Makenzie and Emma drove out to the SBU library last week to shoot college-studying content for Happyologie. Emma was behind the camera part of the time, and Makenzie was behind the camera the other part of the time. This was more of a spur-of-the-moment content photo shoot, and sometimes these are my favorite.
When I was a student, I loved studying in the library and even after I graduated, I would go there to do some blogging when I needed to really lock in.
Quiet study spots by the windows, leather-bound presidential papers a few rows back, a chess board set up on the lower level. The Harriett K. Hutchens Library at Southwest Baptist University gave us several spots to try.
This was the next batch in Happyologie's college studying series we started earlier this year. The first round happened in studio with controlled light and clean backgrounds. This one was on location at SBU and the look is different on purpose. Books, worn wooden tables, and places to sit among the shelves.
For this content we leaned into what Happyologie's audience does at a library. Sitting with one book open and three more stacked next to their study setup. Reaching for something on a high shelf. Finding a window seat that catches the road below.
Inside the Harriett K. Hutchens Library at SBU
The library has a few things going for it that show up on camera. The reading rooms have wide wooden tables and low-profile chairs. Bean bag corners in soft purples sit between the stacks, ready when you want a different mood from the desk shots. The windows overlook University Avenue and gave us another place to take photos.
The collection itself is its own kind of prop. A row of leather-bound Messages and Papers of the Presidents sits on one of the mid-aisle shelves. Vintage psychology textbooks in faded reds and pinks are clustered a few rows over. None of this was staged. It is what is on the shelves. For a brand publishing study and student-life content, the library carries a lot of the visual texture on its own.
What We Shot for Happyologie's College Studying Series
We pulled three primary scenes from the morning. An open-book reading shot at one of the wooden tables, with three more books stacked at her elbow. A reach-for-the-book frame in the leather presidential papers aisle. A back-of-the-head shelf-browsing shot in the medical and psychology stacks. Each one gives Happyologie something different to caption. A study session in progress. A research moment. A looking-for-something-specific moment.
The frames work as standalone Instagram posts and as part of a three-up carousel for the college studying series. If you run a brand that publishes study or campus-life content, tips for creating a productive study environment over on Happyologie covers a lot of what we were thinking about visually.
Why the SBU Library Worked for This Shoot
I used to sit here to study or blog, so it was fun to come back with the camera. The full shelves, worn bindings, and people here are some of my favorite parts.
The window spots were the standout. SBU's library has a row of carrels and small tables that face University Avenue. If you’re choosing a study spot, you could try one of those window seats. The chess setups on the lower level give a different kind of frame, and we will probably go back for those next time.
If you would like to visit or plan a shoot here, check with the library about current hours, access, and room use first.
Photography in Bolivar, MO and the 417 Area
The Happyologie college studying series is one of several ongoing brand series we run out of the studio in Bolivar, MO. Brand shoots can happen in studio, at a partner location like the SBU library, or on the Bolivar square depending on what the brand needs visually. The team scouts locations across the 417 when a shoot calls for it.
For Happyologie, the library gave us reading, browsing, and reaching-for-a-book photos to use with different study topics.
We also photograph senior portrait sessions in Bolivar, MO. If you would like to plan a brand shoot, tell us where you want to use the photos.
Be more you. Because only you can see the world the way you do.
Jordan Brittley Studio | Bolivar, MO | Serving the 417
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