Photo tips help get your message out

The official word

Friday, Oct. 16, 2009

Consider the appeal added to your marketing and public relations tools through the photographs you include. Some calendar editors will only consider your submission if it has a graphic included, and most editors appreciate when you have strong images to tie in with your pitch.

Some of my photographer friends have generously shared a few of their techniques to help guide you in producing quality images.

College of Southern Maryland photographer Valerie Nyce, who has served as a judge for recent tourism photography contests through Calvert and St. Mary's economic development departments, advises the photographer to fill the frame.

"Too often people don't take the extra steps — literally," she said; she encourages photographers to get closer to their subject. Nyce also recommends really looking at what is in the viewfinder.

"There may be something really distracting behind your subject, and sometimes just taking a sidestep can eliminate the distraction," she said.

To avoid shooting directly toward the sun, Nyce suggests keeping it off to the side or behind you, or considering a fill flash to illuminate the darkest shadows.

She also advises not composing shots where the subject is dead center, but rather focusing on your subject and shifting the composition to something more visually interesting.

For crowd shots, Nyce encourages the photographer to change perspective.

"Sometimes standing on a chair or ladder will allow you to see more faces clearly. Even holding the camera above your head can give enough lift to create an interesting viewpoint," she recommended. Finally, she advises that you never take only one shot.

"Take several and then change your position and take a few more," she said.

Conni Leigh James, owner of Unique Designz, which specializes in marketing consulting and design, advises that when you are submitting images to publications, photos that include people are more likely to be used than those that do not.

For example, she suggests that to illustrate the opening of a new small business, position the owner next to the business sign or new building, then "zoom in on the relevant details and don't include a lot of empty background."

Strive for a clean, professional shot from a pleasing angle, James recommends, and unless you are a pro, don't experiment with extreme angles or artsy effects that detract from the message.

If she is taking close-up portraits outside, James avoids shooting in bright sunlight and recommends taking the photo on an overcast day or positioning the person in light shade. "If you must shoot in bright sun, make sure the subject is not squinting and that areas under the nose or chin are not in deep shadow. Be careful also when positioning the subject with his back to the sun; this kind of backlighting might mean that the person's entire face is in deep shadow," she added.

Quality is everything, James adds, recommending that the photographer concentrate on getting images that are clear and sharp, and that the digital file has adequate pixels, especially when submitting to print publications. She advises to set your camera to the largest file setting. For jpegs, a color file of about 1 MB will print well up to 5-by-7 inches.

My longtime friend and location photographer in southwest Ohio, Peter DeMott advises that people always look farther apart in the final photo than how it feels when they are posing for the picture.

He suggests telling them that you realize it might feel too close but that you need them to stand even closer. He adds you might need to show them by placing yourself next to someone, and rather than placing people shoulder-to-shoulder, place them like a fanned deck of cards or back to stomach, for example.

DeMott also suggests that when you are working with a group, try not to line up heads but stagger them.

"A group looks better when the heads are not at the same place throughout the image, and you can use a chair or steps to introduce varying heights, or place someone with one knee down," he said.

Finally, DeMott suggests that if it's a casual setting and the goal is to communicate a warm friendly group, have everyone touch someone else in the image.

For more of DeMott's inspiration, visit www.photosbypdemott.com.

PR tip of the month

Get inspired for your next photography session. Here are some sites I visit when I need a fresh perspective and inspiration: the Pulitzer Prize winners at www.pulitzer.org, today's top photos at www.life.com and Slate's http://todayspictures.slate.com.

To share your photo inspiration with others, consider uploading your images to Southern Maryland Newspapers online at http://spotted.somdnews.com/you/ for readers of The Calvert Recorder, Maryland Independent and The Enterprise to enjoy.

Karen Smith Hupp is on the past president's council for PRISM. Director of community relations at the College of Southern Maryland, she can be contacted at karens@csmd.edu.