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Tips For Creating A Photo

by David McCullough

http://www.mcculloughphoto.com

Tips for Creating a Photo

Sometimes a photo just magically works. Everything just comes together and the photo looks beautiful. Most of the time it doesn't work that way. Here are a few tips that can help when you're not having that magical shoot. (Note: the assumption in these advises is that your photos are showing something positive in your organization or programs rather than a bad or negative condition.)

"Taking a Photo" vs "Creating a Photo"

"Taking a photo" implies that you are an observer who is recording what is happening. It implies a passive rather than an active participation on the part of the photographer.

"Creating a photo" is just what it says. You are controlling the outcome of the photograph to a greater or lesser degree. It implies that you have decided what you want the photo to be and are working to make that vision take form on film (or digital.) Following are some of the ways to control how your photos turn out.

Message

For our purposes there are two types of photographs. Photos with a message and record photos. A photograph can communicate a single message (good or bad), it can communicate mixed messages or it can have no message.

For example, you are photographing several adults and children cleaning up a local park.

A record photo may have 6 people picking up garbage, three people with their backs to the camera, messy clothes, some bushes in the background but nothing that identifies where the photo was taken. The people look tired or serious and the photo is underexposed and looks dark.

It is a record or documentation that the action occurred. At best it does not forward the message well. At worst it communicates a mixed message: Tired, messy people are doing something worthwhile but they do not seem to enjoy doing it.

A more appropriate photo may have the same 6 people picking up garbage, but they look happy (determined, interested, smiling, etc.) doing the clean up. Their clothes are appropriate for the job but they look neat, the background is a park bench, or a walkway or something that helps identify the location as a park. People are positioned in an interesting way so that the viewer can see them and that they are actively making a clean park and are interested, intent and having fun doing so. The photo is correctly exposed and/or looks bright and sunny. Granted the weather often does not cooperate but you can always get a correctly exposed photo (or overexpose it somewhat if the day is dark or overcast to make it brighter) and it can be lightened somewhat if needed.

This photo would communicate that people have come together to clean up a park, that they are working together are interested in what they are doing and are having a good time while changing a bad condition in their environment for the better.

The difference in the two photos is obvious. So how do you ensure you get the photo you want.

There are a few basic guidelines that will help you take the photos you want.

Decide What You Want the Photograph(s) to Communicate Before You Shoot

You will get better photos when you know what you want to communicate and have a plan of what you are going to shoot.

This can be as simple as deciding where you want to shoot the boss and the visiting VIP and making sure the area is clean and presentable in advance.

You may not be able to execute your idea exactly as planned but it is better to have an idea(s) before the shoot. Also, be willing to change or add to your plan to take advantage of opportunities that come up.

According to a study by the Mexican government the Second Chance program, which works with hardened criminals in a maximum security prison in Mexico, has been directly responsible for a 30% drop in crime in the local area. From the left: The program, an inmate,the Governor of Baja congratulating inmates. (All photos were taken inside the prison.)

Include Things That Forward Your Message

What is your message? What will visually help communicate that message in your photo. If the message of the photo is that your company is active in the community then including a recognition, plaque or trophy you received for community activity in the photo would help forward your message.

There is a school of thought that your photo should be able to stand on it's own, without caption or explanation. If you can attain that ideal then both the photo and your text communicate your message, which which is much more effective than having only the text carry your message.

The subject is a writer so including a computer, reference materials
and magazines he has written for makes sense.

The printers shipping department in front of one of their trucks with the name and phone number on the truck all forward the message of a large shipping department. This was one of 52 photos printed on a deck of cards as a self promotional program.

Exclude Things That Detract From Your Message

Picking up the litter in the foreground of the photo falls into this category. So does organizing (or removing) the things on someone's desk. A dog-eared posters in the background or dirty dishes with half eaten food on the table at a company party or event all distract from your message.

