Tips for Photos

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• not too dark: be sure that there is enough light that the subjects of your photo are clear and the faces are visible

• don't take photos in front of a window inside, or with the sun behind the subject if outdoors

• try not to take photos from a distance (e.g. of subjects on a stage from the back of the room)

• close-ups are always better, it's hard to zoom in after and keep the subject clear

• if you are lining up subjects for a photo, make sure they are all looking at you

• crowd shots are often difficult to use in the newspaper, especially if they show the backs of most people - try to get fewer people, closer up

• kids are always cute in photos, but make sure you have the permission of the parents before taking them, especially if you submit them to the Sentinel - at school, you must have permission of the staff to ensure permission of parents or guardians

• it's always good to take several shots of the same photo, if you can - usually, only one will be suitable (e.g. in focus, with everyone looking at you, and everyone's eyes open). Make sure to give yourself options. You can take an extra minute to get another photo most of the time, but you cannot go back and re-take a bad photo

• most of the time, we like to use the name of the person or people in the photo, so be sure you have the names of the subjects and the correct spelling of their names

• emailing photos is always the best for us, but we can scan originals at the office, our email address is ns-sentinel@bellnet.ca 

• if you haven't spoken to the Sentinel in advance, don't promise people that the photo will be in the paper, sometimes we don't have room, sometimes the photo isn't clear enough, or sometimes we cannot confirm permission of parents of children in photos