Take Your Best Shot

Photos most useable in the BA are

• good quality prints that can be scanned
• taken with a digital camera using the “best” or “finest” setting for high resolution
• the equivalent of 4 x 6 inches at 300 dpi (dots per inch) in .jpeg format
• of people, showing their heads and chests

Photos that are not useable

• are low resolution
• are too small. If you limit the size of photos (less than 150k in .jpeg format), we cannot enlarge them without losing quality.
• include objects printed with company logos (Pepsi, Coca-Cola, airlines, etc.). We don’t want to appear as though we’re promoting certain products or organizations.
• depict people eating or sitting around tables, waiting to be served
• appear within a word processing program. Photos should be submitted in separate graphic (.jpeg) files.

Helpful hints

• Send only two or three — not ten — of your clearest and best photos.
• If you’re taking a picture of a speaker, get as close as you can to capture him/her from head to waist.
• Large group photos are difficult to take. If lighting is good, take the photo without flash. (A flash is only good up to 12 feet, so anything closer is washed out and anything past 12 feet is dark.) Faces are more interesting than backs, so take group photos from the front.
• When photographing people of mixed races, choose a background that contrasts with their features and clothing. Avoid dark shadows and bright lights. Take photos with and without flash, then outside. Submit the best shot.
• Background and foreground can make the photo great or ruin it. Look at everything you’re shooting, not just the subject.
• Understand that the photos you submit can be used in the BA, on the Web site, and in other Church publications.