In the UK, copyright normally belongs to the creator unless the work was made by an employee in the course of employment, in which case the employer is usually the first owner unless there’s an agreement saying otherwise.

So the key issue is not just whether photography is in your job description, but whether the photos were taken as part of your employment. Factors that may matter include whether you shot them on work time, on employer premises, using employer equipment, and for the institution’s business use. None of those alone is decisive, but together they help show whether the images were made “in the course of employment.”

If you took them specifically for the university’s websites, publications, or other work purposes, the employer may well own the copyright. If they were a personal project unrelated to your duties, you may retain it.

Because this can affect your rights and your employer’s use of the images, the safest answer is to check your employment contract and any institutional IP policy, and get professional legal advice if it matters.