News

Winning Photos from 2022

January 26th, 2023

The Points West Living Newsletter thanks all the care partners and the residents’ families who provide us with photographs of daily life in the communities and those special moments of celebration. We wanted to show some winning shots from 2022 and share tips about how to take a good photograph that can be used for publication in future newsletters. 

FOCUSING IN ON THE SUBJECT as in the photo with the cupcake makes for a good shot, and here there is no furniture or pictures on the wall or clutter in the background to take away from the subjects. And as importantly, there is enough LIGHT so there are no shadows and bright enough so we see both people clearly.

GET CLOSER: It is not necessary to have a long lens for a close-up. Just stand closer to the subjects and fill the frame with the subject of the photo as in this one

SET UP your shot by having your subjects stand in front of a plain background to highlight the main subject, as seen here with the ‘cowpoke couple’. Or have something that relates to the story as below where the Christmas trees are behind and beside the main subjects.

DEPTH: They call it ‘depth of field’ meaning the photo shows subjects both close up and further away in a single shot.

The High Tea photo is a great example of depth. The lady in her fancy hat sits at High Tea with the china cups up close and the British flag in the background. It all tells the story of the occasion in one shot. The same is true of the lady in the white hat. You see her lovely smile and the cookies, and in the background (depth of field) we can see other people wearing hats and having tea. The top of her head gets cut off a bit which is not what you want. Otherwise, a lovely pic!

FRAME IT: Come in close for a shot and then try one further back and see what works best.

Make sure to hold the camera so that everyone you want to include can fit into the frame. As in the nice group photo below, everybody’s face is included (though the man at the top gets his head cut off a bit due to the background layout.)

Take care to avoid cutting people out so you see only an arm or half a head. 

Also, frame shots from different angles. Try holding the camera over your head and taking the picture from above your subjects, or below, to add drama or make something appear larger than it is. In the photo of St Patrick Day activity you can see what they are doing and their expressions all in one shot.

CLICK AWAY Take several different shots of the same thing at different times during an event. That way you are bound to find at least one or more great shots!