If you have the opportunity to choose the location of the shot, sometimes you can clean up the mess or remove the offending items in advance. Another solution is to zoom in and take a tighter photo that eliminates the distraction. If you can move and the subject can't, you may be able to move to one side or the other, up or down and hide the distraction behind your subject or out of frame.

The air hoses, pallet jacks, loose rags, boxes,etc were removed prior to the shoot since they would have been distracting.

Show an Action

A photo can show the action actually happening or it can show that an action has occurred. In the example of cleaning up the park you can show people actually cleaning up the park; or you can show a group with tools and a bunch of full garbage bags; or some other composition.

Part of capturing the action is anticipating or being ahead of the action. Using the example of cleaning up a park, if you know you want to shoot at 5PM when the sun is going to be perfect in a certain area of the park, then arrange for everyone to be in that area at that time so you can get your shot.

These teenagers were part of a team of kids at a local school that built a robot and competed in a national robotics competition sponsored by Jet Propulsion Laboratories and NASA.

Tell a Story

Lets say you have a press release about the company's community programs with a photo of 3 employees taken next to the company van. The photo is alright but it doesn't tell a story to match the press release. The same press release with a photo of 3 company employees, two pulling bags of toys out of the back of the company van and the 3rd employee dressed as Santa Claus visually tells a story to go with the press release.

The young man on the right, having been helped at this community based tutoring and mentoring program, is now tutoring other teenagers.

Posing People

The photos should look natural and not posed. Although you often need to pose photos, people should not look as if they are posing for the camera. They should look natural in the photo. People displaying real emotion or real interest looks like real emotion and real interest in the photo.

There are lots of things you can do to get the right look. Some things work with one person (or situation) and do not work well with another. The end result you want is to create a real response that forwards the message. Saying something funny or unexpected can get a realistic response. Communicating to your subject what it is you are trying to capture in your photograph can often help. Having people say hello to each other and/or look at various things in their environment before looking at the camera (or at each other or at something out of view of the camera) can make them look more real in the photo.

Body Language: In photography I use this to convey to the subject that his body needs to be communicating the correct message. As an example, if the subject of your photo is a group of employees around a conference table and they are supposed to be interested and participating in the conversation, then their bodies need to show that interest and participation. Obviously someone slouching in a chair doesn't look interested no matter how "interested" the expression on his face. When someone is interested they are sitting up and often leaning forward somewhat.

Most people experience their emotions. They don't usually knowingly and intentionally create their emotions on demand. Many people need some help with this.

An approach is to create the right environment. Music can pick people up, relax them, excite them, etc.
Another approach is to talk about something that truly interests them. Basketball, shopping, a camping trip, etc, etc.
Telling jokes often works well. Be sure to save your best jokes for when you are ready to take the shot rather than using them up getting the subject loosened up.
If an action is involved, you can often have them do the action. For instance, if you need a shot of two executives shaking hands. Instead of having them stand there and shake hands, have them walk up to each other and shake hands. It may look more natural.

Some people can do things on cue which makes for an easier shoot. Just tell them what you want and take your shots.

People Should Be Happy and Interested in What They Are Doing

It is easier for most people to look interested if they are interested. It is easier to look happy if they are happy. Getting people to look interested or happy or some other positive attitude is often a matter of making sure their bodies are in the correct position (no slouching, no slumped shoulders, etc.) so their posture is appropriate and then getting them to feel the emotion. Maybe they already feel that way. Perhaps you can have them recall how they felt when they accomplished something. Perhaps you can have them shake 4 people's hands, stamp their feet, look at the sky and say hello to you - then look at the camera for the photo.

It often helps to know something about the people you are shooting or to have someone helping you who knows them. They can often tell you things that can help you to get them to look happy. For instance they may know that a team they belong to won their last game and mentioning this can make them look (and feel) happier.

Weather you are shooting an activity while it is happening right now or recreating something that happened yesterday or a month ago, there are all kinds of reasons why it is difficult to get a good photograph. "It's been a long day, I'm tired." "I don't look my best." "I never turn out well in photos." "I'm not feeling well today." etc., etc., etc. No matter what the problems, your objective to get a photograph that communicates the message.

