Picture Perfect
I’ve seen some bad photographers in my day.
My grandmother used to take photographs with a battered110 camera that was held together with old, yellowed Scotch tape. Granny was famous for taking bad pictures. She would chop off her subjects’ heads, shake the camera just as she snapped the shutter, or her finger would get in front of the lens and ruin the shot.
Another bad photographer was a coworker who was actually the marketing and PR director for a large civic arena. She had a nice Pentax 35mm zoom, but always managed to take blurry, dark shots. She blamed the camera, but it was her own lack of understanding of how cameras work that was her downfall.
Many companies are in need of high-quality photography, but unfortunately, they often end up with results not much better than Granny’s. However, it’s not necessarily best to rush out and hire a professional photographer. Are there times when you should? Absolutely—retirement dinners come to mind, or special occasions that can’t be repeated if the photos don’t turn out. But for day-to-day photo needs, a decent digital camera and a little know-how can save the day. Here are a few tips:
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For most small-to-medium sized businesses, a mid-range point-and-shoot digital camera is more than adequate. Priced in the $250-$500 range, these cameras come with a variety of automatic settings to make life easy. Check reliable sites like consumerreports.org for impartial reviews.
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The mistake most photographers make is not getting close enough to their subjects. Move in close. Don’t use the camera’s zoom unless you have to because it can make the picture blurry or dark for technical reasons. Move in close to your subject—and then move in some more!
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Take lots of shots. Digital cameras use memory cards that can hold hundreds of images. If you don’t like them, delete them—no harm done.
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Shoot outside if you can. Daylight makes subjects look better and photograph more easily for many reasons. Avoid direct sunlight—try shooting in the shade on a bright day for the best photographs.
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If you must shoot indoors, remember that even though a room may seem bright, it’s dark to your camera. That can mean dark or blurry images. Invest in an inexpensive ($50-$100) tripod, set the camera setting to “indoor” and use the camera’s timer to take the photo so the slight shake of your hands won’t blur the image. (If your camera has manual exposure or ISO control, you can also set a high ISO and a slight overexposure to help avoid dark images.)
So there you have it. With a few simple tips, you can take great shots of meetings, presentations, products, customer appreciation days, company parties and all of those other moments that you need to capture. Just remember—don’t be afraid to call in a professional for those truly special occasions.
Using Editorial Calendars to your Advantage
Most public relations or marketing professionals have been in the unfortunate position of trying to submit an article or press release to a publication after its deadline, only to have the editor laugh them out of their office. It’s because putting together a publication is hard work. (If it weren’t, anybody could do it, right?) Magazines, trade publications and newsletters take time, effort and planning. They’re typically put together several weeks to a few months in advance. Your last-minute request to insert an article is kind of like an astronaut needing a potty break as the clock counts down to zero: way too late.
However, smart marketers can use this situation to their advantage. Magazines put together what’s called an editorial calendar, 
generally on an annual basis. The calendar specifies the type of content that will go in each issue of the publication. For example, pieces on fighting the winter blahs in January, gardening tips in May and autumn crafts in October.
Why publish this information? First, it allows advertisers to see the content topics in advance so that they can plan their ad buys (boat companies may place ads in the June boating special issue, for example). Also, it allows the publication’s editors to assign stories to reporters in advance. This is where you come in: you can craft your press releases or article pitches to the editor to tie in with the content for specific months.
September’s theme is fall getaways? Pitch a piece on how your travel company has packaged affordable weekend trips for recession-weary consumers. April’s theme is personal finance? How about a piece on your wealth management company’s most overlooked deductions for taxpayers?
You get the point. By crafting a pitch that ties in to what the publication is doing, you not only give your story idea a better chance of making it to print, but you build a bond with an editor who may be looking for new, fresh ideas. You’re helping them be successful!
Editorial calendars are commonly found linked in the small print on publication websites. Barring that, feel free to contact the publication to ask for a copy. If the publication doesn’t have a formal editorial calendar, ask the editor what topics he/she is most interested in. In most cases, they’ll be happy to share the information with you. Or, just contact us at Trade Press Services. We specialize in making editorial contacts and crafting bylined stories for all types of companies and publications.