Photographer

Oak Ridge National Laboratory•Oak Ridge, TN

28d•Onsite

About The Position

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is seeking a Visual Storyteller in its Photography Group within the Digital & Visual Communications Directorate. The role produces high-quality still imagery and provides selective video support to document ORNL’s research, people, facilities, and mission impact. It combines creative photography with scientific accuracy, editorial judgment, and the creation of a durable visual archive. The position operates in a high-compliance environment. Photography and publication are subject to safety, security, export control, intellectual property, privacy, and public release requirements. The photographer must exercise sound judgment in controlled environments, protect media during fieldwork, and ensure imagery is reviewed and cleared as required before external distribution. The role works across office, industrial, outdoor, and laboratory settings and collaborates with communications teams, subject matter experts, and operational stakeholders. ORNL is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory with more than 7,000 employees. The laboratory offers competitive pay and benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours. The position requires the ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge and pass a Federal Tier 1 background investigation. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Photography, Photojournalism, Visual Communications, Multimedia, or a related field, plus at least five years of professional experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Professional portfolio demonstrating environmental portraiture and people-focused storytelling; event coverage under pressure; industrial, technical, or complex-environment photography; controlled lighting and strong composition; and consistent post-production without misrepresentation.
Ability to manage and deliver assets with accurate captions and metadata.
Experience maintaining an archive or digital asset management system.
Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud and ability to manage outputs in a timely manner.
Working knowledge of video capture and editing sufficient to support assigned video tasks.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent assignments, meet deadlines, and deliver edits without compromising safety, accuracy, or compliance.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with diverse groups and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to comply with laboratory access, safety, and information-protection requirements.
Ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge and successfully complete a Federal Tier 1 background investigation.
Visa sponsorship is not available.
Submit a resume, cover letter, and a link to an online portfolio with representative image and video samples.

Nice To Haves

Advanced macro or close-up imaging experience and specialized lighting skills for technical subjects.
Hands-on experience with digital asset management administration or formal metadata standards.
Strong video fundamentals, including interview lighting, clean audio capture, and multi-platform delivery.
Familiarity with accessibility best practices for visual media.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Motivated self-starter able to work independently and contribute creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced research environment, prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines, and adapt to changing needs.

Responsibilities

Produce still imagery for environmental portraits, editorial and documentary coverage, events, executive and VIP protocol, facilities and processes, campaigns, and publications.
Capture detailed scientific and technical imagery, including close-up and macro photography using specialized lighting while maintaining accuracy and respecting controlled-environment requirements.
Work safely in office, industrial, outdoor, and laboratory settings, using appropriate personal protective equipment.
Deliver time-sensitive imagery, including same-day coverage, initial selects, priority edits, and complete edited sets within agreed timelines.
Coordinate with communications, protocol, Environment, Safety and Health, security, facilities, and technical contacts to conduct shoots efficiently and safely.
Plan and manage on-site productions, including equipment setup, timelines, environments, subject direction, logistics, access permissions, safety requirements, and review needs.
Collaborate with communications partners and subject matter experts to develop and execute accurate visual stories about research and operations.
Build relationships across ORNL directorates and communications teams to identify story leads, research milestones, and opportunities for evergreen institutional imagery.
Write accurate, publication-ready captions and longer descriptions as needed.
Support assigned video production, including b-roll capture and short-form edits for web, social media, and internal communications; use tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro and deliver appropriate formats and versions.
Produce truthful, contextually accurate imagery while respecting fairness, subjects’ dignity, and privacy.
Maintain an organized, reusable visual archive with metadata such as captions, keywords, rights and licensing, dates, locations, project identifiers, and usage constraints.
Support or manage digital asset management and archival workflows, including naming conventions, version control, retention, and retrieval for internal clients.
Follow requirements concerning security, classification, export control, controlled information, intellectual property, privacy, and public release.
Avoid capturing restricted identifiers, sensitive equipment configurations, protected information, or other unapproved content; ensure imagery is appropriately reviewed, marked, categorized, and cleared before external distribution.
Maintain secure custody of cards, drives, cameras, and other media during fieldwork; do not leave data unattended and transfer it promptly to approved storage.
Direct scientists, executives, VIPs, and other subjects with an approachable and professional demeanor.
Align conduct and priorities with ORNL’s values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service, and promote equal opportunity through respectful workplace practices.