Getting permission

Location permissions

Make sure you get permission in advance from the technician, academic or facility you’re visiting and that you have prebooked the space before your shoot.

Agreement from people in photos

You should only ask for an image consent form to be completed if the photo will appear with identifying details such as a person’s name and course.

If someone has been invited to appear in the background of a photo or to attend a group photo shoot, an image consent form is not required as long as no identifying details are published with the photos. Instead, just advise them in advance that the photos will be used for marketing and publicity purposes to promote the University. You should also let them know that you may share the photos with other people attending the shoot for personal use, so they can decide if they want to take part.

The latest version of the image consent form is available for you to download. You can print it, so a paper copy can be completed, or it can be completed electronically. You should read the guidance below on how image consent forms should be stored.

If you require a bespoke version of the image consent form for a specific purpose, you must get approval in advance from the University's Information Governance team.

If photos are going to be taken of a large crowd or during an event, you need to make people aware in advance. Make sure you give people time to understand and reflect on what you’re doing and make it easy for them to avoid having their photo taken.

The University’s student registration process states that while students study with us, their photo may be used for marketing or publicity purposes. They can opt out of this if they want to. This is a broad cover-all and should not be taken as explicit permission for featured students. There is also a clause in the registration process covering Lecture Capture.

For more information on data protection read the Use of Images policy.

Use 'marketing' and 'publicity'

Use the words ‘marketing’ and ‘publicity’ when telling people (eg in photography notices or an event brochure) that a photographer may be present. ‘Marketing’ communicates that we will use the photos to help sell courses (via prospectuses, the website, etc) and ‘publicity’ that we may use the photos to promote the University.

Examples of appropriate wording are:

Graduation ceremony posters and online registration form

There may be a photographer or film-maker present during and after the ceremony and these photos may be used in publicity and marketing purposes to promote the University. Contact a member of staff if you want to be exempted from this activity.

Open day brochure and online registration form

The open day is a public event and an official photographer will be taking photographs for use by the University for marketing and publicity uses in our publications and on our website and in social media. They may also be used by third party organisations to promote the University. Contact a member of staff if you want to be exempted from this activity.

Common misunderstandings

The University is a public place so we shouldn’t need permissions.
Incorrect – the University is deemed a private campus (hence the barriers), so we need permissions.
Graduations are a public event so permissions aren’t needed.
Incorrect – this is effectively a ‘family affair’ and most visitors would expect it to be private (despite social media posts). We need to be explicit that images may be used for publicity and marketing purposes and give people time to consider and be able to opt out.

Image consent form storage

Image consent forms contain personal information, so they must be stored securely.

Completed paper copies of image consent forms should be scanned to a secure folder on the University’s SharePoint or Microsoft Teams. The paper originals should be shredded. Scanned copies should be kept for six years. After this time, they should be deleted.

If you use an electronic version of the image consent form built in Microsoft Forms or platforms such as Gecko, any exported responses must also be stored in a secure folder on the University’s SharePoint or Microsoft Teams. The same retention period of six years applies. You should also check you’re using the latest version of the image consent form.

If you have existing paper copies of signed image consent forms, shred those over six years old. Any forms that are less than six years old should be stored in a locked cabinet and retained for six years. After six years, they should be shredded.

For more information about image consent form storage, contact the University's Information Governance team.