Good pictures beget good pictures: Sunday Night opinion by MaryHelen Swanson

Posted 1/10/01

Good pictures beget good pictures: Sunday Night opinion by MaryHelen Swanson

Thereís nothing better than a great photograph to tell a story that thousands of words can not. You know the old adage. My own interest in photography came about at an early age, was developed in college, and continues to be accomplished each and every time I take a camera in hand.

Many days I find it hard to get to work without stopping to shoot some natural phenomena, a unique aspect of our community life, or someone doing something I feel needs to be put in print.

In fact, the urge to put on the brakes and jump out of my car to snap a shot is so strong, Iím actually trying to curb it somewhat because it can be distracting from other thoughts I should be centering on while driving.

It is difficult, though, to get from my home to work each day without seeing something that should be kept for posterity on Kodak paper. And it amazes others that I can find something worth documenting among the hum drum of everyday life. But itís possible.

Anyway, what I wanted to pass along today are some tips for those of you who take pictures for submission to the paper, an act we greatly appreciate as we are not able to be in all places at all times.

As we learn in photojournalism or any photography class, you cannot get a good picture in the paper if you donít have a good picture to start with. I know that isnít always easy, even for trained newspaper people. So we do end up working miracles, at times, with our scanner and Photoshop program.

Here are a few hints to help make your pictures a little better and our job a little easier.
Use fresh film. Donít leave cameras in heated or freezing cars. The film may be destroyed in summer, and your camera will probably fog up if you attempt to take pictures inside with a cold camera. Also, keep your camera warm outside in very cold temperatures by holding it inside your jacket or coat.

Know your camera. You donít need fancy cameras for good pictures, but you do need to know how to use the camera you have.

Polaroid and other ěinstantî camera photos do not reproduce well. The quality of the printed picture just isnít very good and always presents quite a challenge for us. These photos are not rejected, but the quality is not there. The same is true of digitally scanned photos.
Get as close to your subjects as possible. This is really important. You want to see the subject, not all the background, unless the background is the subject of the photo. Feet arenít necessary unless the shoes are important. We like to see faces. Turn your camera on end for individual shots, and get as close as possible to your subject. That will eliminate excess background.

Have your subject turn to the side a bit and give them a chance to relax so the end result doesnít look like a driverís license mug shot. We like to see happy faces.

Watch out for background affects such as window flash. If the subject is wearing dark colors, or has dark hair, look for a lighter background. If the opposite is true, seek out darker backgrounds, especially for follically-challenged men. (Their heads disappear in light backgrounds). Have those with glasses tip their heads a little to avoid the flash.

These are just a few tips, call us if you have questions. Also, give us a call if you want us to take a picture, we will try to get there. Most of all, remember, if you want a good reproduction in the paper, you have to have a good photograph, thatís what we keep reminding ourselves.