Be enthusiastic, be creative and have fun. You may be amazed at how your enthusiasm can rub off on the people you are shooting.

The Photo Should Be Interesting

I have found it to be a general rule that if what I am shooting doesn't interest me, it won't be interesting to the viewer. An approach is to find something about the scene or person that interests you and then apply these tips and the rules of composition to create the photo. There is a way to make almost anything appear interesting.

A different angle, an usual activity in an unusual setting can be interesting or an unusual angle.

I came in closer to eliminate the elements that didn't add anything to the shot. And, we ran the printing press,
which turned the working lights and heater on, adding color to the shot.

Look Around

Don't forget to look around. Look at your subject from a different perspective, a different angle. Sometimes the shot is right behind you.

The crowd reactions said more than any number of words
could say about how good the seminar was.

Sometimes an Opportunity For a Photograph Just Happens

Sometimes you get lucky and the perfect photograph is presented to you. The light, the people, the action all come together and the perfect opportunity just happens. In that case, grab your camera and get the shot. You have to act fast because those moments usually don't last long.

And then there are people who create their own luck. You can create the opportunity for a photo and have your camera ready so that if that magic moment does happen, you are ready. For example, the right kids, in the right clothes, at the right time of day with ice cream cones and you might just happen to get one of those lucky shots!

When Shooting Action

One of the truths about shooting action is that if you can see the shot in the viewfinder, you have already missed taking the photo. The reason is that at the moment you see the shot you have to: 1) react and push the shutter release button, and 2) the camera has a delay before it can take the photo. This delay is called "shutter lag." This varies from camera to camera and can be as little as 30/1000 of a second to well over a second or two.

When you look through the view finder of your camera the lens is fully open to allow as much light as possible in so you can see to compose and focus the shot. Shutter lag is the time it takes the camera to adjust the lens to take a correctly exposed photo, move the internal mirror up out of the way so that the light can get to the film or digital sensor and other internal functions such as red eye reduction, etc.

Shooting action well requires lots of practice and understanding your camera. Several years ago I had the opportunity to work with a group of sports photographers. I was told that it was not uncommon to shoot in excess of 200 rolls of film at an important professional football game. They were constantly trying to get that great shot. They knew that if they saw the shot in their view finder they had already missed it so they shot a lot of film on each play expecting that if that great photo did happen, that they were getting it on film.

The above is a classic shot for a hunter-jumper with the back feet just off the ground. If you wait to take the photo until you see this image in your viewfinder you have already missed the shot. You have to anticipate the timing and start to take the photo before this moment. How far before depends on how long the shutter lag is for your camera. Note that this is a fairly easy shot to take since you can prefocus the camera and just concentrate on the timing. In sports like football, basket ball, soccer, volley ball, etc. you not only have to get the timing right but you also have to understand the sport well enough to be able to anticipate where the action will take place and to focus on that spot at the right time.

Shoot And Then Shoot Again

Sometimes a photo isn't perfect but it looks good. In that case, take the photo. Then, if a better shot presents itself, take it. And if possible, arrange things to get a better photo and shoot it again. It is better to get a photo that may not be "perfect" than to have no photo at all.

When Shooting Groups

Always take several photos. Someone always blinks, looks away, etc. An important thing to remind people of during a group photo is that if they can't see the camera, the camera can't see them and they won't be in the shot. Also, if they can't see you with both eyes then you are only gong to see part of them.

What If It Is Not Perfect

You are not looking for "perfect" photos. You are looking for photos that communicate your message.

Don't get stuck in the "rules" or "guidelines." These guidelines are to help you take photos, not to get in the way of your shooting. Also, sometimes a photo breaks all the rules and still works.

When a photo communicates, when it captures a special moment, the viewer tends to overlook any technical flaws. Also, distracting elements can often be corrected by cropping or retouching.