Day: June 5, 2012

Alternative to Check Presentation

by Stanley Learyphotojournalism

Miyuki Ishida Johnson, the Japanese teacher at Elkins Pointe Middle School, accepts a check from Cranes for Kids, run by Osh Kosh Clothing.

Of check presentations, this is one of my favorites. All the kids from the Origami Club came to the Osh Kosh clothing store with the teacher and all the Cranes they made. Visually, this is quite interesting.

One of the main reasons I love the photo is my daughter is in the group photo. If I were thumbing through a publication, this photo most likely wouldn’t make me stop to read the caption or the story.

A good lead for a story is as much about surprise as the content itself. If you are not careful, you can pay more attention to grammar and style and forget that the audience needs to be entertained to keep them engaged.

The best way to ensure that your photograph doesn’t do what it is supposed to is to use a cliché.

What is a photo supposed to do?

Why use a photo? Before you answer that question, you’ll need to ask what you want to accomplish. You may determine you don’t even need a photograph, an article, or a press release.

Sometimes, the primary audience you are trying to reach is so tiny you could hold a luncheon; sometimes, you meet with the people in person.

When the purpose has been decided that you need to communicate a message and the audience is best reached through a website, printed pieces, or social media, you know that people respond to photos more than text.

The most common mistake made at this point, which leads us to the check presentation photo, is the assumption that any photo will do. 

This is the best way to communicate your message; you have seen many check presentations. More people than other options use it; therefore, it must be the best, which needs to be revised.

What is the check for?

The best question to help you move to a better photo is to ask what the check is for.  

With Guest Conductor Arild Remmereit and Sergei Krylov as guest violin soloists, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra spent some time with the Elkins Pointe Middle School Orchestra students, answering their questions. Due to gifts to the music program, students can meet some of the world’s best musicians.

Which would you instead use, the photo of the students getting time with one of the best violinists and orchestra conductors or the check presentation to the school administrator that helps support these types of opportunities?

Even a setup photo can do better than a check presentation photo. Would you stop and want to read more about this photo? If so, then it is successful. I can see this used to help talk about a Catholic School expanding to include new grades in the fall due to a gift assisting the school in adding more classrooms.

Series of photos

Could you think about one photo? Sometimes, a series of photos will help tell the story even better. 

Seth Gamba had few instruments when he started teaching orchestra in North Fulton elementary schools; he could buy some electronic orchestra instruments as gifts. This made a difference in the student’s excitement about music.

Besides the expression helping communicate excitement, most of the public has never seen electronic viola. So, this photo has some visual surprises that help share what a check presentation helped to fund.
The intensity of the student playing and the look of the strange instrument, an electronic cello, help communicate how a gift supports the arts.
This is an electronic violin. Again, seeing middle school students this engaged in school is exciting.

While the photo is a better visual surprise than a check presentation, a good writer will help drop in other surprises.

One study done at Georgia Tech found that the only thing that significantly impacted retention and graduation rates was if a student took music classes. Tutors, Greek life, taking courses to help improve study habits, and everything the school could test had no significant impact other than music.

Can you see how working this into the caption can help the development office raise even more funds than a check presentation photo?

Next time someone suggests a check presentation photo, please remember to ask what the check is for and indicate a picture that shows the purpose of the gift.

Studio strobes or Hot Shoe Flash outside

by Stanley Learyfill-flash / Off Camera Flash / studio strobes
Walk and Talk with Hot Shoe Flash 

One of my favorite shots to do for organizations is doing what I call the “Walk and Talk.” This is where I have two or more people walk next to each other towards me.

I encourage them to barely feel each other next to each other. This keeps them from walking further and further from each other. The closeness to each other also helps communicate they are friends. This is using the body language of touching or almost touching to help communicate their relationship.

Now here are examples I did while teaching in Kona, Hawaii in February this year. These first ones I was showing the students how to use two hot shoe flashes as fill lights.  I have included the assistant carrying the lights for these examples to show you what they are doing as well.

I am talking to the subjects and explaining what I want them to do. No flash went off here.

The photo assistant is carrying a Nikon SB900 and a Nikon SB800.  They are zoomed out to 200mm for the SB900 and 120mm with the SB800.  This helps the light go farther, but also keeps the light mainly on their faces.

Notice the assistant must be pretty close to the subjects for the flash to work properly. In addition to the flashes I am using the RadioPoppers PX system to help relay the infrared signal from the Nikon SU800 on my camera to the flashes.

We switched out the subjects so everyone could experience what it felt like doing this exercise and see it being done.

While showing the class how to use the hot shoe flashes there were a few times where I got ahead of the flashes recycling. By not waiting long enough between flashes (2 sec) the flash wouldn’t fire.

Walk and Talk with Studio Strobe

To help everyone see the difference in flashes I also used an AlienBee 1600 being powered by a Vagabond Mini Lithium battery. I was borrowing the Photo Schools radio remotes, but most of the time I now use Pocket Wizard Mini TT1 Transmitter on my Nikon Camera  and have the Pocket Wizard Plus II transceiver on the flashes.


The MiniTT1 will let me shoot at 1/500 sync speed rather than just 1/250.


Now another thing you will notice that is different in these examples is how far away the photo assistant is from the subjects. 


The AlienBee 1600 has the reflector that comes with them on it. So notice that the flash is lighting more of the subjects.  I can change that by just adding a grid, but didn’t for these photos.

The flash is set at about 1/8 power. I can almost shoot on motor drive setting for these photos. The reason is the recycle time is so short.


When I shot these photos not a single time did the flash not fire. I think that when it comes to getting the best expression you need to be able to shoot at any moment and not just when your flashes are ready. 


I would highly encourage using the studio strobe over the hot shoe flash for this reason alone.

Just like I did above, I talk to the subjects and do a few test shots before I have them walk towards me.

After we did some tests to get them moving I then had the start over where they are talking to one another.

As you can see it doesn’t take long for people to relax and the photos to look pretty natural.  I would have changed one thing in these photos. I would have had the assistant put the light on a light stand and get the light up a little higher to help avoid the glare in the glasses.

This is just to show that the flashes fired every time. 

Now look at the photos where the flashes didn’t fire. Besides there faces in the shade the color on their faces isn’t as good. I think that using flashes helps you get the best skins tones outside possible.

Go out and try this yourself.

Often when I am flying around the world it is easier to carry the Nikon SB900 and a Nikon SB800 than carrying the AlienBee 1600 and the Vagabond Mini Lithium battery.  So, depending on the situation I find myself in I can still get the photo with either system.