1. Yearbook Photography Basics
The Bare Minimum You Need to Know for Yearbook Photography

2. Take a LOT of pictures!
Film taught us to be frugal with the photos we took because development was expensive.
Digital cameras allow you to take hundreds of pictures without having to spend a dime to see them.
REMEMBER—It is always better to delete pictures than to have to use terrible ones because you didn’t take enough.
I CAN’T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH—TAKE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!

3. Don’t be a scaredy cat! Get right in front of the action.
Fear of what people think leads to horrible pictures.
People barely notice you are there, and if they do notice you, they usually don’t think anything of it.
Good pictures won’t happen if you succumb to your fears!

4. Why is this picture bad?
Because the photographer was afraid to get in front of the action.
There is NOTHING interesting about this picture. Nothing!!!

5. Make sure your picture has a center of interest.
Always focus your picture on something or someone.
There is NOTHING interesting about wide shots of the cafeteria or the crowd. Don’t do it!

6. Why is this picture bad?
Because the photographer didn’t focus on anything.
Every year, staff members try to use pictures like this. There is NOTHING interesting about this picture.

7. Why is this picture better?
Because there is a center of interest. We are focused on something.
This picture tells a story. The other one didn’t.

8. Fill the picture frame. Get up close to your subject.
If you are using a point and shoot camera, don’t get too close or your picture will blur.
The closest focusing distance for a point and shoot camera is about 3 feet.
If you need to get closer than that, use your zoom.

9. Why is this picture bad?
Because the photographer didn’t fill the frame. Consequently, the background competes with the subject.

10. Why is this picture better?
Because the lockers are no longer an equal focus to the girls. The girls are clearly the focus of the picture now.

11. Use your flash
Automatic cameras will read the overall light in the picture.
If your background is bright, it will expose for that, leaving your subject dark.
To compensate, turn on the flash to give some extra light to your subject. This is called “flash fill.”
ALWAYS use the flash indoors.
A flash is only good for 10 feet. After that, it is useless.
Also, don’t use the flash when your subject is standing in front of a mirror or window.

12. Why is this picture dark?
Because the photographer didn’t use a flash. The camera is reading the bright light in the background, and over exposing as a result. If the photographer had forced the flash, then the subjects would be well lit.

13. Go for Natural
Almost everyone wants their picture in the yearbook, and they will literally jump out at you and say, “take a picture.”
Posed pictures have their place, but the pictures that tell far better stories are those that are natural pictures—when the person doesn’t know you are taking their picture.

14. Posed
Natural

15. Play with Composition Techniques
There are several different techniques you can use to add visual interest to your pictures:
Framing
Leading Lines
Repetition
Rule of Thirds

16. Framing: Use of objects or people to frame and draw attention to Center of Visual Interest.

17. Leading Lines: Imaginary or real lines that lead the reader to the subject and heighten content interest.
leading lines // real
leading lines // imaginary

18. Leading Lines: Imaginary or real lines that lead the reader to the subject and heighten content interest.
horizontal lines // create rest and quiet
vertical lines // create height and stability

19. Leading Lines: Imaginary or real lines that lead the reader to the subject and heighten content interest.
diagonal lines // create energy and action
curved lines // create grace and beauty

20. Repetition: Repetition of patterns, people, expressions, or surroundings create visual interest.

21. Rule of Thirds: Frame is divided into thirds vertically and horizontally. The subject is then placed on one of the intersecting lines or hot spots.

22. rule of thirds // subjects placed on a hot spot

23. Play with Angles
Pictures with visual interest often play with angles (the place YOU are when the picture is taken).
Types of Angles
Birds Eye
Worm’s Eye
Side View
Eye Level

24. Bird’s Eye View: Pictures taken above the eye level of the subject.

25. Worm’s Eye View: Pictures taken below the eye level of the subject.

26. Side View: Pictures taken to the left or right of the subject, not dead on.

27. Eye Level: Pictures taken at the eye level of the subject.

28. Photo No-No’s: Pictures you should NEVER choose to go to print.
photo no-no’s // potentially embarrassing
photo no-no’s // no face

29. Photo No-No’s: Pictures you should NEVER choose to go to print.
photo no-no’s // bad backgrounds (make sure nothing looks like it’s growing out of your subject’s head OR that nothing inappropriate is going on in background of the picture
photo no-no’s // awkward

30. Photo No-No’s: Pictures you should NEVER choose to go to print.
photo no-no’s // gang symbols or clothing
photo no-no’s // rabbit ears

31. Photo No-No’s: Pictures you should NEVER choose to go to print.
photo no-no’s // red eyes (acceptable when red eye is edited out)
photo no-no’s // bathroom or locker room shots (both are considered private space and are OFF limits)
No-no
Yes-yes