Photography can really make or break your web site, brochure or other promotional materials. Often businesses and nonprofits do not have a budget for a professional photographer. So, if you are taking your own photos here are some quick tips. (I cannot begin to fit all of my photography tips in one blog post, so watch for more in the coming weeks.)
1. Photographs taken in fluorescent lighting will look green. This will especially affect pictures of people or food.
2. Take a really high-resolution photo. Set your digital camera for the highest resolution possible. For printing, images have to be 300dpi (dots per inch). Most cameras have a default setting of less than 300dpi because actual photographs don't need to be that large. Printing a photo on photo paper is very different than printing a photo in a brochure or publication.
A high-resolution photo can be made into a lower resolution image (web sites need 72dpi images), but a low-resolution image cannot be made bigger.
3. If you are photographing an event or group, try to get one or more pictures of 2-5 people in a group, all looking at the camera. Photos of people listening to a lecture or standing around aren’t visually interesting to your customer/client and will get little notice.
4. Keep the visual clutter to a minimum. If you are photographing a product or taking a portrait, use a white or otherwise neutral and uncomplicated background. The subject of your photo (the product or person) should be the most interesting thing in the photo.
5. Take lots of photographs. Use the tips above and take lots of photographs. The more photos you take, the more likely you are to have at least one great photo. Whether on the web or in print, one good photo is worth much more than 2 bad ones.
