Are you images ready for their closeup? Chances are—not so much.
One of my recent LinkedIn posts generated some conversation and commentary about this topic. I went on a short rant about the quality of photos I’d been getting from clients that were meant to accompany their news releases, social media posts and marketing newsletters.
Not so fast! As I wrote in my post, if I’ve said it once I’d said it a thousand times: If you are taking pictures to be used for any kind of publicity (even a family photo album), please follow these easy steps and guidelines. These are not meant for the pros who have killer gear and the skills to deliver well-crafted, high-definition photos that might just need a color tweak or a bit of cropping. I’m talking here to the rest of us.
- First, the camera. If you are using a digital camera, please check your settings to take the best photos in the environment (outdoors on a sunny day or overcast day, indoors with great natural light or a dark room that requires a flash).
- For news releases, you need full-size, high-definition photos, 300 dpi (dots per inch). Please don’t send your public relations practitioner those funky little square photos that are low resolution in some stingy thumbnail size.
- If the pictures are even the teeniest bit blurry, discard them.
- If you are using a smartphone, bear in mind that the cameras in older phones cannot match up to what’s available on the newer models that came out in the last year or so. Again, check the settings for best results.
- If you are standing at a dinner table (at a gala, fundraiser, special event or a dinner party), remove all the bottles, cans and dirty cups and plates from the table first. Better yet, stand IN FRONT of the table to obscure all the crap you are leaving on there. We want to see your smiling faces, not the uneaten remains and soiled dinnerware. It’s unappetizing and distracting and will not help sell your story.
- Please don’t leave handbags and totes on the chairs; they can be easily hidden below and out of view.
- Speaking of handbags – ladies (and sometimes, gentlemen), if you’re posing with your group at the event, please put the bag down and out of sight. No one is there to steal your goodies and we want to see a picture without unnecessary accessories.
- Move away the distracting elements such as walkers/wheelchairs, amplifiers or instruments—anything that’s movable. For example, I do PR for senior living communities and spend a lot of time trying to crop out these elements (especially when marketing a community as “independent living for seniors who want an active lifestyle”). It’s like taking photos of a construction site and focusing on the equipment rather than the project.
- Stop taking long shots of your group that show a whole lot of ceiling and overhead lighting. Get in close for a nice shot of everyone smiling (with eyes wide open). Again, I spend lots of time cropping out the overhead nothingness as I try to tell the client’s story.
- Speaking of long shots . . . pictures taken from the back of the meeting room, with the tiny presenter somewhere up ahead and backs of attendees’ heads in the foreground won’t cut it. In fact, I delete them. Your news release will be best served with a posed picture of the presenter(s) with your leadership team or relevant players.
- Apropos of that, if you’re capturing an “action shot” of a guest speaker or presenter at your event, get in close enough to see that person. Also, the projection on the screen will always look crappy so don’t bother capturing that.
- Posing against a wall? Make sure the background is simple (neutral colors are best). Position your subjects away from fire extinguishers, thermostats, wall sconces or other elements that will interfere with the shot. (How many times have I received photos with the extinguisher seeming to grow out of someone’s head? Too many and it costs money and time to edit those out).
- Never pose in front of a window (GLARE). Whether it’s the sunlight coming in or the camera flash going off, the results will never be good unless taken by a professional photographer with all the proper tricks of the trade in place.
- Also never stand directly under the lights in the office or venue. Unless you have the skills to compensate for that, the results will be difficult to work with.
If you need a professional photographer for your event, I can always recommend one. If you’re taking photos for your newsletter, social media pages or press release, please follow these steps. Your PR person will thank you and your image won’t get returned by the media outlet (yes, that happens).