Family Features

October Newsletter

Picture Perfect

Whether you’re choosing stock photography or organizing a photo shoot, here are some things to keep in mind.

Editors are looking for:

• Tempting food photos
• Eye-catching lifestyle photos
• High quality photos that help tell a story

What they’re not looking for:

• Posed models
• Product placements
• Photos that don't illustrate the headline and theme

On a photo shoot:

Tell your photographer and stylist that the primary usage of your color photos will be for newspaper reproduction.

Composition

• For a more interesting photo, use a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and heights.
• Overlap strong geometrical shapes and rotate similar shapes so they don’t all face the same way.
• Large "dead" areas are wasted real estate. Lead your viewer's eye to the object of interest.

Lighting

A dark image may create a mood, but in newsprint it will most likely create a black blob.

• Light all subjects evenly and adequately, especially from the front. If using backlighting, also use fill lighting from the front.
• If the area directly behind is dark, make sure subject edges are well-lit and distinct against it.

Propping

• Allow enough background all around the subjects and props for them to be cropped or silhouetted to suit the page layout.
• Use props that contrast with the values as well as the colors of subjects, so that they can be clearly distinguished from their immediate backgrounds in black and white as well as color reproduction.
• Try serving pieces and accessories with unique shapes, edges and textures such as individual side serving bowls, utensils and napkin holders.

Focus

• Sharp focus is best for newspaper printing. It is requisite if a hard-edge silhouette (COB) is desired in the layout.