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Recruitment News
November/December, 2003
Digital Photo Tips
(and even some tips for "old fashioned" film photography!)
The popularity of digital cameras continues to skyrocket and their increasing
affordability is making these cameras more and more accessible to adoption
agencies. In fact, due to a generous grant from AdoptUSKids, MARE was
recently able to provide digital cameras to more than 20 adoption agencies
in Michigan.
Digital cameras have enabled adoption workers to send photos to MARE
instantly via e-mail, while allowing them to also keep the digital images
at the agency for their own recruitment purposes.
While digital cameras have generally made it more convenient for workers
to send photos to MARE, it has not always led to improved quality of the
images themselves. We are still receiving a fair number of images that
are blurry and/or dark, and therefore not suitable for use in the photolisitng
book or on the MARE website. This could be because workers may not fully
understand how to use the camera effectively in order to obtain the best
possible images (photos.)
With that in mind, MARE offers the following suggestions to keep in
mind when using your digital camera and when sending the image files (photos)
to MARE:
- Use the highest resolution setting possible. With most digital cameras,
regardless of make or model, the user can set the desired resolution
and/or image size for the camera when taking pictures. Often it is as
simple as choosing low, medium, or high resolution. A setting of “high”
resolution is best. While a lower resolution will allow you to store
more images on the camera, it will not produce a print-quality image
that is necessary for the MARE Book. We receive many photos that were
taken and saved at a low resolution. They are very small in size and
when we increase their size for publication purposes, the images appear
blurry. While you will be able to fit fewer high resolution photos on
the camera, keep in mind that you can always delete unwanted photos
to create more room on the camera’s memory card.
- Take several photos and choose the best one(s). One of the benefits
of using a digital camera is that there is no need to feel that film
is being wasted; unwanted photos can be deleted immediately. In fact,
at our MARE photo shoots it is not uncommon for us to take 8 - 10 photos
of a child (or more!) to get that one perfect photo. Don’t be
afraid to shoot!
- Send the image files (photos) as attachments to e-mail as a JPEG
(.JPG) file. Name the file and make sure the appropriate extension is
included. (For example: joshua.jpg).
Regardless of whether you are using a digital camera or good old fashioned
film camera, please keep the following tips in mind when taking photos
of children for recruitment purposes:
- Use a simple, clean, and non-reflective background (i.e. no windows,
mirrors, busy wallpaper or fabrics.) Backgrounds should also be neutral
in color (no dark wood paneling or dark furniture.)
- The child is the most important aspect of the photo, therefore, eliminate
distracting backgrounds and stand close enough to the child to fill
the viewfinder with their image. Use the maximum zoom lens on the camera
which helps narrow the amount of background and keep it mostly out of
focus so the child stands out.
- Use as much natural light as possible to eliminate the harshness
of the flash.
- Take several photos (yes, even with film cameras!) in order to get
the best possible results. With digital cameras it can be fun for the
children to see their photos immediately. You might even let them pick
which photo they would like used for recruitment purposes.
The digital age is making it easier and more convenient for all many
of us involved in adoption to obtain powerful recruitment tools such as
photos and videos. With a little attention to detail we can make sure
that the quality of these tools advances along with the technology used
to create them.
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