeholders to align on creative direction and deliver on deadline
• Organizational skills to manage multiple shoots, priorities, and stakeholders at once while maintaining a high bar for quality
• Self-direction, initiative, and genuine enthusiasm for documenting the life of a college campus
• Proficiency with professional camera equipment, lighting kits, and stabilizing tools
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed

Salary

Salary Range: $78,000 - $83,000 annually The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Contract & Hours

This is a full-time, on-campus position, as on-campus presence is essential to the role.

Equipment

The Communications Department provides a Canon EOS R6 Mark III and supporting camera accessories, lighting, and studio equipment.

Company

Company: Barnard College Time Type: Full time Barnard is an intellectually stimulating, diverse college community of approximately 800 full- and part-time faculty and staff dedicated to providing an extraordinary educational environment for our 2,600 students. Whether you are a current or potential Barnard employee, the Office of Human Resources is here to provide you with clear and accurate information and the best possible service.

HR Contact

We hope that you find the site useful and will feel free to email any of the HR staff directly with questions or suggestions. We look forward to working with you.