Photo Shooting Tips for Yearbook Journalism Being At the at the Right Time Be ready, be quick carry a camera around, know how to use and adjust it – Be bold - you still need to be the a polite, but you’ll miss best shots if you’re not little bit aggressive Move in close in – we’re interested people’s expressions Take several shots, especially of a group, person or event that might be hard to get again. Vary the angle, exposure etc. Watch for special moments action, expression, emotion, tension etc. – Technical and Artistic Details Steady the camera, especially indoors use a tripod, wall, or railing, and a – steady hand. Most shots you shoot in the halls are unprintable (fuzzy) if you and lighting. don’t think about steadiness (composing means setting up the elements in your Compose thoughtfully photo, by changing your shooting position and angle, and possibly rearranging objects/people in the foreground, middle and background): Subject should be dominant Background should be pleasing, not distracting (neutral, darker, not sharply in focus, not busy). Try shooting from above to use the ground as a background, or up into the sky but beware of backlighting! – to the subject Lines and other elements should lead the eye Use the and Framing (when possible) Think about balance e.g. 2 objects on either side of the image; small dark areas are balanced by larger light areas; look for complementary colours; shapes, lines or other elements repeated, maybe symmetrically Light: Beware of backlighting (silhouette) Learn how to adjust exposure or – use fill-in (forced) flash Strong sunlight is sometimes good for bright colours, but often not flattering to faces. Cloudy days with soft light are much better! Outside, keep the sun behind or beside you, but watch for squinting and harsh shadows. Avoid mid-day with full sun if you can. The hour around sunset/sunrise is magic for natural lighting Fluorescent lighting (like in our classroom) gives nasty colour tone. the only source, learn to set your white balance, and adjust If that’s “colour in Photoshop (more on that later)... cast” Flash Natural light is generally nicer, so try for illumination from a window or go outdoors (but not at mid-day!) a flash is often needed indoors, and to the light on the But… “fill in” outdoor subjects
Photo Shooting Tips for Yearbook Journalism Being At the at the Right Time Be ready, be quick – carry a camera around, know how to use and adjust it Be bold - you still need to be polite, but you’ll miss the best shots if you’re not a little bit aggressive Move in close – we’re interested in people’s expressions Take several shots, especially of a group, person or event that might be hard to get again. Vary the angle, exposure etc. Watch for special moments – action, expression, emotion, tension etc. Technical and Artistic Details Steady the camera, especially indoors – use a tripod, wall, or railing, and a steady hand. Most shots you shoot in the halls are unprintable (fuzzy) if you don’t think about steadiness and lighting. Compose thoughtfully (composing means setting up the elements in your photo, by changing your shooting position and angle, and possibly rearranging objects/people in the foreground, middle and background): Subject should be dominant Background should be pleasing, not distracting (neutral, darker, not sharply in focus, not busy). Try shooting from above to use the ground as a background, or up into the sky – but beware of backlighting! Lines and other elements should lead the eye to the subject Use the and Framing (when possible) Think about balance e.g. 2 objects on either side of the image; small dark areas are balanced by larger light areas; look for complementary colours; shapes, lines or other elements repeated, maybe symmetrically Light: Beware of backlighting (silhouette) – Learn how to adjust exposure or use fill-in (forced) flash Strong sunlight is sometimes good for bright colours, but often not flattering to faces. Cloudy days with soft light are much better! Outside, keep the sun behind or beside you, but watch for squinting and harsh shadows. Avoid mid-day with full sun if you can. The hour around sunset/sunrise is magic for natural lighting Fluorescent lighting (like in our classroom) gives nasty colour tone. If that’s the only source, learn to set your white balance, and adjust “colour cast” in Photoshop (more on that later)... Flash Natural light is generally nicer, so try for illumination from a window or go outdoors (but not at mid-day!) But… a flash is often needed indoors, and to “fill in” the light on the outdoor subjects
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