Yearbook

Submitting photos to Yearbook

Staff|December 6, 2020

Simple TIPS for taking and submitting AWESOME photos for the

2021 Westside Yearbook

Lighting

Photos with great lighting will always show you off the best. If you be outside, better, if indoor avoid standing under an overhead light, or standing in front of a window. Watch out for shadows on your face. Never stand in front of a window, put the light in front of you, not behind.

Position of Camera

Try and have the camera as close as you can to the subject. Use your feet to get a close up, not the zoom tool. The closer to your face the better. If 1 or 2 people in a picture, hold the phone in portrait position (vertical), if 3 or more turn the phone horizontal. Selfies are usually not the best option. Sometimes they are, if the selfie is capturing you and a friend, or you and your pet, then maybe. Photos tell better stories when the subject is free to interact and not pose.

Bathroom selfies are a no. Selfies shot into a mirror are a no. The phone/camera should not be visable in the picture.

Backgrounds matter

Pay attention to what all shows in your photo. We wouldn’t be able to use images that show people who are not identified, house numbers, license plates, things like that. Remember, you are the subject of the picture, not the dining room table or your bed.

If you are submitting a photo of your “home classroom”, think about all the details that will make the picture interesting. Like the computer sitting on a stack of books, show the books. Think about coffee cups, pencils, pull something up on your screen, TEAMS or something that is actually school.

Not just background, but foregrounds matter too. Pay attention to what you are wearing. Is it school appropriate?

Be crisp, Be real

Your phone will take great photos. Hold it steady, and pay attention to the light. Fuzzy, yellow pictures don’t work very well for the yearbook. If the photo is an action shot, check out the feet & hands…if they are in focus, you got it.

Avoid edits and filters that change the reality of the photo. The soft focus glamour shots are too specific. Look like you look, that’s the best image.

Frame the shot

Use the position tool and center your shot. Cutting off the top of your head, or chopping your legs at the ankles will mean your head and feet won’t be in the picture.

Whoever is taking the picture should be as close as possible to you.

Sending your photos

Minor edits to your photo are fine, but as mentioned before, avoid filters and changing the integrity of the image. We are looking for “real” pictures. Using tools like Photoshop or lightroom, Snapseed, or even your photo editor on your phone is fine, just don’t distort the original too much.

When you send your photo, send it ACTUAL SIZE. Please send photos in Jpeg format. Please don’t send RAW photos. In the email, include: Names of subject(s), grade(s), correct spelling of name(s), and the name of the photographer. By sending your photo, you are giving us permission to publish your photo in the 2021 Westside Yearbook.