Let Your Awar Photo Tell a Story
First, if you are including an NWS staff person in the photo, he
or she cannot wear shorts, a T-shirt, jeans or other weekend
clothes. They are representing NWS and should show respect for
the award recipient by wearing standard business attire.
Save photos you want to put on the Web
at a low resolution:
72 pixels-per-inch or 640 x 480. For print purposes, such as brochures or newsletters,
take the photo at 2048 x 1536 pixels and then save at 640 x 480. The
temptation is to set the camera so it
will fit more photos on a
storage disk, but once you
have taken a photo, you cannot
boost the resolution.
A nice low resolution image
will look good on a computer
screen at 72 pixels-per-inch,
but you won't provide a crisp, detailed print much
larger than 3 inches by 5
inches. If you can boost
the image quality to 300
dots-per-inch (or the "high
resolution" setting
on some cameras), you can
do more things with the photos,
such as crop out distracting
background details or enlarge
the images to print them
in larger sizes such as 8
inches by 10 inches. Storage
disks have gotten much less
expensive over the past couple
of years, so rather than
cram a bunch of low resolution
images onto a single storage
disk, get some more disks
and shoot the photos at the
highest resolution.
If you are shopping for
a newer digital camera, you
have a lot of things to consider
(differences in storage formats,
lens quality, camera size,
battery life, etc.), but
a primary feature is to find
something that will give
you the versatility to do
many things with your photos.
A 4-megapixel camera for
around $300 - $400 should
suit the needs of most offices.
The “Eyes” Have
It, But Don't Leave Out
the Hands
Whenever you take a photo
of someone who is not posing
for the camera, it's called
a "candid" photo.
A good candid photo tells
a story by conveying some
kind of action or interaction
if more than one person is
in the picture.
Keep some things in mind
when you are framing a candid
photograph. Before you take
the photo, try to position
yourself so you can see both
eyes of your primary subject
or subjects. Someone looking at your photo
should see the subject's
eyes and facial expression. Also try to include the subject's
hands.
Framing the Subject & Choosing
the Perspective
One of the first steps toward
getting a good photo of a
person involves how you frame
the photo subject. Imagine
the camera's viewfinder "rectangle" as
if it is divided into thirds,
both horizontally and vertically.
Instead of centering your
subject in the middle of
the camera's viewfinder,
try to place your subject
in one of the four "cross-hairs" created
by the intersections of your
imaginary vertical and horizontal
lines. Change your angle
to get rid of distracters
like a pole or coat rack
that could end up being behind
your subject's head. If you
see a soda can or something
else that's in your viewfinder,
stop and move the object before you take the
photo, or shift your perspective
to keep it out of the photo.
You can vary the way you "frame" your
photo in other ways too.
Common snapshots can be made
more interesting if you change
the point of view of the
photographer. Instead of
taking all of your photos
from an eye level of between
five and six feet, try taking
some photos while you have
one knee on the
ground. Try taking some
photos from a higher perspective
by standing above your subject
on stairs or a ladder or
similar solid surface. Be
sure to follow safe practices
and have someone beside you
to steady you if you try
shooting from a higher perspective. Varying your shooting
perspective and shooting several photos
increases the
chances of getting at least
one good image.
Submitting
Your Photos and Captions
- Shoot photos at a high resolution (2048 x 1536 pixels)
- Save as
a JPEG at a lower resolution (640 x 480 pixels).
- Save as "year/award-last name": 10-johnson.jpg,
holm-johnson
- Submit caption in Word with same name: 10-johnson.doc
and include:
- Names all persons pictured including
pets
- Name and title of NWS staff present.
- Name of observing location: Elmo, NY
- Name of NWS office: NWS Cheyenne, WY
- Month and year picture was taken: 5/06
- Name and title of photographer: photo by OPL Cindy Kim
- Optional: personal details about pets, kids,
observing site, history, etc. We particularly would
like more details for 45 years of service and over, memorable
weather stories, etc.
Sample caption: From left, Jessica Harris, of Springfield,
NH, accepts a 40 Year Length of Service Award with help from
husband Jeff and dog Sandy. The award was presented by Michael
NOAA, CPL, NWS Boston, MA. Jessica's family has been observing
at this site since 1926. Photo by DAPM Suzanne Tran.
- Email Word document to nws.coopobserver@noaa.gov
- THANKS!
www.nws.noaa.gov 
