May 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 38

PHOTOGRAPHY

Image Specs for Print
Here are some helpful specifications for high-resolution images for printpublishing purposes based on page size. Note that image sizes are based on
pixel width (W) by pixel height (H).
Page Size

Image Pixel Dimensions

Cover

2775 pixels (W) x 3300 pixels (H)

Spread (two pages)

5475 pixels (W) x 3300 pixels (H)

Half page

2422 pixels (W) x 1500 pixels (H)

Quarter page

1175 pixels (W) x 1500 pixels (H)

reasonable and proper use of any
photo or video taken at any of our
facilities and during our programs.
This is key in our goal of being
transparent with our community
and protects both parties. "

Why Image
Resolution Matters
When it comes to print publishing, many people seem perplexed
by image resolution. After all, if
an image looks good on an agency website, why won't that same
photo work in a printed direct-mail
piece or magazine article?
" All images that you see on any
website are done in 72 dpi [dots
per inch], " says Mabon. " Everything that's done in print is 300 dpi
or higher. So, it has more dots per
inch than the web resolution, which
makes it a quality high enough for
printing. " See figure 2 on page 37.
Donahoe says, " The difference
with high resolution...especially in
a digital format, is the amount of
pixels that make up the photograph. "
You can have a low-resolution photo
by the way you take it or by how
many times a JPEG (a compressed
file) has been saved.
" And when you have a compressed file, it loses bits of data over
the course of that file and it gets
smaller, " she says. " So, if you have a
standard compression of 300 dpi to
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600 dpi, the more dpi you have, the
less there is data loss. The lower the
dpi or file size, the more data loss. "
The bottom line is you can't upsize an original photo that lacks the
required pixel dimension without
losing quality. " So, if the original is
not that pixel dimension, don't try
to make it bigger because you lose
quality, " she says. For a list of correct image specifications for print
publishing, see the chart above.

Share Your Park and
Recreation Story
Clearly, park and recreation agencies should market to their local
constituents; however, they also
might want to promote themselves
to a national audience. Such efforts
not only can draw attention to your
community and agency, but also
might elevate the park and recreation field overall.
In April, for example, NRPA
launched its annual Park and
Recreation Month cover contest,
inviting park and recreation
agencies throughout the country
to submit their image that best
represents this year's theme, " Our
Park and Recreation Story. " The
selected photo will earn the agency
the sought-after cover of Parks &
Recreation magazine's July issue,
along with bragging rights in the
industry.

Mabon says that Park and Recreation Month is a huge opportunity
for park and recreation professionals, because it gives them added
national exposure for activities at
their agency and their location.
Mabon has firsthand knowledge
about the process, as she serves as
the publication's contracted designer. " You want to make sure you put
your best foot forward when you're
taking those photographs, " she advises, while offering tips such as ensuring images are high resolution
and that the composition is vertical
with enough room for the magazine's logo to appear at the top as a
cover. " It also must be enticing and
inviting, " she asserts.
There are plenty of other opportunities to tell your park and
recreation story, such as sharing
your images with NRPA to use in
its marketing collateral, research
studies and educational materials.
The organization sources all images and provides photo credit to the
department or agency. Parks & Recreation and other trade publications
also rely on photo submissions for
a variety of field-related subjects,
such as playgrounds, youth sports
and older adult programming.

Put It Into Focus
What's the best way to tell your
park and recreation story? Perhaps
Booth sums it up best: " They say
that a picture is worth a thousand
words, and that's so true. Photos
also tell a compelling story and allow viewers to see them doing the
same activity and having fun. That
is an even more compelling reason
why we are equitable when using
images to market our programs, activities and events. "
Vitisia Paynich is Executive Editor, Print
and Online Content at NRPA (vpaynich@
nrpa.org).

May 2021 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2021 - Parks & Recreation