Top Yearbook Photo Tips & Framing Tricks

by | Aug 6, 2018 | Creation, Design, Photography | 0 comments

Photographs are the life blood of your yearbook. The better the photos are, the more likely students and parents will be to purchase your yearbook.

 

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS

You’ll want to have your date selected for school photos and make sure the date coordinates with when the majority of new students have enrolled. You’ll also want to have a voice in the return date for your images. This step will require some backwards mapping to determine how much time you will need to add the photos to your yearbook and proofread the names.

 

REPLAYIT

The next step is to utilize the School Annual Online feature called ReplayIt so that you can allow others to upload content for you. Through the ReplayIt app, parents, teachers and others can upload pictures that they have taken to one central location. Don’t panic, you can set it up so that you are able to view what has been uploaded, approve or disapprove photos, and place them in the appropriate folders to help you organize your book. Remember, it’s challenging to capture every event taking place at school, but if you notify others, they can easily upload their images for your review. This is an excellent time saver for you and a great way to ensure you capture important events throughout the year, including field trips!

5 PHOTO FRAMING TIPS

Basic framing techniques will enable you to capture print-worthy images that will be cherished by your students and staff and contribute to a book you will be proud to share.

Faces, faces, faces! Pictures that are far away may capture a location but make sure there are close-ups with small groups of students to get maximum coverage.
Use the rule of thirds. Think of the rule of thirds as a tic-tac-toe board. Your subject should line up on one of the two vertical lines and the eyes should be at an intersection in the top third.
Look room and lead room. If your subject is looking left, place them on the right vertical line. If they are looking right, place them on the left. If the subject in your photo is moving, leave space for them to “go”. For example, if they are moving right, place the image on the left. Always have your subject facing, moving towards, or looking to the inside of the book, not off the edge of the page.
Watch out for distractions! How many times have you seen a great photo of your students only to discover that a plant is sticking out of the top of one of their heads? Pay attention to the backgrounds to avoid unwanted extras.
Headroom. Be careful that each shot has an appropriate amount of headroom for your subject. Headroom is the space above the subject’s head. For example, too much headroom can make the subject look like they are sinking in quicksand and not enough headroom will make them appear cramped and cut off.
Has been involved with yearbook since 1994 and has been working with School Annual for over 20 years!
Is involved with Discovery Education, DEN STAR, Teach4Learning TIE, MIE (Microsoft Innovative Educator) and much much more!
Lives in Kissimmee, FL as a Digital Video Teacher.
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“Sponsoring the yearbook club at the elementary level and having a sleepover in the media center to work on the yearbook all night with the students has been the best yearbook memory.”