Telling Stories With Photos

Think about how the photo will be used
Whether you want to take a photo for your printed newsletter or a website, think about how it will be viewed. If the medium is small, keep the composition simple — one or two people, for example, as opposed to a large group. Can you crop out unnecessary background elements that take away from the focus of the photo? Will the dominant colors clash with your logo or masthead?

Improve your photo-taking skills
Especially if your nonprofit is relying on you for photography (even if that isn't a skill you claimed to have when hired), strive to improve. If you search online for something as basic as "picture taking improve," you'll bring up dozens of helpful websites.

Respect others
If you are taking a photo of a person, get a written release. "Sure, no problem" could prove to be a problem if the person decides the end result (photo) made him or her look fat, old, tired or whatever. And while he or she may not initially object, will having his or her face plastered all over the Internet become an issue? Ask permission, explain how you plan to use the photo and always thank the subjects.

Label carefully
Date each photo file, and make sure the person, place or thing in the photo is accurately named. If there are any restrictions on using the photo, you may want to include that in the file name. For example, you could name the file "7-12 woman in park — see file for use restrictions." I know that's a really long file name, but if copies of your photo files get transferred to designers or other people to use for a project, they may not know there are restrictions. Putting a "red flag" in the file name can help prevent misuse (and embarrassment).