Pictures! These can be great ways to showcase your events and the alumni that attended. Social media posts that include pictures of your attendees can get lots of view, likes and shares ensuring that more people will about good things you’re doing locally. In this post, I’ll share some tips on getting great pictures and, more importantly, what to do with them once you have them!
The Photographer
Let’s first talk about the most important part of getting pictures – the photographer. You MUST identify someone in your group who will take pictures. Don’t plan on taking the photos yourself if you’re responsible for the event because you’ll be too busy with details. I usually ask a few people to snap some pictures and I also ask some our alumni to share or tag their pictures to our social media. This gives me plenty of images to work to with.
The Equipment
These days everyone’s smart phone has a camera that’s actually pretty good. You don’t need to invest in a separate camera. And having to keep up with a camera at your event can be a pain. Make sure you are photo ready with these tips:
- Charge your batteries or your phone! Remember to bring your charger to your event.
- Keep a rapid charger (which doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall) charged and with you in case you need more juice.
- Turn the flash on. It seems counter-intuitive for daylight pictures but the flash can fill in dark spots and create uniformity in the photos.
The Background
Sure, the background is in the back but it can be very distracting if you’re trying to get a good picture. Remember to take a look at what’s behind your subject as you’re setting up your shot.
- Make sure there’s nothing awkward that seems to come out of your subject’s head like a pole or a plant.
- Avoid that “halo” affect or washed out appearance by making sure your light source is coming from behind you or coming in from the side of your subject.
- If you’re trying to include an interesting background into the picture with your subject, move your subject to the side (with the camera) to capture both
Your Subjects
What will make your club pictures special are the people in the pictures. I may take a few crowd shots or pictures of the decorations but where I really focus my attention is on the people who’ve attended. These commemorate the event and, when posted to your social media, give people an opportunity to tag themselves and share the post with their friends. So when taking pictures of people I always recommend these things:
- Ask their permission before you snap. Not everyone wants their picture taken.
- Prepare your subjects. Let them know you’re about to take the pic especially if you’re using a flash. I like to say “On three ‘say Go Heels'” to get a fun, active shot of our alumni smiling.
- Get in close. Avoid long shots unless you are trying to establish crowd size or lots of activity.
- Take 1 or 2 more pictures just in case. Someone will always blink!
- Tell them when and where you will be posting the pics (and remind them to tag themselves and share)
Share Those Pictures!
Taking pictures on your smart phone will make it easy to quickly upload the pictures to your social media account. Try to do that during your event so people can see their photos.
Occasionally and for our big events, we take a lot of pictures (like an annual holiday event). If you have lots pictures (and I mean like a 100 or so) your social media accounts may not be the right place. I suggest creating a gallery on your website or drop them into an online repository like Dropbox or Google Drive. Then share that link to the page in your email and or social media so folks can download the pictures. Don’t forget to share a few on social media!
Pictures can be a great way to share the fun with all your alumni and with just a little work you can look like a pro taking them!
The Alumni Club Ambassador 