Taking a Good Photo or Video
We may not all be experts at lighting, angles, staging, and equipment, but we can all use our phones and other cameras to get studio assets to help tell stories.
If you are capturing media about research, please follow the media safety policy to ensure usability.
Composition: Michigan Tech in Photos
Every day, people on campus are using photos to share their experiences. From photos inside the Chemistry labs to the Northern Lights, we ensure that the images that represent the University do so in a way that accurately reflects Michigan Tech’s standards.
- Our images are well-composed and show a genuine look at who we are and what we do.
- Our images are well-lit. The light should be flattering to the subject, and images that are too dark or too bright should be corrected before use.
- Our images are sharp and in focus. When our viewers see them, there should be no question about what they’re looking at.
- Our images are properly sized for the format they’re used in. The photos should look as good in their final form as they do on screen. The aspect ratio and ppi should align with the final product.
- Our images are not color-mute. Make sure the colors enhance the visual experience of the photo. We do not overly contrast our images and keep a realistic white-point and black-point.
General Tips for Capturing Media
- It is always better to get more content. What isn't usable can be deleted later.
- Get a variety of angles—close-up, medium, and wide shots; low, mid, and high angles.
- Use a variety of distances—close, medium, and far. Move your body closer to or farther away from the subject prior to shooting, instead of zooming.
- Tuck your elbows to your sides to maximize stability.
Photo Capture Tips
- Change your angles and distances by moving your body.
- When taking images for a research story or other webpage, think about the long horizontal banner image. This would be a wide shot of the entire scene.
- If you want a smaller square inset image, this can be a close-up.
You should get a variety of images to help support what you are working on.
Video Capture Tips
- When filming on a phone, hold it horizontally to capture in landscape mode.
- Find the best angle and make adjustments before you start recording. Still capture a variety, though.
- Stop your recording between shots to make editing easier.
- Try to capture clips between 10 and 30 seconds to ensure there is enough usable footage.
- Unless you are filming a selfie, try to keep the camera close to your body to maximize stability.
- For panning footage, tuck your elbows to your sides and rotate your waist to maximize stability.
Video Conferencing Tips
When hosting a video conference over Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype, or another platform, we recommend following these tips to improve quality while being courteous to others.
If you are recording in Zoom, don't forget to update your settings and enable audio transcription before beginning the recording.
- Let any others in your home/location know that you are about to begin a video conference call.
- Find a quiet, private room with minimal echo and close your door, so pets and others do not wander in.
- Adjust your distance from your phone or laptop so that the frame crops from the middle of your chest to a little bit over the top of your head.
- Use a virtual or neutral background. Bookshelves or a blank wall work well. You can download Zoom virtual backgrounds.
- Mute your microphone when you aren't talking.
- When conducting a remote interview, the lag in time between speakers will likely cause multiple people to speak at once. To avoid
this:
- Interviewers should articulate questions to clearly indicate when their question is complete and they are ready to receive an answer.
- Interviewees should wait for a moment of silence to ensure it is their turn to speak.
- This practice will not only make interviews look and sound more professional, it will also enable future use of sound bytes from the interview subject without disruptions in the recording.