Photography+Tips


 * Yearbook Photography Tips **

All a high school yearbook photographer really needs to know is how to point and shoot the camera.

Start with these yearbook photography tips:

1. A yearbook photographer can anticipate a shot. You can't take the perfect yearbook photo after the magic moment passes; you have to set up your camera in advance. If you're at a basketball game, for example, and you see a kid running toward your basket, it's time to point your camera at the basket, not the kid. Then you can click that button as soon as he takes the shot, and you'll get your shot, too.

2. A yearbook photographer knows his camera. When taking action photos, use a burst setting that lowers the click-to-capture rate so you can take a picture of the action while it happens. If you're outside at night, use one of the night flash settings to optimize the look of your photo. If you have a zoom lens, use it to minimize the amount of editing you'll have to do on the photo after you take it.

3. A yearbook is full of action shots, not poses. Well, that's not true; there are plenty of poses in the yearbook, but they belong in the portrait section, not the interest spreads. For a regular yearbook spread, all of the photos need to look like they were captured without the subjects' notice. Posed shots will take major points away from your book if it is scored by a student journalism association. We all know it's not always possible to get a shot without cooperation from the subjects of that photo; but if you're going to pose a shot, at least do your best to act like you didn't.