Web photo guidelines:  improved pictures for the newsletter and website

The Association's newsletter editor and webmaster constantly seek photographs of members and events to accompany stories.  Almost everyone today has a digital camera or a traditional print camera and a scanner.  There are a few simple guidelines which will improve the quality of the photographs.

Head and shoulders

The most common mistake by amateur photographers is being too far away from the subject.  The best photographs of a person usually Include only the person's head and shoulders.  That makes the person recognizable, even in small formats.  Photos should not include the subject's stomach or legs but will usually include only a little above the subject's head and shoulders (halfway to the elbows, but not the elbows).

Avoid pictures of someone's belly and legs

The picture of Carl Kaun, to the right, shows the problem with trying to include too much in a picture.  Carl would probably prefer not to show his legs.  Notice also that his face is too small to be clear, and the picture is "too busy" to be interesting.  Below is a picture of Carl which includes only his head and shoulders -- notice how much larger his face is in the picture below, despite the fact that the total picture size is much smaller than the one to the right.

A better picture of Carl but not the background

No hats, no sunglasses

Another common mistake by amateurs is to take pictures of people wearing hats and sunglasses.  Ask your subjects to remove them.  If they won't, then save your film (or your electrons, if you have a digital camera), because pictures of people wearing hats and sunglasses are not usually very interesting.

Sunglasses spoil a photograph.

Compare these two photos, which are almost the same.  Notice how sunglasses and the trophies in the background spoil the photo to the left.  Below, the photo is much better, because  sunglasses are gone and the trophies brushed out.

Group picture -- head and shoulders, pleasant background, no sunglasses or hats (almost)

Sun over your shoulder

Professionals learn to have the sun over their shoulder -- in other words, the sun should be almost (but not quite) into the eyes of the subjects (the ones who are getting their picture taken).  Ideally, the light should be a little off to the side.  This will mean that the subjects have light on their faces plus a little texture or shadow.

No cars for a background

Many pictures taken at barbecue events are ruined because the background is cluttered with cars.  Because barbecue events are often organized near RV parks or parking lots, this is a major risk that amateur photographers must avoid.

The best background for photographing people at barbecue events is:

• Outdoors -- puffy clouds, blue sky, distant lake, trees, green grass
• Indoors -- distant white or beige wall, distant plants or Christmas trees.

Advanced suggestions

For photographers who know how to manipulate images, there are the following suggestions:

• Keep the image size down under 25-KB
• Hold the camera still (especially at lower resolutions, a small movement of the camera will blur the image)

Related information

• Web story guidelines
• Web maintenance guidelines

Other Notes

Send us your comments and questions.