Images – whether photographs, videos or illustrations — can help tell our stories in ways that words often cannot. Thinking visually and about sounds and the spoken word can provide new depths and dimensions to stories. These elements should be considered essential ways to move a story forward, as they are part of the story-telling process – not afterthoughts.
Including photographs with your stories — whether for use in print materials or web materials — can add to the comprehension of the message. These tips can help you with taking photographs that help you achieve your goals.
Subject is the starting point for a photograph.
As you think about your story, consider images that could help communicate your message. Images of the people involved are an obvious choice. You may have access to a high-resolution image of the subject, but you may not. If you have access to a camera, you can take one using these tips.
People sometimes are uncomfortable having their picture taken. It helps when you give them something to do with their hands. You can have them hold something that is related, such as a book or other object, or you can have them rest their hand on a stair railing or fence.
Another option is to think about a situation or item that communicates the concept or subject of the story.
Take a second to look at your subjects. Are they holding things that do not belong in the photo, such as a phone? Is the subject’s hair neat and shirt collar straight?
If the subject talks as you take photos, the face may be distorted. However, It can be good to get the person to laugh, and then take a photograph just as the laugh relaxes into a natural smile.
Lighting is a critical aspect to obtaining a good image.
Dim lighting, brutal overhead sunlight, office lighting (which can cast a blue, green or yellow tint) and a harsh direct flash used on a subject who is close to a white wall all can cause issues.
Whenever possible, try to take your photograph in diffused natural light. On this campus, the light in the Fretwell atrium (except when the sun is directly overhead) and in the breezeway of the Colvard building offer good examples of this type of lighting. Shade under a tree can work, but sometimes the leaves let sun peek through and one part of a person’s face is bright and another part dark — which causes issues.
Stand back and look at how the light is falling on the face of your subject. If the strongest light is behind the subject, the person may become a silhouette and their features may be indistinct.
An example would be if the person is facing AWAY from a window with the bright light coming through the window behind them. The camera reacts to the bright light, and the person is darkened and you can’t distinguish their features. This often is the situation in an office. Counteract this by moving the person to where they are facing the window, but a bit away from it. That way, the light through the window illuminates the face.
Use a flash if you need to, but if you point the flash toward the window, it will reflect the light back at you.
It is also best not to take a photo in full, overhead sunlight. That leads to harsh shadows as the longer aspects on a person’s face (nose, brow) cast shadows on the face. People also can end up squinting. If you must take images then, try to find a space with shade.
If you use a direct flash (one that points straight at the subject), pull them as far away from white walls as you can. Otherwise, they will have huge black shadows behind them.
Setting is an important consideration.
If a particular setting is essential to telling the complete story – a lab, a garden, a community space – then use that space. However, remember to work with the lighting as you can and also remove or avoid distracting items – drink cans, power cords, people in the background, clutter on desks that is not part of the story.
If any setting will do, choose one that gives you good lighting options and that has minimal visual distractions.
Try several different settings, and use your setting in different ways. A person leaning against the back of a tall couch might be more comfortable and look better than the person sitting on the couch.
Take a lot of photographs to obtain a few good ones.
Professional photographers often take hundreds or thousands of images to obtain a few of the very best. You do not have to take that many, but certainly you should take several.
With a group, take even more than you do with one subject. Inevitably, someone is blinking, frowning, looking away, yawning or moving. While you may just need one photo, it likely will take many shots to obtain that one image.
For a portrait style photograph, tell your subject(s) to keep looking at you, even as things may go on around them.
If you are taking photos of people doing something, ask them to continue doing their task, as you move around them to get photographs. Again, take a lot, even if it is of the same thing. There will be small distinctions between people’s expressions and actions that will really make a difference in obtaining the best images.
Close-ups of the items or tasks themselves can add dimension to your story. Think wide, medium and close. Take images from all these distances. If your camera equipment is unable to zoom, then you have to do the zooming and move closer.