Montana is a big state, and it takes teamwork to capture the depth and breadth of our teaching and outreach activities statewide. As you take photos to document and promote your Extension programs, here are some tips.
Every picture tells a story...
What story will your picture tell? Before you start snapping, think about what the photo will look like to someone who wasn't present at the event you are photographing. Will they see the warm smile wrinkles and the twinkle in the eye of a Montana rancher, or will they see a blob standing out in a field of black dots (possibly angus cows)? Will they see a young person immersed in a learning experience, or will they see an anonymous kid standing in front of a wall? Will they see a small group of individuals engaged in an activity together, or will they see a bunch of unidentifiable faces huddling in a herd for no apparent reason? The first step in good photography is knowing that the story that the viewer will "read" depends on what you choose to picture.
7 Tips for better photos, even if you're not a pro:
1. Get the action. Catch the action to make sure your picture tells a good story. That doesn't mean that you have to catch a moving target. It just means, get close, have your camera out during, not after the activity. Be polite, but don’t be shy. It’s okay to ask, “Could you do that one more time?" or "It looked cool when you {{did such and such}} and I’d like to get a photo.” Try to be aware ahead of time what will be happening that might make an interesting photo, so that you’re ready when the time comes. Extension agents: Get INTO the action! We never have enough images of YOU doing what you do. Be brave about asking someone else to push the button if you should be in the picture.
2. Ban the “grip-n-grin.” Do you just love looking at groups of people standing in front of a sign, or holding a check or award? Probably not. Group shots don’t tell the story of what the event was actually ABOUT. Even a great photographer would have a hard time finding a compelling photo subject in a poorly lit, visually blah meeting room. So maybe those aren't the best times to get out your camera. Take your camera with you when you teach a class, when you’re in the field, when something is being built or created. Look for faces that are engaged and focused and people that are involved in something. “Grip and Grin” (handshake) shots are okay for the purpose of recording who was in attendance, but they are not coveted by editors, publishers or viewers.
3. Get close. When you look at a magazine, what kinds of photos that YOU love to look at? Unless they are scenic panoramas, they are probably taken from a distance of just a few feet. If you let the subject know ahead of time that you would like to take photos, you'll find that you are less shy about coming up close when the action begins.
4. Go natural with light. There's a reason that photography studios use big lights instead of a flash. An indirect light source creates a richer spectrum of shadows and colors, while a flood of light from a flash drains them away. If you can shoot in natural light, colors and shadings will usually come out better. You'll probably find that your photos turn out sharper, too. Most point and shoot digital cameras come with a few different pre-sets for various light conditions -- it's worth experimenting with them. You can also use a longer shutter speed and a tripod. But one of the simplest ways to take better photos is just to go to where the light is. (Another sneaky benefit to natural light is that you can take lots of shots until you capture an expression you like, and your subject won't be flustered by the flashes.)
5. Think BIG for digital photos. If you want your photo to be useful to your newspaper or in other printed publications, be sure to use you camera’s HIGHEST resolution setting: the one that gives you less pictures, but the files are bigger. Rule of thumb: To find out how many inches across your photo can be printed, divide the pixel width by 300. Your computer screen shows pictures at 72 pixels per inch, but magazines are printed at 300 pixels per inch… so what may look giant on your computer may be barely big enough to print well.
6. Shoot at will, but weed as you go. To publishers, files smaller than 2 megapixels look a lot like a noxious weeds... They start tiny, but they seem to multiply everywhere! Avoid the shotgun approach of taking 200 low resolution pictures. They'll be too small to use, and who has time to look through them? Instead, DO take the shot as many times as you need to capture a great facial expression, etc., but DELETE THE DUDS to save space on your camera and save time reviewing photos later.
7. Take names. Write down the name and town of the person you are photographing. Get a little notebook that can fit in your camera bag, and use it. In programs such as PhotoShop, under “file info” you can enter the date, the event, and the name of the person in the photo so that anyone who uses that photo can access the information, and contact the person to ask for permission to publish the photo if necessary.
More Information
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2008 Annual Report
