What’s a yearbook without photos? Not much of a yearbook that’s for sure! The stories are great, but photos really bring it all to life. Your school is a hopping place with new stories unfolding all the time so here are some key points to keep in mind when planning the photo coverage for your book.
More Is Better
Always plan on taking at least three times as many photos as you think will be needed. Not every photo will make it into the yearbook but this will ensure there are several good pictures to choose from.
Photo Calendar
Plan out a photo schedule with your school calendar and page ladder in hand so nothing is left out. Be sure to involve your committee, class or club so you do not have the sole responsibility of taking pictures at every event.
Variety
It’s the spice of yearbook life! Take close-ups, wide shots and everything in between. Compose shots both horizontally and vertically to provide designers with contrasting options. Look for fun and unusual angles instead of taking all your pictures straight on.
Teacher Involvement
Teachers are with the students every day and they are likely already taking photos of special events in the classroom. Invite them to share photos for the yearbook via an accessible server or the Replayit Private Photo Submission Tool. Send them reminders throughout the year.
Parent Involvement
Most likely they will already be taking pictures of their own children at school events. Ask parent volunteers to take a few shots that include more students for yearbook use.
Candids Are King
Parents have already seen the professional portraits and students remember much more about the school year than just photo day. Candid photos better reflect the school year and day-to-day activities. Plan on using about 20-25 candids when building event pages in your yearbook.
File Sizing
This is important: Almost everyone is taking pictures with their camera phone these days. Ask your volunteers to make sure their picture setting is high resolution for quality photos that can be enlarged as needed. Our online page building program will not allow a photo to be enlarged past it’s original size in order to maintain the best quality for printing.
Location, Location, Location
Organize all your photos in a central location or shared file that can be accessed with an easy-to-navigate folder system. Label photos specifically instead of the default photo numbering to easily find what you need. Keep in mind our online page builder requires files to be .jpg, .tif or .png files.