Photos and Videos

The IOC curates the MIT Media Library, a diverse collection of more than 3,500 photos and video clips depicting campus life. These files are available to the MIT community at no cost.

We can also help you determine the best use of photography and video for your project, and we can recommend professional photographers and videographers for custom shoots.

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ioc@mit.edu

What we do

Recommend photographers and videographers
Advise on permissions and best practices

Photo and video resources

The MIT Media Library provides photos and video clips for use in MIT communications. These assets are available exclusively to the MIT community at no cost. Please comply with our guidelines for using the images. See below for full details.

For custom shoots, members of the MIT community and photographers/videographers doing work for hire at MIT should follow our best practices in usage and permissions.

Getting started

To protect the usage of assets in the MIT Media Library, downloading is disabled until you create a Flickr account and we confirm your MIT affiliation.

The rights to these photos and videos have been purchased for exclusive use in MIT digital and print communications. While they may be used to promote MIT to outside audiences, they may not be used for commercial use or by non-MIT organizations such as commercial publishing firms, even if they appear in works by an MIT author. For such uses, a separate agreement must be negotiated with the photographer. More information about usage rights can be found in Best practices in usage and permissions.

Here’s how to access the photos and video clips:

Create a Flickr account for your department, lab, or center.
After logging in to your Flickr account, navigate to the main page of the MIT Media Library. Click on the white button labeled Follow. You’ll also see a drop-down menu that will allow you to designate the MIT Media Library as a friend of your library. Select Follow and Friend. We will receive your request and review your MIT affiliation. Upon acceptance, you will have the ability to download any images in the library for your use.

Download videos

Downloading video clips requires a valid MIT certificate. Click on the link below each video clip’s description to download that clip.

Sets and tags

The MIT Media Library contains over 1,000 photographs divided into albums, each grouped by general image type. Flickr allows you to search on tags, or any word or phrase associated with any photo.

Galleries

Once you have created your DLC’s Flickr account, you may also find images on other Flickr accounts that are of interest to you. These images may be owned by other MIT users or outside MIT. You can add links to these images by creating your own galleries that become a set of your own favorite images owned by other users. Note that you need to request permission from those owners to use or download any of their images.

Contact the MIT Media Library team for more information.

Create a Flickr account for your DLC

Free Flickr accounts can be created using any email account. The first and last name of your email account will become the name of your Flickr account handle, so use a first and last name that have relevance to your department and not that of an individual. For example, an email set up with:

firstname: mitschool
lastname: ofscience

will have the Flickr URL flickr.com/mitschoolofscience, which is semantic and has good search engine optimization.

Set your permissions

We suggest setting your permissions to friends and family. The path to these settings is: You > Your account > Privacy & Permissions > Who can access your original image files?

Your images will be searchable to anyone, but downloading is disabled unless you are sent a request. You can consider such requests and then grant the requester friends and family status to allow them access to your photos.

Set your license

You > Your account > Privacy & Permissions > What license will your content have?

This means that you must be asked for permission to use a photo. The various Creative Commons license protocols used by Flickr allow unrestricted access to your photos.

Naming conventions in Flickr

By default, Flickr assigns the file name of your source photo to the name that appears in the text block just below the photo, called the description. Since the file name may be a combination of letters and numbers that have no search relevance, we suggest copying the file name into the detail area below for your reference, then renaming the photo with a more relevant and searchable name.

The text block below the photo description is called the image detail. It should contain the name of the photographer, details on the photos, and any other relevant data such as the original file name.

Upload and share

Start by uploading a few photos, check your photo description and details, and share with other MIT users. You’ll discover a collaborative digital environment where the great stories of MIT are shared in photos.

Contact the MIT Media Library team for more information.

The MIT Media Library includes short video clips of the MIT campus and campus life. These clips are not edited for stand-alone use, but they can be incorporated into any digital media project.

The rights to these video clips have been purchased for exclusive MIT use related to MIT programs. While they may be used to promote MIT to outside audiences, they may not be used by non-MIT organizations such as commercial publishing firms, even if they appear in works by an MIT author. For such use, a separate agreement must be negotiated with the videographer.

The clips can be downloaded from the MIT Media Library video album by MIT users with valid certificates by clicking on the link given in each video clip’s description.

If you need assistance with video production, we can refer you to resources on campus, such as MIT Video Productions, or external partners who specialize in this type of work.

Types of video clips in the MIT Media Library include:

Short videos showing campus life
Aerial videos taken from a drone flying over various parts of campus – these feature flyovers of some of MIT’s most iconic buildings and will require editing to be integrated into your video project

For more information, contact the MIT Media Library team.

Members of the MIT community and photographers/videographers who are hired for MIT work should consult and follow the guidelines below.

License and release form

Obtain a signed license and release form if you are using photos and/or videos for marketing communications (e.g., print or online materials intended to promote your department, lab, or center). A release form is required if subjects are recognizable. News-related use does not require a signed release.
Do not take or use photos/videos of minors (individuals under the age of consent, which is 18 in Massachusetts) without obtaining a parent’s or a guardian’s signature on the license and release form.
Keep signed permissions for as long as you think you may use the photos/videos.

Expectation of privacy

If you are taking photos/videos in a public space (e.g., the Infinite Corridor, Student Center plaza, etc.) or at a large, open event such as Commencement, there is a limited expectation of privacy and a signed release is not needed.
If you are taking photos/videos in a classroom or at a closed event, it might be logistically difficult to have everyone sign a release form. One option is to contact the professor or event coordinator in advance to ask how they’d prefer that you notify participants about the shoot. You also may post a sign at all entrances with the following text:

Photographs and/or videos may be taken [in this class/at this event, etc.].

By entering and attending [this class/event, etc.], you acknowledge and agree that your likeness may be included in photos and videos of the event and used by MIT in connection with communications about [your department] or in other MIT communications.

If you do not agree to this usage, [please notify the photographer or videographer/sit on the left side/do not enter the event, etc.].

Terms of use

If you are already using photos/videos on your website or other communications without permission from the subjects, attempt to contact the recognizable people to obtain their permission, preferably in writing. If you are not able to obtain consent, you will need to discontinue using the photos/videos.
If your photographer/videographer is an MIT employee, you may use his or her photos/videos for MIT purposes. If your photographer/videographer is not an MIT employee, be sure you have a signed contract outlining how MIT may use the photos/videos. MIT Strategic Sourcing can assist you with the contract details, including the negotiation of ongoing usage rights.
Credit the photographer or videographer when possible.

Contact us if you have any questions about permissions or usage of photos or videos.

In addition to the MIT Media Library, MIT News and The Tech are other sources for campus photography. For permission to use a photo taken by a member of their staffs, contact:

Flickr has millions of accounts, many featuring professional photographers. If you find an image you would like to use from one of these accounts, be sure to request permission by contacting the account owner on the platform via Flickrmail.

Online stock image resources also include royalty-free and rights-managed photographs. When you license a royalty-free image, you are granted rights to use the image in as many different projects as you like for as long as you like. The cost is typically based on the image resolution you select.

When purchasing a rights-managed stock photo, you will be asked questions regarding the scope of use, including the number of publications or types of media in which the photo will be used, the print quantity, and the length of time you expect the item to be distributed. Fees will vary accordingly.

Stock photo resources

MIT resources

LinkedIn Learning
Access dozens of online photo and video courses taught by industry experts. An MIT certificate is required.

MIT’s flagship YouTube channel
Videos showing the breadth of education, research, and life at MIT.

MIT Video Productions
MIT’s video production group, which covers education, research, and outreach at MIT.

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