Achieving engaging photography

This .pdf serves multiple purposes. Comparisons are shown to demonstrate how

to shoot, select, and crop great photos.

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Have campus scenes feature active people instead of buildings.

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Ask walkers to look up or at each other, and smile. And if possible, to go back and walk the same path a few times.

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Instead of this... Limit wide-angled lenses that can warp head profiles. And avoid empty space.

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Instead of this... Shoot through students so the viewer feels part of the class, and so you can see what is on the board.

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Work to achieve faculty and student interaction.Instead of this...

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Instead of this... Capture active students.

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Instead of this... Go for faculty engagement with students.

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Instead of this... Shoot the learning, not the room. Use depth of field for focusing on a student or two.

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Instead of this... Create and capture unusual use of light to add drama and interest.

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Instead of this... Remember camera-aware eye contact.

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Instead of this... Collapse some personal space so the shot feels more approachable.

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Instead of this... Play with camera angles. Have various interest points going on in the background to hold viewers’ attention and feel more real.

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Instead of this... Get closer. Feel part of the group. Shoot through out-of-focus shoulders.

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Instead of this.. Capture a student engaging with others, even if they are off camera. And have things going on in the background, out of focus.

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Instead of this... Sometimes the scene feels more real if students are doing their own things.

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Instead of this... Shoot games as if you are one of the players, on the court with them.

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Instead of this... Use dynamic angles and shoot so the viewer feels part of the huddle.

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Instead of this... Tell a story of interaction.