May 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 37

Figure 2.
High
Resolution
vs. Low
Resolution

Tips for Taking PicturePerfect Photos
Here are 10 tips for achieving the
best results:
Leverage the light. Donahoe
says, " The way to take the best
picture is using light. Get as much
light in your photo as possible, so
your camera has to do less work. "
However, the people being photographed shouldn't look directly
toward the sun, as you don't want
them to be squinting. " Also, if your
back is to the sun and you're taking
a picture, chances are your picture
is going to come out with nice color, " she says.
Seize the " cloudy " day. " It's
ideal to take photos on a cloudy
day versus a really sunny day, " says
Mabon. " The lighting will be more
even-toned. "
Move to the shade. When outdoors, if possible, shoot photos
of people in the shade. However, Mabon says, " if you are using
a big tree that gives you enough
shade, be careful of little light spots
that shine through the leaves. And,
you don't want any of those bright
spots on people's faces. "
Don't forget the flash. Once
you have your subjects positioned in the shade under a tree or
overhang, be sure to turn on the
flash on your smartphone or camera. " It gets rid of all of the weird
shadows that happen on people's
faces, " advises Donahoe.
Avoid unnecessary shadows.
" If you're indoors or outdoors
and you're using a wall as a background, the person [you're photographing] needs to stand about
two feet away from the wall in order to get a good photo, " Mabon
says. Otherwise, you end up with
a harsh, black shadow behind the
person standing in front of the wall
instead of it serving as a backdrop.

2
3

4
5

High

Low

Consider indoor light options. Mabon says if you're
taking photos inside a recreation
facility, find the spot with the best
lighting. " If you don't have it, position a couple of lamps [but] be
careful, as the lamps can create
harsh shadows, " she says. Ask
someone to hold up a white sheet
or large piece of white paper a foot
away from the light source, which
will soften the harsh light. " There
are a lot of LED light rings out
there, too [with] different color
modes that you can purchase for
$20, " she says. " Those things really improve lighting, especially for
indoor options. "
Get candid. Posed pictures,
where everybody is looking at
the camera, are fine for staff photos
or as team photo keepsakes. But for
storytelling, capture those candid
shots and catch people in action.
Try portrait mode. For those
who opt to take photos via their
smartphones, Mabon suggests using the " portrait mode " setting.
" It can greatly improve the image
when there is a single person or object you are photographing, " Mabon says.
Think print resolution, not
web resolution. An image
saved to a website or social media
is going to be at a lower resolution

than an image that will be printed
in marketing materials or a magazine. If your photo is high enough
resolution for print, that image can
be used across multiple media platforms - but not vice versa.
Invest in a camera. If a park
agency takes a lot of photos
in-house, Mabon says it might be
worth investing $500 to $600 for a
good SLR (single-lens reflex) camera. " You can get a really inexpensive SLR body. Try to spend a little
bit more money on the lens versus
the body, because the lens is what
makes the better photo, and you'll
get some really high-quality images, " she says.

Are Model Releases
Necessary?
" In a public space, they're not required, " says Donahoe. However,
she advises using them, especially
if you're photographing children,
to protect yourself and your agency. She adds that there are free
model release mobile apps available that make it convenient for
people to fill out on your phone or
tablet right on the spot.
" Our organization does have a
photo and video release, which is
built into each point of registration, " notes Campos. " This allows
our organization permission for

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May 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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