There are a number of very obvious reasons for using images in your pages or articles. On a basic level, they add color to an otherwise monochrome page and reduce the copy into more digestible chunks. After all, who wants to read a huge chunk of words of block copy? But, of course, images are far more compelling than that. We are visual animals. Nearly every recollection we have is stored as an image in our heads and images have been our main way of communication for millennia. By comparison, writing has been a mere blip.
A picture can be so much more than words. The colors can effect our mood, the content can make us laugh or gasp, the context can encourage us to trust or disbelieve. Words and pictures use different mental processes - letters must be mentally constructed into words which then are required to be interpreted before they can be understood, whereas pictures are hot-wired straight into our understanding.
In fact the best pictures seem to defy words altogether. Our response to them is direct - almost visceral - rather than objective. Little wonder then, that pictures are used everywhere to instantly tap into those emotions and feelings that a thousand words could not easily describe. How many words would you need to describe the image of the soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima, Spencer Rowell's classic image of a bare chested man cradling a vulnerable newborn in his arms, or that unknown man, with his shopping bags in hand, standing in the way of the Chinese tanks just outside Tiananmen Square? And how poor would that description be, compared to just showing the photo?
Images that are created for publication tend to fall into three categories. The first, and most obvious is that of identyifier. They are there basically to indicate that something, or someone really exists. In the media they appear as small headshots, or product shots. They usually get scant attention from either the editor or the recipient and have often been shot to a set template - blue or green backdrop - and showing a grin something between a conspiritorial smile and look of terror. This is because PR managers usually just want to issue a single image designed - they imagine - to cover all eventualities. If you just issue out one picture, then it can't be too happy, or sad, or indeed anything, just in case. This seems to me to be a complete waste. If you have commissioned a photographer, he will have a selection of images for you to select from. Why not choose half a dozen and send them all out? Picture editors like a choice and aren't likely to use them incorrectly. The same argument applies to pack shots. There may well be a best shot, but give a choice so that they can change the images around occasionally or crop them to different shapes.
Shooting these portraits against a dull background also misses an opportunity. Whilst picture editors will keep away from headshots with blatant logos in the background, or a letter sticking out of your head, there is no reason why you can't be photographed in an appropriate place. If you make widgets, why not be photographed in the workshop?, However, general office shots aren't effective because one office looks very like another - it does not explain what your business does or who you are. Standing in an office infront of a logo or banner is unconvincing. Good pictures do actually effect where the piece will appear. Remember an ordinary article with good pictures will normally get a better show than an ordinary article with ordinary photos.
The second kind of picture is the eyecatcher or dramatic moment. Present in every newspaper and magazine, these photos enable you, the viewer, to witness a precise event. It is a moment in time which, ironically, if you had been present you might well have overlooked. As if to emphasize this, the subjects are usually in the air or in mid motion and there is often eye contact with the the viewer which only enhances the feeling of connectedness and immediacy. These pictures are designed to draw you in and engage with you. In other words, these startling pictures are used by publications to pull you in, past the headlines and the stand-first, to the copy.
In terms of corporate pictures, the eyecatchers will always have currency. Movement is always going to attract attention, but unusual context will also catch the eye. Whether it is a bike in mid air or a suited gent in high heels on a railway track, you can't help but notice it. The abnormal in every day life contains an air of mystery that we can't resist. However, remember that the image should reflect your business values and that what might seem funny to someone who works in your profession, might mean nothing to your potential clients. Always think about how the picture is constructed: follow natural perspective by putting the subject at the centre of the image, surrounded by the supporting elements. Remember that eye contact is important and make the picture engaging by either having the subject coming towards the camera, or shoot over a shoulder, to pull the viewer into the picture.
The third kind of photo which we are all so used to seeing is the feature picture. The feature picture is different from the portrait because it aims to place the article or subject in a particular surrounding or context and it is not like the eyecatcher because there is no doubt that the photographer (and possibly the subject) have worked to produce the context. These images don't pretend to be a moment in time, they want to tell their story in a single shot.
In that sense they can remind you of some of the portraits by the great masters. When a man was painted for posterity, he wanted to leave the viewer with a a certain image imprinted in your mind. It wasn't a quick snap - it would take months to complete and hang in pride of place in his manor house. It wasn't just an image, it was an affirmation. Each element had been thought out and gave a clear message to the initiated. The content will depend upon who has the final decision. If the subject is powerful enough to set the conditions, it will usually indicate how they regard themselves and their achievements. If the commissioning editor has influence, then it will tend to fit the story which is written around it.
However the feature photo doesn't have to have an ego at the centre. The essential element of a feature picture is manufacture. The photographer has changed the circumstances or parameters so that he can better tell the story. He has taken the pieces he thinks are important and arranged them so that the viewer will be led through the photograph in a specific way so that the story is uncovered in a specific order. In making these decisions, he has also thought about format, style, lighting and colour saturation as well as content. And so as a consequence, feature photos tend to be more artistic in nature and stand up to scrutiny better. Because so much consideration has been put into them, good feature photographs can be studied just like old masterpieces.
