Lunch & Learn
In December 2018 we were joined by Neha Gautam, who had lunch with grantees and shared tips for taking better pictures.
1- Take advantage of the available lighting—To deal with the harshness of midday light, seek out indirect light whenever you can. When you have the opportunity to select where your speaker or podium is at an event, position them to avoid being backlit. Neha also advised on avoiding “monster lighting” (where a subject’s face is lit up from below, exaggerating facial shadows).
2- Composition—How using the Rule of Thirds or taking advantage of the vanishing point can lead to a stronger image that connects more with the user. Placing faces in your photos using the Rule of Thirds can make a real difference.
3- Angles—Neha has shot many street protests. She uses overhead shots to show crowd size by getting higher (safely) and shooting downward. Sometimes she also uses wide-angle photography to emphasize crowd size. When shooting a single person with a sign or a person who is speaking, she uses a lower angle and shoots up to make the subject more prominent.
4- Pre-plan for a variety of shots—Create a shot list of all the shots that you want to be sure to get at your event, it can include set up, welcoming people, specific program shots and more.
We also shared this handout with tips about sharing your photos with North Star Fund.
Thanks to everyone who joined us!