College Lifestyle Photography Wins Awards

Community College Lifestyle Photography

Helps Earn 8 Marketing Design Awards

As a professional photographer serving the Tri-Valley and East Bay regions outside of San Francisco, I’ve had the privilege of building relationships with organizations that make a meaningful impact in our community. Two of the organizations I am especially proud to work with are Las Positas College in Livermore, California and Chabot College in Hayward, California. Recognized among the top community colleges in California and the nation, both Las Positas and its sister institution, Chabot College, have earned a reputation for academic excellence and student success.

We are fortunate to live in a community that values education, diversity, opportunity, and personal growth.

In 2023, I was contacted by the Chabot Las Positas Community College District marketing team to help create a comprehensive library of photography assets for use across the college’s marketing and communications platforms. Working alongside Kyle Ogden of Ogden Costa Creative, also based in the Tri-Valley, the vision was to develop a library of compelling images that would showcase the diversity, opportunities, and success stories that define the college experience at Las Positas and Chabot Colleges.

To date, I have completed more than 30 lifestyle, portrait, and event photography assignments for Las Positas and Chabot Colleges. I’ve photographed students from a wide range of backgrounds, highlighting both the vibrant campus environment and the achievements of students who had gone on to attend prestigious universities across the country. The marketing team has transformed this imagery into award-winning campaigns that celebrate the college’s diversity, academic excellence, and student success. Environmental portraits and studio images of successful students became central elements in telling the colleges’ stories. A few of the lifestyle shoots focused on the Career Technical Education Program where I took photos of the hands-on training at the Auto Department, Fire and EMS Academies.

Photographing college students presents unique challenges and rewards. Unlike professional models, most students have little or no experience in front of a camera. While some are excited to participate and naturally embrace the spotlight, others can be shy, reserved, or self-conscious. One of my favorite aspects of the job is helping those students feel comfortable and confident. By creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, I’m able to capture authentic smiles, genuine laughter, and the natural moments that make lifestyle photography so powerful.

Working closely with the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, Ogden Costa Creative developed marketing materials featuring these photographs for bus and park bench advertising, brochures, magazines, wall banners, posters, PowerPoint presentations, social media campaigns, and other community outreach efforts. Because the images would be featured in major marketing campaigns, quality and consistency were essential. Some images were even incorporated into large-scale installations measuring more than 242 feet wide. Since the project was designed to span multiple years, maintaining a cohesive visual style throughout every photoshoot was critical.

Additionally, the imagery used the annual report, economic impact report, and in the advocacy, material used to make the case to secure additional state and federal support. But overall, the marketing efforts have been credited with the steady increase in enrollment in both Los Positas and Chabot Colleges and is also used in the retention efforts through email marketing.

The results have been remarkable. Las Positas College had received a 6 Gold Award in the last 3 years. In 2026 won a gold in the Banner/Outdoor Media category for the “Great Wall of Las Po,” a large-scale installation featuring graphic design and campus lifestyle photography captured throughout the project. In 2025, the college earned two additional Gold Awards for its Class Schedule and LPC Brochure. Combined with other district marketing initiatives, these efforts have contributed to a total of 8 marketing design awards.