A picture can be so much more than words. The colors can effect our mood, the content can make us laugh or gasp, the context can encourage us to trust or disbelieve. Words and pictures use different mental processes - letters must be mentally constructed into words which then are required to be interpreted before they can be understood, whereas pictures are hot-wired straight into our understanding.
In fact the best pictures seem to defy words altogether. Our response to them is direct - almost visceral - rather than objective. Little wonder then, that pictures are used everywhere to instantly tap into those emotions and feelings that a thousand words could not easily describe. How many words would you need to describe the image of the soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima, Spencer Rowell's classic image of a bare chested man cradling a vulnerable newborn in his arms, or that unknown man, with his shopping bags in hand, standing in the way of the Chinese tanks just outside Tiananmen Square? And how poor would that description be, compared to just showing the photo?
Images that are created for publication tend to fall into three categories. The first, and most obvious is that of identyifier. They are there basically to indicate that something, or someone really exists. In the media they appear as small headshots, or product shots. They usually get scant attention from either the editor or the recipient and have often been shot to a set template - blue or green backdrop - and showing a grin something between a conspiritorial smile and look of terror. This is because PR managers usually just want to issue a single image designed - they imagine - to cover all eventualities. If you just issue out one picture, then it can't be too happy, or sad, or indeed anything, just in case. This seems to me to be a complete waste. If you have commissioned a photographer, he will have a selection of images for you to select from. Why not choose half a dozen and send them all out? Picture editors like a choice and aren't likely to use them incorrectly. The same argument applies to pack shots. There may well be a best shot, but give a choice so that they can change the images around occasionally or crop them to different shapes.
Shooting these portraits against a dull background also misses an opportunity. Whilst picture editors will keep away from headshots with blatant logos in the background, or a letter sticking out of your head, there is no reason why you can't be photographed in an appropriate place. If you make widgets, why not be photographed in the workshop?, However, general office shots aren't effective because one office looks very like another - it does not explain what your business does or who you are. Standing in an office infront of a logo or banner is unconvincing. Good pictures do actually effect where the piece will appear. Remember an ordinary article with good pictures will normally get a better show than an ordinary article with ordinary photos.
The second kind of picture is the eyecatcher or dramatic moment. Present in every newspaper and magazine, these photos enable you, the viewer, to witness a precise event. It is a moment in time which, ironically, if you had been present you might well have overlooked. As if to emphasize this, the subjects are usually in the air or in mid motion and there is often eye contact with the the viewer which only enhances the feeling of connectedness and immediacy. These pictures are designed to draw you in and engage with you. In other words, these startling pictures are used by publications to pull you in, past the headlines and the stand-first, to the copy.
In terms of corporate pictures, the eyecatchers will always have currency. Movement is always going to attract attention, but unusual context will also catch the eye. Whether it is a bike in mid air or a suited gent in high heels on a railway track, you can't help but notice it. The abnormal in every day life contains an air of mystery that we can't resist. However, remember that the image should reflect your business values and that what might seem funny to someone who works in your profession, might mean nothing to your potential clients. Always think about how the picture is constructed: follow natural perspective by putting the subject at the centre of the image, surrounded by the supporting elements. Remember that eye contact is important and make the picture engaging by either having the subject coming towards the camera, or shoot over a shoulder, to pull the viewer into the picture.
The third kind of photo which we are all so used to seeing is the feature picture. The feature picture is different from the portrait because it aims to place the article or subject in a particular surrounding or context and it is not like the eyecatcher because there is no doubt that the photographer (and possibly the subject) have worked to produce the context. These images don't pretend to be a moment in time, they want to tell their story in a single shot.
In that sense they can remind you of some of the portraits by the great masters. When a man was painted for posterity, he wanted to leave the viewer with a a certain image imprinted in your mind. It wasn't a quick snap - it would take months to complete and hang in pride of place in his manor house. It wasn't just an image, it was an affirmation. Each element had been thought out and gave a clear message to the initiated. The content will depend upon who has the final decision. If the subject is powerful enough to set the conditions, it will usually indicate how they regard themselves and their achievements. If the commissioning editor has influence, then it will tend to fit the story which is written around it.
However the feature photo doesn't have to have an ego at the centre. The essential element of a feature picture is manufacture. The photographer has changed the circumstances or parameters so that he can better tell the story. He has taken the pieces he thinks are important and arranged them so that the viewer will be led through the photograph in a specific way so that the story is uncovered in a specific order. In making these decisions, he has also thought about format, style, lighting and colour saturation as well as content. And so as a consequence, feature photos tend to be more artistic in nature and stand up to scrutiny better. Because so much consideration has been put into them, good feature photographs can be studied just like old masterpieces.
About the Author:
Jim McGrath has worked in the photographic industry forover two decades. He has a specific interest in digital photography and good cameras. Learn more about the best digital SLRs at his camerawize website.
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