A participant speaks during a writing workshop for parents hosted by the Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships at the DePaul Center on May 7. (Photo by Gia Clarke/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
Students participate in an Early Childhood Education class in Lincoln Park on Oct. 10. (Photo by Morgan Kirsch/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
Audience members listen during the Covering Trump panel in the Daley Building on Oct. 10. (Photo by Nupur Bosmiya/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
An event participant writes a card during the Cookie Stroll event at the Loop Campus on Nov. 4. (Photo by Quentin Blais/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
The PRAD program featured a portfolio review for graduating students to showcase their work to other faculty and family members on June 11 in the DePaul Center. (Photo by Kit Wilberg/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
Participants at the In To Light event gathered to discuss their experiences of moving from darkness into light. (Photo by Isabel Perkinson/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
Facility Operations staff distributes candy outside the Student Center on Oct. 31. (Photos by Will Robson/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
Faculty and students interact during an Early Childhood Education class in Lincoln Park on Oct. 10. (Photo by Aubreonna Chamberlain/DePaul Student Photo Agency)
Just this fall, DePaul student photographers have captured dynamic dance performances, student showcases and an international conference with hundreds of attendees. Through the recently launched
DePaul Student Photo Agency, students are taking photos as a part-time job.
Robin Hoecker, a photojournalism professor in the College of Communication, founded the agency with a vision to help students and the DePaul community. Academic units, offices and student groups can hire the trained photographers. Information on rates and booking process is at
go.depaul.edu/photoagency.
“Visuals are so important in telling the story of what we're doing at DePaul, and my students take wonderful pictures,” Hoecker says. “This is also helping our students to get the professional experience that they need and can use out in the workplace once they graduate.”
The agency’s photographers take Hoecker’s class to learn the basics of lighting, composition, editing and more. Working with the agency gives them opportunities to hone these skills, says Nurpur Bosmiya, a graduate journalism student and photo agency photographer.
“No matter what kind of event you’re photographing, you’re looking for similar things, including variety, action, people and emotion,” Bosmiya says.
The jobs allow her and her classmates to practice in the same challenging, fast-paced conditions they will face as professionals.
“We’re making sure that you get a good photograph even though the lighting is not great, or even though the frame might be too crowded,” Bosmiya says. “There are always ways to click good photos.”
The colleges, units and offices that hire the students benefit from visuals they can share with their audiences at an affordable cost. The students are registered as student employees, which means the payment process is easy for DePaul units.
Right now, eight students work for the photo agency, and there are several alternates. For students who are interested, e-mail Robin at
photoagency@depaul.edu.
The Center for Religion, Culture and Community at DePaul hired a photographer to cover an on-campus event in October that featured a guest speaker. Maria-Jose Lema, a student assistant with the center, said she’d recommend the service to other academic units because it was easy to navigate, and it gives student photographers opportunities.
“The agency also promotes a more well-connected network within the DePaul community to collaborate on events across the disciplines,” Lema says.
Hoecker says she hopes the photo agency enables visuals for events and work on campus that weren’t being covered before.
“It's a win for our students to gain experience and earn some money. It’s also a win for the DePaul community to have more opportunities to document what they're doing,” she says.
The DePaul Student Photo Agency is only doing photography for now, but Hoecker says they’re considering other services, such as social media or video content, for the future.