Pleiad Staff Photographer (Full-time, Half-time, or Volunteer)

Position Title: Pleiad Staff Photographer (Full-time, Half-time, or Volunteer)

Department: The Albion College Pleiad

Supervisor: Editor-in-Chief

Duration: 2023-24 Academic Year

The Albion College Pleiad is an award-winning student-run news publication that has served Albion students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, and community members since 1883. Today, the Pleiad publishes news, features, sports, opinions, arts/culture, and community stories online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the regular semester, as well as publishes a print edition typically three times per semester and a podcast (The Brit) weekly on Mondays. The Pleiad staff also manages several branded social media platforms and a weekly digest newsletter (via MailChimp). 

The Pleiad invites applications for Staff Photographers, who will contribute photographs or other media on a weekly (full-time) or biweekly (half-time) basis. Prior experience with student media is preferred but NOT required. Successful candidates will be strong photographers who are curious and want to share information and student viewpoints with all members of our Albion College community while building skills particularly relevant to careers and internships in media, journalism, public relations, and the arts. 

The Pleiad is committed to maintaining a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and bias-free workplace that demonstrates the character, integrity, and accountability of a professional newsroom. Any members of the student body who can uphold the values of the College and the publication are encouraged to apply. This position can, in most cases, accommodate virtual-only student employees during the Spring 2021 semester.

● Reliability with email communication and meeting attendance

● Self-motivation to meet deadlines with limited oversight

● Proactive and collaborative approach to resolving potential challenges

● Friendliness and ability to contact and interview strangers, including students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and Albion-area community members

● Ability to receive and apply feedback from student leadership

● Writing competency, as far as clarity, efficiency, and basic grammatical correctness

● Curiosity and willingness to pursue active, engaging photos in sometimes challenging settings

● Working for a journalism publication — professional or student-run; may include any position on the publication staff

● Photo editing at a basic level

● Caption writing and using AP Style

● Other media — e.g. radio or podcast production and/or videography

● Layout and page design

● Multimedia project management, including planning, shooting, editing, and/or distributing

● Marketing — social media, email, print, other

● Research — including interviews or digital and library resources

● Attend weekly staff meetings (typically 8 p.m. on Wednesdays)

● Meet or exceed regular assignment deadlines

● Respond to editors’ feedback on submitted content (photos and captions) in a timely and professional manner

● Prepare content for publication on Google Docs and/or WordPress, as well as support social media publicity

● Participate in print-edition distribution and other promotional needs of the publication

● Collaborate effectively with diverse members of the student leadership team and staff

● Read and promote the Pleiad

● Represent the Pleiad responsibly and effectively while upholding the ethical and professional standards of a student news publication

● Pitch multimedia story ideas and accept assignments from student leadership

● Take journalistic (often candid) photos that may consist of events, locations, profiles, photo illustrations, and more

● Take stock photos that may be used for multiple stories, with or without a specific assignment

● Write journalistic captions for photo submissions

● Interview photo subjects briefly to obtain sufficient information for clear, specific captions, as needed

● Research background information and schedule appointments with photography subjects, as needed

● Prepare occasional photo stories, slide shows, and other media opportunities

Students who demonstrate strong journalistic principles, professional instincts, and leadership potential while working for the Pleiad will be considered in subsequent semesters for promotion to advanced positions, which may include Section Editor (News, Features, Opinions, Sports, Multimedia), Copy Editor, Marketing Coordinator, Managing Editor, and Editor-in-Chief. These positions involve expanded publication and leadership responsibilities, including editing others’ submissions, posting to WordPress and social media, and/or contributing to the long-term vision of the publication’s growth and success. 

● Identify photography opportunities and develop multimedia story ideas for publication

● Produce media to accompany local journalism stories in both online and print formats

● Produce photography and/or multimedia content for social media

● Write lucid, effective captions that follow the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook

● Collaborate with diverse peers to produce a publication representative of student perspectives

According to the following NACE Career Readiness Competencies, Pleiad Staff Photographers will be able to:

● Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving by taking on photo assignments that require adaptive thinking and creativity, while working to accurately represent visual information to readers; as well as by encountering challenges and setbacks that must be resolved within the assigned deadlines and often in collaboration with fellow staff members and editors.

● Demonstrate oral/written communication skills by producing weekly (or bi-weekly) captions for publication photos and by communicating with sources, fellow staffers, the faculty adviser, and the reading public.

● Demonstrate teamwork/collaboration by working closely with fellow staffers and student leadership to develop multimedia story ideas, resolve challenges, meet deadlines and publish quality content. Each Pleiad story is revised and edited by a team of staffers, replicating the collaborative processes common in professional settings.

● Demonstrate digital technology skills by preparing photos for publication and captions for editing using Google Drive, Google Docs, and WordPress; as well as by communicating with staff and student leadership via email, text messaging, social media, and other channels.

● Demonstrate leadership by constantly seeking to uncover stories and images of interest to the reading public; as well as by building relationships and teamwork skills to prepare for future coverage and leadership roles.

● Demonstrate professionalism/work ethic by meeting regular, firm deadlines and communicating with student leadership proactively when challenges arise. ** Working for student media is a public responsibility, and content published by the Pleiad is subject to public scrutiny, comment, and even criticism: Staff Photographers must conduct themselves professionally and responsibly at all times when representing the Pleiad.

● Demonstrate career management by determining how their strengths and capabilities might best match the needs of the publication and their own goals. Many student-journalists at Albion pursue internships and other professional opportunities off-campus that are supported by their accomplishments at the Pleiad.

● Demonstrate global/intercultural fluency by engaging with a diverse reading public and collaborating with a diverse staff of peers; as well as by providing news coverage that may at times take them out of their comfort zones and require adaptive interpersonal skills. 

● Once per semester, a student supervisor will complete a Pleiad-specific performance evaluation, which will be delivered to the Staff Photographer via email from the Pleiad’s faculty adviser. The Staff Photographer will confirm receipt and have an opportunity to respond, as well as to request further training, if necessary.

● At the end of the first semester of Pleiad employment, Staff Photographers will be asked whether they intend to continue working for the Pleiad and whether they are interested in promotion to greater responsibility; feedback will be provided during the semester break as to the Staff Photographer’s ongoing employment and development expectations.

● The application process for Staff Photographers must be initiated again each Fall Semester or any time there is a gap in Pleiad employment. 

General staff training is conducted by student leadership once per semester and typically consists of post-meeting discussions and/or a concentrated retreat-style weekend or evening meeting. Additionally, Staff Photographers are generally expected to conduct independent reviews of a slide deck and/or a series of instructional videos distributed in advance. This training typically requires 3 to 6 hours of attention and should be repeated at least once per academic year. 

Questions or concerns, please contact faculty adviser Krista Quesenberry at PleiadJobs@albion.edu

https://www.albion.edu/academics/career-and-internship-center/student-employment/forms to print off the necessary forms for employment.

Student employees must complete tax forms (W-4 Withholding Allowance Certificates) and proof of work eligibility (I-9) before beginning work as an Albion College Student Employee.