Images, photos, film and illustrations

Ask the following questions before choosing an image or film: What is the use of the image? What is my audience? What do I want to achieve?

Checklist for images

1. Genuine and natural

Images and film should reflect and bring KI's operations to life. Images should preferably be taken in KI's environments and by employees and students "in action".

2. Relevant for the context

Images and film must have a connection to the subject being illustrated. For example, if you need to illustrate a conference about cancer research, choose a research-related image, an image of conference participants, or an image of the place where the conference will be held.

3. Professional and in high quality

Images and film must be characterized by high quality and live up to the requirements for openness and accessibility that are imposed on public activities. The images should be in high resolution, have good light/contrast/focus, and preferably be taken by a professional photographer.

4. Realistic – especially in labs and clinical settings

Double-check, for example, that jewelry, hair, and clothes follow the hygiene requirements for the specific environment.
 

5. Useful and not only serve as decoration or to fill space

Graphics can help us visualize things that are difficult to explain using only photos or text. For example, if you want to show a procedure, a connection between things or development.

If possible, avoid images that feel unnatural and taken out of their contexts, such as over-arranged agency stock photos and clip art pictures.

6. Gender-conscious, norm-critical and inclusive 

KI values diversity, different opinions, and many voices, which should be reflected in the image choice. Images should, for example, show the entire KI (both Campus Flemingsberg and Campus Solna), as well as show the breadth of KI's education and research environments (not just education with high application pressure). 

Our target groups/visitors/users should be able to recognize themselves in our images. Therefore, strive to be gender-conscious, norm-critical (does the image reinforce existing norms, or do you challenge the norm in your images?), and inclusive in the image choice. This is important to consider, not least if AI is used to generate images, as research has shown that AI images tend to reinforce stereotypes. 

Make a brief analysis before choosing an image:

• Does the image or text contain any gender stereotypes or restrictive norms?
• Who can feel included or excluded from the image?

7. Free from alcohol and drugs

KI works for a drug-free work and study environment by distancing itself from alcohol, drugs, and other addictive substances, and this also applies to images. Exceptions are genre images to illustrate research in these areas. 

8. Free from product placements 

Avoid logos and marks on objects and clothing. If possible, avoid displaying advertisements or logos in the background. 

Photographer and/or stock photos

Hire a photographer

For portraits, pictures of campus environments, and events, you can hire a photographer. There are two options:

• KI’s photographers Bildmakarna
• KI’s framework agreement for photography services

Stock photos from an external image bank

Generic images can be used when you want to describe a specific topic and KI does not have appropriate images. Stock photos should follow the checklist for images.

Authorization and copyright

Rights of use and copyright

You must have permission to use the images. If you use images from photo agencies or internet services, you need to make sure which usage rights apply to that particular image. In general, you almost always have to acknowledge the author of the image (photographer or source) visibly in the context of where the image is used. There are collections of images that have licenses that allow them to be used without first asking the author's permission.

Permission from persons appearing in the image or film

• All persons identifiable in a film or image must be asked for their consent to participate. 
• Avoid disclosing sensitive personal data that participants may later regret. 
• Participants who reproduce the personal data of others must have obtained their permission to share the data. 
• No images with personal data in the background should be used.

The Legal Department is responsible for GDPR at Karolinska Institutet.

Accessibility

The messages in films and images on the web must be made accessible to people who cannot see or hear, or who for other reasons have difficulty understanding text or sound. In short, this means that you must use subtitles or alt-texts to explain what the image or film represents to those who cannot see it.

For more information on the accessibility of digital public services, see the pages Available films and Web accessibility - what is required of you as an editor.

Finding images

Free images with free licence

• KI:s mediabank
  The mediabank is accessible by all KI employees and contains images that you can use free of charge. The photographer’s name can be found together with the image. You can also share photographic material from your department in the mediabank.
• Wikimedia commons
  Search for images that are found in the Wikipedia encyclopaedia, which are often free and do not require the permission of the copyright holder. Always double-check the user right that applies to use of the image outside Wikimedia.
• Google's advanced image search
  When you search using Google’s search engine, you can filter the results to find free-to-use images.
• Flickr
  Flickr is a social network where users can upload their pictures. When you search for images you can filter using a variety of user rights (Creative Commons licenses).

Buy images with a free licence

• Getty Images
  Getty Images has a vast number of images at good prices, and is very useful when you need a genre image or illustration. You must set up your own account in the Getty Images library to buy images.
• Science Photo Library
  Image bank focussing on images and illustrations in research and healthcare; here too you must set up an account to buy images.

Common image file formats

Examples of images

Examples of stock photos (genre images)

Buildings and environments

• Communicate a sense of what it is like to be at KI 
• Airy and modern
• Create depth and perspective with exciting angles, for example from above
• Close-ups or details

Ceremonies, events, and meetings 

• Capture a moment, for example when people meet
• Portray the mood, for example through color tones or details that reflect the type of event
• People in the picture should be perceived as active and committed 

Research, labs, and clinical settings

• Cooperation between two or more people is preferable
• Depict the background and environment (avoid messy backgrounds)
• Detail images of research instruments or hands
• Feel free to use research images (microscope/cell images)
• Be careful so it looks like in real life. Check, for example, that jewelry, hair, and clothes follow the hygiene requirements that exist for the specific environment. 

Portraits and group images 

• Full-screen images and half-image portraits
• Depicted in a relevant environment (preferable no studio)
• No portraits cut-out with isolated backgrounds (transparent backgrounds)

Students and education

• Active images 
• Modern education environments, if possible
• The images show commitment